Wed, Jul 13, 2005 page19

• Michelle Wie fades before hundreds of fans at APL

  • AP
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  Michelle Wie faded down the stretch again and shot a 6-over 76 on the first day of stroke play at the men's US Amateur Public Links on Monday.

  Playing in front of a huge gallery, the 15-year-old tied for 84th in the 156-player field. The low 64 scorers over 36 holes of medal play move on to match play today.

  Wie, who won the 2003 US Women's Amateur Public Links, is playing in the men's APL because the winner traditionally gets an invitation to the Masters. She just missed the cut at the US PGA Tour's John Deere Classic last week, also finding trouble on the final few holes.

  

  Michelle Wie reacts after missing her second put for bogie on the 17th hole on Monday during the first round of the US Amateur Public Links at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio.

  PHOTO: AP

  Chan Song, the older brother of twin sisters Naree and Aree Song, who play on the US LPGA Tour, and Garrett Jones, shared the first-round lead after opening at 6-under 66. US Junior Amateur champion Sihwan Kim was in a four-way tie for third after a 69.

  Wie played the first 10 holes at Shaker Run Golf Club in even-par, then had two double-bogeys and two more bogeys on the way into the clubhouse.

  At the par-3 11th, she hit her approach into the lagoon in front of the green. After taking a drop, her third shot went through the green and she two-putted from just over 20 feet for a 5.

  She followed that with consecutive bogeys and then parred three holes in a row before finding more trouble at the par-5 17th. Attempting to hit her driver over trees guarding the left side of the dogleg left, she hit a high draw that ended up hitting a tree and ricocheting into a lake. She took a drop, hit an iron out of the deep rough and put her approach on the front of the green before three-putting for a 7.

  Wie was a huge attraction even before she hit the course.

  More than 300 people lined the back perimeter of the driving range to watch her hit balls, with several hundred more awaiting her arrival on the first tee.

  When Wie left the practice tee, there was not a single spectator who stayed behind.

  The gallery watching her was frequently stacked three or four deep behind each green. This is the first time that the sponsoring US Golf Association has ever put ropes around all the tees and all the greens at an APL to keep spectators away from the players.

  Bill McCarthy, the USGA staffer in charge of the championship, said he's never seen anything like it at an Amateur Public Links event.

  Several hundred fans followed her for most of the round in high humidity and temperatures approaching 32?C. There were nine USGA officials and two deputy sheriffs assigned to her threesome and there was still a lot of noise on most holes as the fans broke away as soon as she hit her final putt.

  McCarthy said the security and crowd control provided was "an inappropriate amount."

  Six TV cameras were trained on her as she teed off on the first hole.
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