Michelle Wie got hot early, parlaying a seven-under effort over her first nine holes into a seven-under 64 on Saturday for a three-shot lead in the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship.
Wie, vying for second victory in as many starts, notched the lowest nine-hole score on the LPGA Tour this year.
She started on the 10th tee at the Pinnacle Country Club and birdied five of her first seven holes. She drained an uphill putt from some 35 feet for an eagle at 18.
PHOTO: AFP
‘fun’
“It was a fun round today, I have to say,” Wie said.
She was three shots in front of Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (68), South Korean Na Yeon Choi (68) and Juli Inkster of the (66).
Inkster, the 50-year-old Hall of Famer, is trying to become the oldest player to win on the tour.
Inkster’s rookie year, 1983, was six years before Wie was born.
Taiwan’s Amy Hung shot a 72 for a one-over total of 143, while compatriot Candie Kung carded a 74 to be a shot further back, just making the cut on 144.
Wie tapped in for birdie on the second hole to get to eight-under for the day, but she couldn’t maintain the torrid pace.
Wie said the heat was a factor as her round wore on.
“I chugged a Powerade and a Vitamin Water,” Wie said.
Wie, who launched her career as a big-hitting prodigy who wanted to challenge the men, is now starting to come into her own on the LPGA tour.
The Hawaiian of Korean descent has made all but two cuts since the start of last year and earned her first career victory in November at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
She won the Canadian Open two weeks ago.
improvement
Wie was five-under for the four par-fives, a six-stroke improvement from the first round.
Wie’s approach on the par-five 18th popped in and out of a greenside bunker before landing on the green to set up her eagle putt.
Tseng, playing alongside her, was able to stay within striking distance.
“She played awesome today,” the Taiwanese said of Wie. “I told my caddie, ‘Aw, she took all my birdies.’”
Several LPGA players have shot 29 this year for nine holes, but Wie’s was the first 28. South Korea’s Ji Young-oh shot seven-under on a par-37 nine at in Portland last month.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
RSS