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Wie Disqualified for Bad Drop During Third Round
LPGA Officials Studied Tape From Saturday Before Disqualifying Teen
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Sports
PALM DESERT, Calif. (Oct. 16) - Michelle Wie's pro debut made her look like an amateur Sunday when she was disqualified for taking a bad drop from the bushes in the third round of the Samsung World Championship. Talk about a rude welcome less than two weeks after turning pro.
First, Annika Sorenstam blew away the field to win by eight shots, even with a double bogey on the last hole.
Then, the 16-year-old Wie no sooner had signed for a 74 to finish fourth - $53,126 - that LPGA Tour officials took her out to the seventh hole to discuss a drop she took the day before.
Nearly two hours later, she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Because Wie dropped the ball closer to the hole - by 3 inches according to her, by about a foot according to the rules officials - she should have added two strokes to her third-round 71.
"I learned a great lesson," Wie said, her voice choking with emotion. "From now on, I'll call a rules official no matter where it is, whether its 3 inches or 100 yards. I respect that."
LPGA Officials Studied Tape From Saturday Before Disqualifying Teen
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Sports
Reed Saxon, AP
Michelle Wie thought she earned $53,126 in her first paycheck, but later learned she was disqualified.
Michelle Wie thought she earned $53,126 in her first paycheck, but later learned she was disqualified.
PALM DESERT, Calif. (Oct. 16) - Michelle Wie's pro debut made her look like an amateur Sunday when she was disqualified for taking a bad drop from the bushes in the third round of the Samsung World Championship. Talk about a rude welcome less than two weeks after turning pro.
First, Annika Sorenstam blew away the field to win by eight shots, even with a double bogey on the last hole.
Then, the 16-year-old Wie no sooner had signed for a 74 to finish fourth - $53,126 - that LPGA Tour officials took her out to the seventh hole to discuss a drop she took the day before.
Nearly two hours later, she was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Because Wie dropped the ball closer to the hole - by 3 inches according to her, by about a foot according to the rules officials - she should have added two strokes to her third-round 71.
"I learned a great lesson," Wie said, her voice choking with emotion. "From now on, I'll call a rules official no matter where it is, whether its 3 inches or 100 yards. I respect that."
