30
Aug/10

Wie Under Par!

by Stephanie Wei under LPGA

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Besides, you guys spell and pronounce my name wrong all the time. It’s only fair that I get to have some fun with people getting confused or some wondering if we’re related. The only differences in our last names is the order of the “i” and the “e” and mine is pronounced “way” and Michelle is “wee.” She’s Korean and I’m Chinese. Oh, and she’s also a lot better at golf than me.

But I digress.

Michelle Wie shot 12-under with scores of 65-69-72-70 to win the Women’s Canadian Open by thee shots over the foursome of Kristy McPherson, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen and Jee Young Lee. Wie kicked off the tournament with a solid 65 and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire to capture her second-career LPGA victory.

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30
Aug/10

Race and Cheating Allegations Plague LPGA

by Stephanie Wei under LPGA

In the past four weeks, rules controversies and the repercussions for breaking them have been making more headlines than usual. At last week’s Canadian Women’s Open, Shi Hyun Ahn and Ilmi Chung were disqualified for signing incorrect scorecards. But this may have not just been your run-of the-mill mistake. Precipitated by allegations and reports from LPGA caddie and blogger Larry Smich, there’s also a potential cheating scandal with possibly grave consequences (if Smich could have a say).

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30
Aug/10

Poulter Tweets Late-Night Toast With a Disappointed Rose

by Stephanie Wei under 2010 Ryder Cup

Here, Ian Poulter, who recently reached 1 million followers, headed to Twitter on Sunday evening to express his letdown over Colin Montgomerie’s captain’s picks to round out the European Ryder Cup team. Even though Poults won’t discuss shoulda, woulda, couldas, it’s clear that the trio of Edoardo Molinari, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington wouldn’t have been his top-three choices.

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29
Aug/10

Kuch in the Clutch

by Stephanie Wei under FedEx Cup, General, PGA Tour

Aside from Matt Kuchar’s phenomenal approach shot from the left rough into the first playoff hole — the one that rolled up to the very edge of the green and then curving around and back down to stop within two feet of the hole — my favorite moment was watching his son Cameron congratulate dad.

I was standing near the front of the green when I saw the two-year-old dodder up the green, slowly at first, but as he got closer to dad, he quickened his pace and eventually ran into his arms. It was one of those moments that I wished I had a camera (even just my point-and-shoot one). But I nudged photographer Allan Henry, who was standing next to me, so he could capture the Kodak moment.

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29
Aug/10

Journeyman Woods Grinds to Keep FedEx Cup Hopes Alive

by Stephanie Wei under FedEx Cup, PGA Tour, Tiger Woods

It was finish better than 58th place or go home for Tiger Woods this week at The Barclays, the first of the four FedEx Cup events. Tiger entered the week 112th in the standings, and to advance to next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship, he needed enough points to improve his position to the top-100. After he kicked off the tournament with a 65 for a share of the lead, he blamed his putter for his disappointing second and third rounds and dropped off the leaderboard.

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29
Aug/10

Your Barclays Final Round / Monty’s Captains Picks Open Thread

by Stephanie Wei under FedEx Cup, General, PGA Tour, Tiger Woods

There are so many intoxicating storylines this weekend and the only one that remotely involves the FedEx Cup is whether Tiger Woods would secure enough points to advance for the second round at next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship. Good news! — he needed to finish somewhere between 50th and 57th at The Barclays, and he delivered by posting a 67 in the final round. With the leaders still on the course, Tiger is currently in the clubhouse for a share of eighth place.

Martin Laird is trying to capture his second career PGA Tour victory. He’s leading at 12-under through 6 holes — after a hot start with back-to-back birdies, he doubled the par-5 third and bogeyed the par-4 fourth. Kevin Streelman, Matt Kuchar and Jason Day are two strokes behind at 10-under with lots of golf left to play.

Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson is trying to bounce back from two major championship disappointments. Not that I wish such misfortune on anyone, but I’m almost glad it happened to someone as…umm…resilient as DJ. He’s even-par through six holes and nine-under for the tournament. Get moving, DJ!

And as you know, Monty made his captain’s picks. Luke Donald just finished with a solid 40 on the back nine to post a decent 68. I’m going to go listen to him talk. Drop your comments below.

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29
Aug/10

Monty Announces Captain’s Picks, Americans Start Writing Thank You Notes

by Stephanie Wei under 2010 Ryder Cup, General

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie announced his three wildcard picks from Gleneagles on Sunday. Joining the nine who made the team on merit — Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Peter Hanson, Francesco Molinari, Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter — are Edoardo Molinari, Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald. (Those were my guesses that I tweeted earlier this afternoon, but not necessarily who I wanted on the team.)

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28
Aug/10

Tiger’s Unlucky, Crappy Back Nine

by Stephanie Wei under FedEx Cup, General, PGA Tour, Tiger Woods

All was going well in Tiger Woods on Friday at The Barclays. He shot two-under 34 on his first nine (he started on No. 10). And then the second hole (his 11th) happened. Some photographer, who obviously had never covered golf before, started snapping at an inopportune time.

“The photographer took a photo on my downswing,” Woods said after his round. “Luckily I flinched. I went back on it and threw the club down at the same time to hopefully make contact. Luckily I didn’t fat it or blade it, but he timed it well.”

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27
Aug/10

Mann Not a Fan of Koreans Either

by Stephanie Wei under General

SPORTSbyBROOKS has unearthed more controversial comments from World Golf Hall of Fame Ambassador Carol Mann in 2009 over the LPGA’s English-only controversy:

In 2009 now-fired LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens enacted a rule on tour that forced Korean players to learn english or face a suspension.

Here was Mann’s reaction to Fox Sports:

“I have friends who will turn the TV off or find other things to watch if Koreans are in the lead — a couple of weeks ago, there were seven or eight of them. (The LPGA) has to protect the business of the future and the television package … so I think it is terrific.”

So Mann’s “friends” predicate their viewing habits on whether or not a golfer can speak English? Is referring Korean players as, “seven or eight of them“, appropriate coming from one of only three “ambassadors” for the World Golf Hall of Fame and the 2008 winner of the PGA’s “First Lady of Golf”?

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27
Aug/10

Tiger Woods and Marshal Lure

by Stephanie Wei under FedEx Cup, PGA Tour, Tiger Woods

Whenever you’re paired with Tiger Woods, it’s a given you’ll have to to deal with the chaos and added distractions of the Tiger Woods Fan Club.

So do the guys playing on holes adjacent to Tiger.

When Tiger’s group was on the fourth green at Ridgewood on Friday, Steve Stricker and Ernie Els were on the tee of the adjacent ninth hole. The marshals were ogling over Tiger and wandered into the line of sight of the players teeing off the ninth. “Hey, marshals!” someone from the tee yelled. The embarrassed marshals quickly scurried into the crowd.

As the twosome walked past the cluster of marshals, their caddies barked, “Pay attention!”  Els, who was understandably peeved, scowled and snapped, “There are other groups on the f$%^*g golf course.”

Hey, marshals, it doesn’t feel very good to get yelled at, huh?

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About Me

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I'm still an avid golfer. Golf is my first love. Oh, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot.

I'm a freelance blogger/writer. I contribute to Huffington Post and Mediaite. Also written for Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com and the Wall Street Journal.

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The WUP Team

Editor/Writer: Stephanie Wei | steph.wei@gmail.com

Contributor: Kevin Merfeld (Merf) | kevin.m.merfeld@gmail.com

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"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented." -Arnold Palmer

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