Michelle Wie Has Hands Full at Sony Open
Michelle Wie will tee it up with the men in the Sony Open this week, including defending champion Vijay Singh. All eyes are on Michelle. Two years ago she made a run for making the cut, and many say she will be better this time around. Apparantly she has been working on fitness to get stronger and increase her ball speed. It seems to be working. Swing coach David Leadbetter said Wie’s upper-body strength was “woefully lacking”. He brought in fitness guru Paul Gagne for help. Leadbetter said Wie has increased her ball speed about 5 mph to 161 mph in the past few months.
What will put Michelle in contention for making the cut at the Sony Open? She has got to get off the tee well and putt out of her mind. Basically she cannot afford to miss anything when playing with guys like Vijay, Sean O’Hair, Jason Gore and Justin Rose. The trick will be for Michelle to not just “make the cut” but to win. And that is not an easy task after missing soooo many cuts over the past year. If she makes the cut, and especially if she is in contention for the win, look for TV ratings to skyrocket. Best case scenario: Vijay and Michelle in a playoff. Here is the schedule:
Thursday, 1/12: 6:30-9pm ET ESPN
Friday, 1/13: 8-10:30pm ET ESPN
Saturday, 1/14: 7-10:30pm ET ESPN
Sunday, 1/15: 7-10pm ET ESPN