2006 SK Telecom Open - Round 2: Wie makes the cut and history in Seoul

Teenage sensation Michelle Wie made history at the SK Telecom Open on Friday, making the halfway cut for the first time against the men after a sizzling three-under-par 69 in the second round.

She became the first woman since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to make the cut on a men's international Tour. Thailand's Prom Meesawat and Iain Steel of Malaysia lead the US$600,000 Asian Tour event at the halfway stage with an 11-under-par 133 total but the 16-year-old Wie was the darling of the crowd and is tied 17th on 139 heading into the weekend.

In her eighth attempt against the men at the Sky 72 Golf Club, Wie was rock solid and did not feel out of place in her round that included four birdies against a lone bogey. Her first appearance in Korea since turning professional, which has created Wie-mania, even brought traffic to a near standstill at the 16th tee.

“I cannot believe that I have made the cut. I have the flu and it’s much better so that’s why I will try better tomorrow,” said a delighted Wie.

Wie's two-day total of 139 sees her tied with India’s Harmeet Kahlon, Thailand’s Chinarat Phadungsil and American Bryan Saltus, who finished second in last week's Maekyung Open and is presently ranked 20th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit.

The Hawaiian lass, who smacks her drives as long as the men, could hardly contain her excitement. “I’m really excited and happy and would like to play even better now. Right now I’m feeling good but this event isn’t over yet so I’ll concentrate on tomorrow’s round,” she said.

When she was striding along the 16th hole, which was next to a highway, cars stopped to have a glance at her, resulting in a mini traffic chaos. "It was so fun. Seeing the police officers come and the crowd here got excited. It made me laugh," said Wie, whose parents are Korean.

Australian Terry Pilkadaris, a three-time winner in Asia, saluted Wie after enjoying two rounds of golf with the American. "I enjoyed it out there. She’s very impressive. The more she plays, the stronger she will be mentally. She has got everything there. There was no real mistake as she was solid. She had to make the shots and she did,” said Pilkadaris, who shot one stroke better than Wie in two rounds.

Wie is the fifth woman golfer to play on the Asian Tour, with Laura Davies of England and Japan's Ai Miyazato being the other high profile players who tried their luck against the men. Korea's Pak Se-ri finished tied 10th in a domestic Korean event in 2003.

Despite Wie hogging all the limelight this week, Thailand’s Prom brightened his chances of a maiden Asian Tour triumph with a sizzling 64 as he charged to the top of the leaderboard alongside Steel, who was equally impressive with a 66.

The burly Prom was pleased with his nine birdies and one bogey. “I played well and my putts were very good as I missed only two putts today,” said Prom. "I tried my best and never really thought that I could be in the lead."

Steel continued to enjoy his Korean odyssey where he won a BMW car last week at the Maekyung Open following a hole in one. Now, he's thinking of a bigger prize. “I made one bogey today and that was from a very poor shot but otherwise I was pretty solid out there,” said Steel, who shot seven birdies.

“All I did was to try and hit the middle of the greens which I did. You’ve got to give yourself a chance and I think I’m in a good position but it’s a long way to go. If I have the chance, I’ll try to take care of it," said Steel, who is gunning for his first title on the Asian Tour in what is his rookie season.

India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the Volvo China Open winner last month, fired a 66 to move into a share of third place with Korea's Lee Seong-ho, who posted a 67. Singh, the UBS Order of Merit leader, shot seven birdies against a lone bogey and is one shot back.

“The conditions this morning was very calm compared to yesterday. Yesterday it was quite windy in the afternoon,” said Singh. "I’m feeling pretty good and confident now. I’m going to play each round as it comes.

“ I’m not going to go out there and push myself. I’m going to play it shot by shot. I hit a few balls in the morning in peace and did not have to hurry today as I knew where the driving range was so that was good,” he added.

Overnight leader Adam Le Vesconte slipped to tied seventh place after a 71. Defending champion Choi Kyung-ju of Korea, who has won three titles on the US PGA Tour, shot an even-par 72 as he trailed the leaders by seven strokes.

Leading second round scores

133 - Prom Meesawat (THA) 69-64, Iain Steel (MAS) 67-66

134 - Jeev Milkha Singh (IND) 68-66, Lee Seong-ho (KOR) 67-67

135 - Chapchai Nirat (THA) 68-67, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 67-68

136 - Lee Won-jun [A] (KOR) 69-67, Adam Le Vesconte (AUS) 65-71

137 - Hong Soon-sang (KOR) 71-66, Kang Kyung-nam (KOR) 69-68

138 - Choi Ho-sung (KOR) 70-68, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 69-69, Mo Joong-kyung (KOR) 70-68, Anthony Kang (USA) 70-68, Lu Wei-lan (TPE) 72-66, Choi Jin-ho (KOR) 70-68

139 - Harmeet Kahlon (IND) 70-69, Michelle Wie (USA) 70-69, Hwang In-choon (KOR) 69-70, Bryan Saltus (USA) 70-69, Park Boo-won (KOR) 71-68, Chinarat Phadungsil (THA) 71-68

140 - Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) 69-71, K J Choi (KOR) 68-72, Michael Wright (AUS) 73-67, Angelo Que (PHI) 71-69, Lee Sung (KOR) 69-71, Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 69-71, Park Yong-soo (KOR) 71-69, Ron Won (USA) 69-71

May 5, 2006

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