Webb surges to lead, Wie gets the fans

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Posted 6:47AM on Sunday, April 27, 2003

STOCKBRIDGE - Michelle Wie is feeling more comfortable with her driver. She's getting used to the course. Hey, it's time to make a move in the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. You know how impatient these teenagers can be. The 13-year-old Wie is fitting right in on the LPGA Tour, making the cut Saturday with a 2-under 142 total that left her nine strokes behind leader Karrie Webb. A month ago, Wie finished an astonishing ninth in the first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She hopes to make another serious move up the leaderboard Sunday. ``I'm just going to be aggressive, try to catch up to the leaders as much as I can,'' said Wie, who was followed by the largest gallery on the course. ``Try to get to the top 10, at least.'' Wie completed the rain-delayed first round in the morning by playing 13 holes, finishing with an even-par 72, then went straight to No. 1 and got started on another 18. The eight-grader had a 70 in the afternoon not bad considering she arrived from Hawaii on Thursday, had time for only one practice round on an unfamiliar course, then had to get through a grueling day after rain pushed back her Friday tee time. In all, she was on the course for 10 hours Saturday, getting started at 7:30 a.m. ``It's a new experience for me,'' Wie said. ``I never did this before. I have been doing a lot of things I've never done before.'' She was far behind Webb, who surged to the lead with bogey-free rounds of 67 and 66 in the 54-hole event south of Atlanta. Webb, a six-time major champion, is seeking her first victory of 2002. She hasn't finished higher than ninth in four tournaments, which she blames on some uncharacteristic lapses. At Las Vegas last weekend, Webb was 3 under with two holes to play in the first round. Then she put up a quadruple-bogey 8, basically knocking her out of contention. ``I've been throwing up some big numbers in the middle of rounds,'' Webb said. ``That stops a lot of momentum and you have to play catch-up golf from there.'' Webb has avoided any major mistakes this week. In fact, she's rarely been in trouble, making virtually all of her birdies from 12 feet and closer. ``I am not putting myself in any bad spots,'' Webb said. Fellow Australian Shani Waugh, seeking her first victory on tour, was two strokes back at 135 after a 66. She'll likely be part of a big-name final group on Sunday with Webb and Se Ri Pak, who was at 136. ``Hopefully the attention will be on the other two and I can sneak along with some birdies,'' Waugh said. Thirty-six players failed to complete the second round because of darkness. They'll return early Sunday to finish. Soo-Yun Kang, who shared the first-round lead with Sophie Gustafson, was in a group four shots off the lead. Gustafson dropped from contention with a 74, leaving her at 140. Webb got back on schedule by playing 26 holes. She had to bale herself out of trouble only once chipping in for a birdie at No. 16. The Aussie actually squandered a couple of good chances to go even lower, missing a 12-footer for birdie at No. 7 and lipping out a 15-footer on her final hole. Wie had a much more adventurous day. Of her 31 holes Saturday, she had nearly as many birdies (eight) and bogeys (seven) as pars. The last hole of the day epitomized her potential and immaturity. Wie hit a monster drive at the par-5 18th, carrying 300 yards on the fly. Playing partner Barb Mucha jokingly offered up her driver to the youngster as the crowd gasped. Mucha wound up 50 yards behind Wie off the tee, but cut a 3-wood right next to the flag and sank the putt for an eagle. Wie, on the other hand, picked a 5-iron for the front tee placement and skidded her ball far past the cup. She wound up three-putting for par. ``I kept picking out the wrong club,'' Wie said. ``Those kind of mistakes made me have, like, a par instead of a chance for birdie.'' Earlier, Wie disregarded her father's advice to putt from the fringe at 1. She chipped about 8 feet short and failed to save par. ``I told her to putt,'' said B.J. Wie, who is caddying for his daughter. ``I knew that was the best way. But she doesn't believe me. You know these kids.'' Wie bolstered her score by sinking some long birdie putts. She attempted to drive the green on the 306-yard seventh and wound up in a bunker, but got up-and-down for birdie by sinking a 36-foot putt. At 16, she was dead-on from 27 feet for another birdie. ``She's a little bit tired,'' B.J. Wie said. ``But she hung in there really well.'' Afterward, his daughter was mobbed by fans outside the scoring tent, many of them young girls seeking the autograph of this burgeoning star Webb knows that she's watching the future of women's golf. ``When she turns 18, it will be her world if she continues to improve,'' Webb said. ``It's quite amazing how good she is already.'' Divots: Former NBA star Charles Barkley is caddying for Kris Tschetter. He had to be at the course at 6:30 a.m. Saturday to complete the first round. ``That's the earliest I've been up in 20 years,'' Barkley said. ``I'm normally getting in at 6:30.'' ... Natalie Gulbis had eagles at 2 and 7, both times holing wedges from about 70 yards. She had a chance to break 30 on her final nine holes, but three-putted from 5 feet at No. 8 for a bogey. Gulbis still shot 66 in the second round, leaving her six strokes behind Webb.