Wie 9 back after first round 74

It appears Michelle Wie will not win her first tournament this week. The 16-year-old fired a 74 in the first round of the Women's British Open and is currently nine strokes behind Juli Inkster, who is 7-under par after 17 holes.
It's too bad it's going to take a victory for her to be considered a success. But this is the position she's (her family, too) put herself in.

Tiger sizzles at Buick

Tiger Woods apparently does OK with driver in his hand, too.
The best golfer on the planet opened his first round at the Buick Open with five straight birdies. He is tied for the lead at 5 under and the tournament is just resuming play after a 2-hour delay.
Woods is in prime position to make a sixth birdie on his 10th hole (No. 1 at Warwick Hills).
The second half of the 2006 season could be downright scary if Woods keeps this up.

Wie close but no cigar ... again

Is Michelle Wie ridiculously impressive or in the need of a win big time?
That is the question many golf fans are asking these days.
In my opinion, she needs a win ... like last week.
Wie, 16, has put herself in the position to have to live up to lofty expectations. She turned pro. And just because she's 16 doesn't mean she should be treated any different than the women she competes against. A victory doesn't pay any more for Wie because she's young. It's the same check Annika would cash.
Tiger Woods and his family chose another route -- winning. He collected three U.S. Junior Am titles, three U.S. Amateur tites and an NCAA crown before turning pro exactly 10 years ago. It took him all of five events on the PGA Tour -- at the age of 19 -- to win. He now has 49 career victories.
Wie has finished in the top 5 of every stroke play LPGA Tour event she's played in this season, but has shown a knack for freezing up on the back nine when she's in contention. That has to be related to one thing -- her lack of experience closing the deal.
Will she win? OF course. A lot. But no one should feel like they should take it easy on her close finishes. The decision to put Michelle in the world of professional golf, even at such a tender age, means she's just another competitor.