PINEHURST, N.C. — The road Michelle Wie took to a U.S. Women’s Open title was unlike any other, and suddenly insignificant. Whether this was a long time coming was the least of her cares.
The biggest star in women’s golf had her name on the biggest trophy.
She never looked happier.
“Oh my God, I can’t even think straight,” Wie said Sunday after a two-shot victory over Stacy Lewis to claim her first major.
The final three holes at Pinehurst No. 2 were filled with ups and downs that Wie knows as well as anyone in golf. She responded with a performance worthy of the hype that had been heaped on her since she was a teenager.
With a three-shot lead on the 16th hole, Wie nearly threw it all away with one poor decision, only keeping the lead by making a nervy 5-foot putt for double bogey. And right when it looked as though this would end badly, the 24-year-old from Hawaii responded with the putt of her life that made her a Women’s Open champion.
Facing a 25-foot birdie putt on 17 that was fast and dangerous, Wie pumped her fist when it fell, then pounded her fist twice to celebrate the moment.
“That kind of emotion, that kind of pressure … I’ll think of that putt as one of the best putts I’ve ever hit in my life,” she said.
A par on the 18th gave her an even-par 70 to beat Lewis, the No. 1 player in women’s golf who made Wie earn it. Lewis made eight birdies and closed with a 66.
Wie had chance to win this title when she was a 15-year-old amateur at Cherry Hills, and a 16-year-old pro at Newport.
Wie started the final round tied with Amy Yang, took the lead when Yang made double bogey on No. 2 and didn’t let anyone catch her the rest of the day.
Wie poured it in to avoid her first three-putt of the week. Smiling as she left the green, she hit 8-iron to 25 feet and delivered a putt that will surely rank among the highlights in U.S. Women’s Open history.
Wie finished at 2-under 278, the only player to beat par in the second week of championship golf at Pinehurst. Martin Kaymer won by eight shots last week at 9-under 271, the second-lowest score in U.S. Open history.
“I think the fact that I struggled so much, the fact that I kind of went through a hard period of my life, the fact that this trophy is right next to me, it means so much more to me than it ever would have when I was 15,” Wie said.
Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland made her pro debut by closing with a 69 to finish alone in third, earning $271,373. That should be enough to secure her LPGA Tour card for next season. Yang never recovered from her bad start and closed with a 74 to finish fourth.
Juli Inkster never got going, either. The 53-year-old Hall of Famer, playing in her 35th and final U.S. Women’s Open, started four shots out of the lead and didn’t make a birdie until the eighth hole. She closed with a 75 and tied for 15th.
She received a standing ovation walking up the 18th green, a remarkable career that includes three straight U.S. Amateur titles, two majors as a rookie, two daughters, and then seven more majors for the career Grand Slam.
“They were so pulling for me, but it’s really hard to acknowledge them when you’re 5-over par and struggling,” Inkster said. “It was very nice, especially the reception on No. 1 tee and the reception on 18, and all around the golf course. It was great — very, very, very honored.”