Michelle Wie officially committed this morning to play in the LPGA’s season-opening Honda PTT LPGA Thailand Feb. 18-21.
Wie also plans to stay and play in the HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore the following week.
Wie, who broke through to win her first LPGA event last fall, is taking a heavy load with 20 credits this quarter to keep pace with requirements as a junior at Stanford. She met with her professors last week to make sure her work load would allow the trip. She’s planning to take a leave of absence in the spring quarter to focus on the LPGA.
Lorena Ochoa, No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, and Jiyai Shin, No. 2 in the world, also are committed to the season opener. The field list is considered tentative until Feb. 2, the deadline for committing. Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford, Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis are among those who’ve committed early.