Wie at last

With the weight of Hawaii on her golf bag and the competitor who ran her down at Turtle Bay by her side, it was fitting Michelle Wie’s first win on American soil was on her home course.

Wie did to Angela Stanford on Saturday what the Texan did to her at Turtle Bay in 2009, overcome a big lead en route to a two-shot victory Saturday to capture the $1.7 million LPGA Lotte Championship before a large gallery at the Ko Olina Golf Club.

Wie’s final-round 67 was punctuated by back-to-back birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 that gave her a two-shot advantage she wouldn’t relinquish. She fired a 14-under 274 for her third victory on the LPGA Tour, including three birdies on her last seven holes.

Bothered all week with a sore right forearm, Stanford struggled to a final-round 73, one of only two golfers among the top 16 finishers who failed to find a red number over the closing 18 holes.

Stanford’s ball-striking in the second and third rounds led to only 51 putts en route to building a four-stroke advantage after 54 holes over Wie and 18-year-old South Korean Hyo Joo Kim (71). Stanford needed 29 strokes with the flat stick on Saturday and that was too many against the hard-charging 24-year-old Punahou grad.

"I’m so happy I can’t think straight," Wie said. "I love everybody here in Hawaii, and celebrating tonight is going to be fun. I’m so proud of myself. I had a blast out there today. It was so exciting."

Stanford was alone in second at 12-under 276. World No. 1 Inbee Park closed with a stellar 67 of her own to place third at 11-under 277. Kim was fourth at 278, and Chella Choi (67) and So Yeon Ryu (69) tied for fifth at 9-under 279.

But this tournament belonged to Wie, who has survived one of the most scrutinized careers in the history of the game. Team Wie made some interesting career choices when she was a teenager, including playing on the PGA Tour, that led to plenty of criticism along the way.

And while not silencing "the haters," as Justin Timberlake might say, Wie has an opportunity in 2014 to reach her vast potential of being one of the dominating players in the game. She needs to win a major, have the kind of consistency of Park, who has been No. 1 in the world 54 consecutive weeks, to hit that plateau.

Wie sounded like someone who had just won an Academy Award, thanking not only her sponsors, but hitting instructor David Ledbetter. Sideline observers have questioned her staying with him for so long. On Saturday, she gave everyone in her corner a big shout-out.

"They have just been through it with me, ups and downs, we’ve all been patient," Wie said. "David Ledbetter, just my team has been so supportive even through the hard times that it just makes it so much better right now."

As exciting as the back nine proved to be for the Stanford alumna, Wie got Stanford’s attention on the front side with birdies at Nos. 1, 5 and 6 to close within one. She drew even after Stanford bogeyed the eighth and then took the lead for good with a birdie at the 12th.

"I wasn’t hitting it great today," Stanford said. "Kind of had some in-between numbers, so just kind of a little bit of everything (went wrong). That’s the way it goes. Michelle has been playing great. She’s having a great year, so it was bound to happen. I just happened to be the one. You knew it was going to happen eventually."

Walking down the 18th fairway is something Wie won’t soon forget. The overflow crowd shouted words of encouragement for the local girl who made good. With a three-shot advantage, she embraced it, even settling for her lone bogey of the day at the last. It didn’t matter. She was greeted by several players, who congratulated the biggest win of her surreal career off the 18th green.

"My caddie (Duncan French) isn’t one for pep talks," Wie said, "but he gave me a good one on the green today. He was like, ‘Just play your game. You are playing well.’ And that’s really what I did.

"I didn’t try to force anything. I just tried to make some birdies. I had a number in my head that I thought I needed to shoot, and, fortunately, I shot it.

"I think the highlight really was just to come back home and there really wasn’t just one moment. From the first tee shot that I hit until the last putt that I made, the support that I felt from everyone was unbelievable. I really think a lot of times they willed the ball in.

"I give a lot of credit to them this week."