It’s hard to argue with a bogey-free round. Still, Michelle Wie offered a slight self-rebuttal on Thursday.
The Punahou product shot a 5-under 67, her best round in the three years of the LPGA Lotte Championship at Ko Olina Golf Club, placing her at 7 under and a shot behind leader Angela Stanford entering the weekend.
But she had some golden opportunities late in her round for at least a share of the lead — birdie putts from within 8 feet on holes 15, 16, and 17 just wouldn’t cooperate as Wie’s gallery of about 200 groaned.
"In an ideal world, I would make a couple of those coming in," Wie said. "But at the same time, I can’t complain about a 67 in today’s wind. So I feel like I’m in a good position for this weekend. Hopefully all those putts will drop on the weekend."
That finish did nothing to knock Wie off her big-time roll. Thursday was her 23rd round under par out of 26 in 2014. And it was the second time in her past four rounds, going back to the third round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship two weeks ago, she played without a bogey. Last time, that feat helped her toward a runner-up finish at the first major of the season.
Wie is now 7-for-7 in cuts made this year.
She was feeling it off the tee with her driver and with her fairway woods, negotiating the Kapolei wind to hit 10 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation.
In Wednesday’s first round, she played the course’s four par-5 holes at 1 over. Thursday, she was 3 under on the longest holes.
"I think I did a little better (on those holes) today than I did yesterday," Wie said. "It was tough out there, you know. It was just with the wind, par’s a good score out here and you can try to grab a birdie when you can, but mostly just keeping the ball in play."
The highlight of her round came on the par-5 13th hole. She lofted her approach about 15 feet beyond the hole. Her downhill putt appeared to lip out momentarily, but instead the ball did a full 360-degree tour of the cup before dropping home as the crowd erupted.
"That putt was really, really fast," said a smiling Wie. "It was downwind, down grain, downhill and I just barely touched it. I think the crowd rolled that one in for sure."
She followed that up with an approach within 4 feet on the par-5 14th, and sank the putt for a temporary share of the lead.
"There’s a couple holes out there where you just can’t go for the hole," she said. "You gotta play for the middle of the green. I think (my caddie) and I did a pretty good job of that."
That’s where her momentum stalled. Birdie putts on 15 and 16 came close, but No. 17 was especially painful. She cranked her drive downwind to within perhaps 25 yards of the green on the 353-yard hole, then stuck her second shot to within 3 feet of the cup.
As the pro-Wie gallery watched expectantly, her ball scooted an inch to the right. She shook that off and negotiated 18 safely over the clubhouse water hazard for an easy par.
