Wie makes the cut

Honolulu teenager Michelle Wie's breakthrough today came with a bonus — she remains in contention for the title in the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open in Incheon, South Korea.

Wie made her first cut in a professional men's tournament in her eighth try, making four birdies against just one bogey for a 3-under-par 69 in the second round and was 5-under 139 overall.

Wie, a 16-year-old Punahou junior, is the second female to make a cut in a Korea men's tournament. In 2003, LPGA player Se Ri Pak finished tied for 10th at the KPGA Tour's SBS Pro-Golf Championships. Pak was 26.

Wie's first attempt at making a men's cut came as a 13-year-old in a Canadian Tour event in 2003. She has come close previously, missing the cut by a shot in the 2005 Casio Open (Japan men's tour) and 2004 Sony Open in Hawai'i (PGA Tour). Wie also missed a cut by two strokes at the 2005 John Deere Classic (PGA Tour).

The SK Telecom Open is a stop on the Asian Tour, not part of the more prestigious PGA Tour.

[5/6/06] According to Eric Adelson of ESPN The Magazine, the 14th hole at the Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon, South Korea, created one of the strangest situations during the second round of the SK Telecom Open.

Adelson said the fairway rides along a major highway to the airport, and fans parked their cars along the shoulder to catch a glimpse of Wie. As Wie got to the green, dozens of vehicles lined up, and Adelson described it as like a scene from "Independence Day" without the aliens. As she stepped to her putt, Adelson wrote that a police car approached with sirens blaring. The officer, oblivious to the moment, kept his siren on and threw in some megaphone-enhanced admonishment for the gawkers. The noise kept on during Wie's putt, which she barely missed. Dozens of Korean fans on the course screamed obscenities at the officer.