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Golf Roundup: LPGA's Wie disqualified for scorecard violation

Sunday, July 20, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — After finishing Friday and Saturday in second place at the State Farm Classic, Michelle Wie was one good round away from finally living up to her deep potential.

Then, minutes after tapping in her last putt of the third round, Wie sat red-eyed at a folding table in front of a couple dozen baffled reporters and photographers, explaining why she'd been disqualified from the tournament. The 18-year-old, playing her best golf of the year, broke one of the game's most basic rules: She failed to sign her scorecard before leaving the scoring area.

"I don't know why or how it happened," Wie said.

Wie took no questions before leaving the clubhouse at Panther Creek Country Club. She climbed into an SUV with her parents and drove away.

That left Yani Tseng leading the tournament at 18 under, followed by Katie Futcher at 16 under and Hee-Won Han and Ji Young Oh another shot back.

Sue Witters, the LPGA's director of tournament competitions, disqualified Wie in a small office in an LPGA trailer at the course after asking her what had happened.

"I felt like I was telling somebody that there was no Santa Claus," Witters said.

And with that, Wie was gone from a tournament where either the $255,000 winner's purse or the $155,252 second prize would have put her comfortably within the top 80 money winners for the year — and virtually guaranteed her a place on the LPGA Tour next year.

PGA

MILWAUKEE — Second-round leader Nick Flanagan birdied his final hole Saturday to join fellow Australian Gavin Coles in first place after three rounds at the US Bank Championship.

Flanagan, who shared the second-round lead with Richard S. Johnson of Sweden, shot a 1-under 69 and Coles a 68 to get to 11 under at Brown Deer Park Golf Course.

Johnson also birdied the 18th hole to shoot even-par 70, tied with Jon Mills (64), George McNeill (66) and Ken Duke (68) a stroke back of the leaders.

Five players were another shot back, including defending champion Joe Ogilvie, whose 68 on Saturday puts him in a good position to become the first repeat winner.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

BLAINE, Minn. — R.W. Eaks shot an 9-under 63 Saturday for a three-stroke lead over Gene Jones and Loren Roberts after the second round of the Champions Tour's 3M Championship.

Eaks has a 128 through two rounds, the best two-round score on tour this year.

First-round leader Dana Quiqley is four shots back at 12 under. Bernhard Langer is at 11 under.

Severe weather halted play for nearly three hours, and tournament officials sent all spectators away, although a few came back.

Gary Hallberg (68), Hale Irwin (66), Lonnie Nielsen (66) and Ron Streck (64) are at 10 under, six shots behind Eaks.

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