HONOLULU – Michelle Wie announced today that she will play in the Japan Golf Tour 2006 CASIO WORLD OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT. The tournament – from Thursday, November 23 to Sunday, November 26, 2006 – will take place at the Kochi Kuroshio Country Club. The event is co-sponsored by CASIO COMPUTER Co., Ltd. (head office in Shibuya, Tokyo, President Mr. Kazuo Kashio), Kuroshio Tourist Development Co., Ltd. (head office in Kochi Prefecture, President Mr. Takashi Okazaki), and TV Kochi Co., Ltd. (head office in Kochi, President Tateo Fujiwara). Wie also played in the tournament in 2005.
Over the years the CASIO WORLD OPEN has hosted numerous major champions and international stars including Lee Trevino, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart and Jose Maria Olazabal. In 1998, Tiger Woods made the tournament his first ever event on the Japan Golf Tour.
Wie made the 2005 CASIO WORLD OPEN her first overseas men’s tour event after she turned professional. She failed to make the cut in 2005 by just one stroke, barely missing out on the opportunity to be the first female player ever to make the final rounds on the men’s tour in Japan.
"I am very honored to once again be offered an opportunity to play in the CASIO WORLD OPEN," said Michelle Wie. "I hope to build upon my experiences in the 2005 tournament, and show the people of Japan my improved game in 2006. I look forward to seeing everyone at Kochi in November."
History of the CASIO WORLD OPEN
The First CASIO WORLD OPEN was staged in 1981 with entries by numerous major champions and top US PGA tour players such as Lee Trevino, Mark O’Meara, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer.
The CASIO WORLD OPEN has since contributed to the development of golf in Japan, including:
The first victory by a Japanese player, the world-famous Isao Aoki, in 1989.
The second victory by a Japanese player and achievement of top prize earner for the first time by Naomichi Ozaki in 1991.
The first appearance in a Japanese golf tournament by Tiger Woods in 1998.
The first ever entry by a female player to the Japanese men’s tour in 2003.
At the 25th tournament held last year, the tournament course was changed from Kagoshima Prefecture to Kochi Kuroshio Country Club in Kochi Prefecture, and Michelle Wie, a high school female golfer, caused a stir when she became the second female player ever to play in a men’s tournament in Japan.
Michelle Wie Background
Born: October 11, 1989
Height: 183 cm, Weight: 65 kg
Favorite Player: Ernie Els
School: Punahou High School in Hawaii
Michelle was born in Hawaii, U.S.A., and her parents are American citizens of Korean descent.
Michelle started playing golf from the age of four under the guidance of her father B. J. Wie, a professor at the University of Hawaii. She could drive the ball 100 yards by the time she was five.
Among her numerous amateur tournament victories, she became the youngest ever winner of the US Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 13 in 2003. She entered a professional tournament, on the LPGA tour, for the first time in 2002 when she was in the sixth grade. Her main achievements so far include second-place finishes in the US Women’s Professional and SBS Open Tournaments on the LPGA, third place at the British Women’s Open, and missing the cut at the CASIO WORLD OPEN by just one stroke, all in 2005.
Tour Details
Name: 2006 CASIO WORLD OPEN Golf Tournament
Sponsors: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Kuroshio Tourist Development Co., Ltd.
TV Kochi Co., Ltd.
Administered: Japan Golf Tour Organization
Course: Kochi Kuroshio Country Club
Schedule: Thursday, November 23 – Sunday, November 26, 2006
Prize Money: Total Purse 140,000,000 yen; Winner’s Share 28,000,000 yen
Media Inquiries: Zero-G Planning (Tournament PR Office)
Contact: Dai Yamada (E-mail: daimo@yahoo.co.jp)
Contact:
Takashi Ichikura
808-722-6083
Kiyoko Tanji
808-222-3037
