RENO, Nev. -- Legends at Sparks Marina Reno-Tahoe Open officials announced that Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor’s exemption into the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, where she’ll join her former Stanford classmate, Rob Grube, who was also granted a exemption for the July 28-Aug. 3 PGA TOUR event at the Montrêux Golf & Country Club.
“Michelle’s game continues to improve to the point she is ready to test her game on the best TOUR in the world,” Tournament Director Michael Stearns said. “I know Michelle is a great competitor and we are thrilled to have her accept our invitation to showcase her skills at our tournament. This will be a phenomenal experience for a global television audience and even more spectacular for those in the gallery to see a player like Michelle tee it up at Montrêux.”
Wie will be available for a press conference on Friday, July 25, the time and place to be determined.
Grube, who graduated from Stanford this spring, is a four-time NCAA All-American and the winner of five collegiate tournaments. In 2007, he finished third in the NCAA Championships, helping the Cardinal win their first national golf title since 1994. The year before, Grube was the Pac-10 Player of the Year and won the Illinois State Amateur.
“Michelle and Rob not only bring considerable talent and experience to the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, but a Stanford/Bay Area connection that will bring spectators from Northern California to our community ,” Stearns said. “We couldn’t be more pleased to have both of them here at our tournament.”
With Wie, Grube and inaugural Legends Reno-Tahoe Open champion Notah Begay III – who played on that 1994 Stanford NCAA championship team with Tiger Woods and Casey Martin -- Red Development/Legends at Sparks Marina, the title sponsor, is seeing Stanford Cardinal Red. Stanford University Alumni will be out in masses supporting their competing Cardinals. Wie and Grube join major champions in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open field: Bob Tway (1987 PGA Championship) and Mark Brooks (1996 PGA Championship) along with LRTO past Champions Will MacKenzie, UNR fan favorite Kirk Triplett and Las Vegas resident Chris Riley among those ready to take on a stunning Montrêux course.
“It’s not every day that a woman is given the opportunity to play on the greatest tour in the world,” Wie said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me to learn from these great players and take those lessons into the future to becoming the best player I can be on any Tour. This is another step in the process of making me a better player.”
Wie, 18, gets that opportunity on a Montrêux course that is suited for her game. The 7,472-yard course is 5,992 feet above sea level. The PGA has instructed Montrêux to have the rough between 2-3 inches in height. The Jack Nicklaus Signature course greens will be set up to be firm and fast.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Montrêux because I’ve heard so much about the course,” said Wie, who will take time to practice on the course all next week along with a bit of sightseeing. “It should be a true test of my skill. I understand its mountain beauty is unsurpassed. While in Reno, between practices, I will take time to see America’s Adventure Place with all the outdoor activities with an eye on Lake Tahoe.”
This will be the 14th time Wie has taken on the men, but her first since the 2006 Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Wie made the cut in Asian Tour’s SK Telecom Open to play on Saturday and Sunday in 2006. The last woman to make the cut in a PGA TOUR event was Babe Zaharias in 1945 at the Tucson Open. The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open will be her eighth PGA TOUR event, but her first since the 2007 Sony Open in her hometown of Honolulu.
Wie’s golfing legacy includes nine top-10 finishes in LPGA major championships, along with status as the youngest winner of an adult USGA-sanctioned tournament (the 2003 Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links at 13), the youngest player to play in a PGA TOUR event (the 2004 Sony Open at 14), the lowest round by a female in a PGA TOUR event (68 in the 2004 and 2006 Sony Opens), the youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA major (the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship at 13) and status as the first female to make a cut on the Asian Tour (the 2006 SK Telecom Open).
Wie was also the first female to qualify for a USGA men’s championship (the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links), where Wie advanced to the second round of match play.
For more information on this year’s Legends at Sparks Marina Reno-Tahoe Open, including ticket sales, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.LegendsRenoTahoeOpen.com or contact the tournament office at 775-322-3900.
The Legends at Sparks Marina Reno-Tahoe Open, an official PGA TOUR event, celebrates its 10th anniversary July 28 – Aug. 3, 2008 at Montrêux Golf & Country Club in Reno, Nev. As the PGA TOUR’s only West Coast summer venue, the tournament is a regular full-field stop on the TOUR schedule and is part of the FedExCup series, a points competition for PGA TOUR professionals. The nationally-televised tournament brings in millions of dollars in coverage for the region through its affiliation with The Golf Channel as it follows 132 PGA TOUR professionals competing for a share of the $3-million purse. The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open is operated and managed by the Reno-Tahoe Open Foundation, comprised of its members including Eldorado Hotel Casino, EMPLOYERS, Montrêux Development Group, RED Development, LLC, Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place and Sierra Pacific Resources.
