ID :
35960
Tue, 12/16/2008 - 17:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/35960
The shortlink copeid
Michelle Wie professes love of golf, Stanford, dramas from her father's land (ATTN: CORRECTS typo in lead) By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- Michelle Wie says she wakes up at seven, rushes to the green to spend her entire morning honing her game, scurries to classes at Stanford and then repeats the hectic juggle between golf and study one more time before she goes to bed.
She doesn't date, she is a self-proclaimed spendthrift, and she generally likes
to stay low-key because of publicity and the hassle it generates in her private
life.
So what does the 19-year-old Korean-American golf star like to do when she
manages to eke out some free time for herself? Sit down and indulge in South
Korean TV dramas.
Wie, who earned U.S. LPGA membership through a qualifying school earlier this
month and vows a vigorous comeback in the coming season, said Tuesday she is a
bona fide Korean drama buff.
An inquiry into her favorites prompted her to reel off a lengthy list of titles,
including "My name is Kim Sam-soon" (2005), "Sorry, I love you" (2004), "Full
house" (2004) and "Autumn in my heart" (2000).
"I love Korean dramas. I'm even planning to attend a course dedicated to Korean
dramas next semester," Wie, one of the top-earning U.S. athletes, said during an
interview with Korean reporters in Seoul.
Considering her hankering for dramas made in her father's homeland, it's no
wonder the college sophomore possesses Korean-language skills that amaze even her
father, Byung-wook.
"I'm rediscovering today how well my daughter speaks Korean," the University of
Hawaii professor said, watching Michelle give an energetic one-hour interview in
Korean at a Seoul hotel.
The Honolulu-born Michelle, nevertheless, downplayed her skills.
"I think I was better at Korean in high school. Now that I'm in college, it
doesn't seem as good," she said, citing her parents as her best teachers in the
language.
Wie, who made an unscheduled trip to South Korea to attend her grandfather's
funeral, said the coming season will likely test her ambition to someday compete
on the men's circuit.
"I assure you I hold no grudges against men," she said. "Just because I qualified
for the LPGA, it doesn't mean my goal changed. One of the reasons I started golf
was to play against men. It hasn't changed."
Wie added that as an athlete, she has completely transformed herself since
recovering from last year's wrist injury and no longer feels like a "youngling."
"I want to be a completely different player next season," she said, quipping that
any title on the LPGA tour will now be as good as any major win for her.
"I don't want to go back to the past," she said, referring to the six-year
winning drought that has often been a source of ridicule against the teen
sensation. Wie rose to stardom after she became the youngest woman to claim an
adult U.S. title at age 13 -- her only triumph that has since been overshadowed
by a younger winner.
Wie will return to the United States later this month around Christmas, her agent
said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
She doesn't date, she is a self-proclaimed spendthrift, and she generally likes
to stay low-key because of publicity and the hassle it generates in her private
life.
So what does the 19-year-old Korean-American golf star like to do when she
manages to eke out some free time for herself? Sit down and indulge in South
Korean TV dramas.
Wie, who earned U.S. LPGA membership through a qualifying school earlier this
month and vows a vigorous comeback in the coming season, said Tuesday she is a
bona fide Korean drama buff.
An inquiry into her favorites prompted her to reel off a lengthy list of titles,
including "My name is Kim Sam-soon" (2005), "Sorry, I love you" (2004), "Full
house" (2004) and "Autumn in my heart" (2000).
"I love Korean dramas. I'm even planning to attend a course dedicated to Korean
dramas next semester," Wie, one of the top-earning U.S. athletes, said during an
interview with Korean reporters in Seoul.
Considering her hankering for dramas made in her father's homeland, it's no
wonder the college sophomore possesses Korean-language skills that amaze even her
father, Byung-wook.
"I'm rediscovering today how well my daughter speaks Korean," the University of
Hawaii professor said, watching Michelle give an energetic one-hour interview in
Korean at a Seoul hotel.
The Honolulu-born Michelle, nevertheless, downplayed her skills.
"I think I was better at Korean in high school. Now that I'm in college, it
doesn't seem as good," she said, citing her parents as her best teachers in the
language.
Wie, who made an unscheduled trip to South Korea to attend her grandfather's
funeral, said the coming season will likely test her ambition to someday compete
on the men's circuit.
"I assure you I hold no grudges against men," she said. "Just because I qualified
for the LPGA, it doesn't mean my goal changed. One of the reasons I started golf
was to play against men. It hasn't changed."
Wie added that as an athlete, she has completely transformed herself since
recovering from last year's wrist injury and no longer feels like a "youngling."
"I want to be a completely different player next season," she said, quipping that
any title on the LPGA tour will now be as good as any major win for her.
"I don't want to go back to the past," she said, referring to the six-year
winning drought that has often been a source of ridicule against the teen
sensation. Wie rose to stardom after she became the youngest woman to claim an
adult U.S. title at age 13 -- her only triumph that has since been overshadowed
by a younger winner.
Wie will return to the United States later this month around Christmas, her agent
said.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
