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Has Wie finally caught up to her potential?

November 15, 2009

Michelle Wie finally closed a tournament in a manner befitting her vast potential, with an 18th-hole birdie that turned a one-stroke lead into a two-stroke victory in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, her first win on the LPGA and first of any kind in more than seven years.

Consider it a warning for the rest of the LPGA. It has been apparent for awhile that Wie's talent is of a kind that that once she started winning, she wouldn't stop anytime soon.

On Sunday, she stared down several of the best players in women's golf, all of whom no doubt would prefer she remained in school until she gets a degree a few years hence. Wie, 20, is a sophomore at Stanford, but once she devotes herself full time to golf, she is likely to evolve into the dominant player she long has expected to be.

-- John Strege