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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Wie is No. 2 in world rankings

Advertiser Staff

Michelle Wie

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Annika Sorenstam

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A third-place finish in last week's inaugural LPGA Fields Open boosted Hawai'i's Michelle Wie one spot to No. 2 in the Women's World Golf Ranking.

Annika Sorenstam is No. 1 with an 18.57 points average, based on her 21 victories worldwide and three major championships over the past two years.

Wie's points average is 10.03. The 16-year-old moved ahead of Paula Creamer, who was No. 2 last week. Creamer's total is 9.44.

The women's ranking, sponsored by Rolex, is published every Tuesday and used as criteria for getting into tournaments such as the LPGA Championship, the Women's British Open and the HSBC Women's World Match Play.

It measures performance over two years, with emphasis placed on the most recent 13-week period. Points are assigned based on the strength of field, then divided by the number of tournaments played.

Wie has played 16 events on the LPGA since 2004 with seven top-10 finishes — three in majors. She was fourth in the Kraft Nabisco Championship in '04, and last year was second at the LPGA Championship and tied for third in the Women's British Open.

Saturday, Wie shot a final-round 66 and finished one shot from a playoff in the Fields Open at Ko Olina. She earned $73,227, her first professional paycheck.