Michelle Wie will return to the John Deere Classic in July. The 16-year-old accepted an invitation to play in her second straight Deere Classic which is held near the Quad Cities. in 2005, Wie narrowlly missed out on a bid to become the first female golfer to make the cut at a PGA event since 1945. Her presence also brought large crowds to the TPC at Deere Run.
Tournament director Clair Peterson says Wie “filled the place” and drew more young people out. He says Wie charmed the crowd. He says he was hoping she would accept another invitation. Peterson says they got a note from Wie’s father which said this was her favorite week of the summer. Peterson says they promised the golf course would be fair and Wie would get a warm welcome, and both happened.
Peterson is hoping that Wie’s presence brings the large crowds back. He says they’re in business to “fill the house” and he says she did that last year. Peterson says there are 155 other great players who’ll be there as well. He says Wie is one of the stories, but not the only one. The John Deere Classic is July 13th through the 16th.