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Grandfather's town no longer passes hat to fund Wie
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-10 10:10
SEOUL, Oct 10 (Reuters) - In the remote South Korean town of Jangheung, the
locals used to pass around the hat to help support Wie Sang-kyu's granddaughter
-- a little girl in Hawaii with a hankering for golf.
They are not collecting funds any more because that girl is Michelle Wie and
she is set to become one of the richest women athletes after announcing last
week that she will turn professional.
American schoolgirl Wie, 15, is the most celebrated young golfer since Tiger
Woods, and she is certainly the most famous Korean-American in the South Korean
town where her grandfather still lives.
"I am just so happy for her," the older Wie said by telephone. "It's
incredible."
Wie Sang-kyu is a retired professor who taught aeronautics at one of South
Korea's most prestigious schools, Seoul National University. According to
reports in local media, he was a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War.
Hawaiian-born Michelle has visited Jangheung, which has a population of some
48,000, to see her relatives.
"Michelle really likes to chat with me, but she is so busy these days. She
likes to share the good things and bad things with me," Wie said.
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