Wie To Play The Deere

Michelle Wie has been invited to play the John Deere Classic, to be held on July 13 – 16 at the TPC At Deere Run.

Wie missed the cut there last year when she took a double bogey on the 16th and a bogey on the 17th.

She’ll be playing—obviously—on a sponsor’s exemption.

Last year, rookie Sean O’Hair won on the strength of a 6-under 65 on Sunday. Robert Damron and Hank Kuehne were in a tie for second place.

The Deere is strategically placed for Wie, coming the week before the Open (British) Championship. Most of the really big guns will be in Scotland, leaving a weakened field for Wie to compete against.

I guess it also works out for the Deere people, who in the absence of the top fifty or so players will get a name that will draw fans.

And I seem to remember that the winner of the Deere gets an invitation to the Open Championship, so she has an outside chance at playing there, too.