ANA Inspiration: Five Sleeper Picks

Could Michelle Wie end up being the horse for the course this year at the ANA Inspiration?

Michelle Wie fans have been shaking their heads in sorrow. Her last great triumph came at the 2014 US Women’s Open. She and Stacy Lewis battled down the back nine on an incredibly hot Sunday afternoon at Pinehurst #2. Wie had never looked better than she did on the 72nd hole when her putt dropped.

Like Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie has gone winless since 2014 but in contrast to Lewis, Wie’s game has deteriorated. Last year she made 26 Tour starts but only 13 cuts and her best finish was a single T10 at the Blue Bay LPGA.

Going into the 2017 ANA Inspiration Wie has tumbled down the world rankings to No. 105. She needs to turn her game around if she’s going to continue to play pro golf.

Wie fans have cause to hope. She’s abandoned her tabletop putting stance. It’s paid off. She’s played the weekend in her last 4 starts. She finished inside the top 5 at the HSBC Women’s Champions.

But is this enough to get her into contention this week at Rancho Mirage? She finished runner-up here in 2014 and even at her lowest, in 2016, she didn’t miss the cut. This is a golf course that suits Wie’s game and if she has her flatstick working I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her in contention on Sunday.