Yesterday I went golfing with a pro and a friend of mine and the subject of Michelle Wie came up.Of course we did not know that she had withdrawn as we were playing at 7:00 am, but he said something very interesting about Wie.He said, “Everyone loves a 13-16 year old phenom, but when she turns 18 if she has not won anything, people will turn to the next 13-16 year old phenom.”I would say that I have to agree with his assessment.We are always fascinated with the next great anything.Wie burst onto the scene as a 13 year old who won an amateur event and suddenly the expectations went through the roof.I am as guilty as the next guy and would love to see Wie win and have a tremendous career, but I now believe it is next to impossible.Mostly, I blame her parents for her lack of success, but there is plenty of blame to go around.In this post, I will attempt to give the reasons I think she will end up with a mediocre career unless there are drastic changes immediately.
Many sports have a psychological component that either makes the gifted athlete a great athlete or an average performer.Golf is such a sport.Physically, golf is not demanding.Almost anyone can pull a club back behind their back and then swing it forward to make contact with the ball.Doing it repeatedly the same way can also be learned.Grant it, it is harder than it looks, but physically it is possible.It does not take brute strength or surely the women on the LPGA tour would not out drive most of my playing partners, but they do.I contend the mental aspects of golf are about as tough as any sport possible and maybe the toughest. This psychological sword has two edges. There is the part that has to do with your inner strength and the aura you convey to others. It is on these two battle fronts that Wie has lost the battle and maybe even the war.
When Tiger burst onto the scene, he first won as an amateur, winning an unprecedented 6 times, three times each as the junior amateur and then 3 times at the amateur.He then went onto the NCAA where he won again.By the time he went to the PGA tour, his legendary status had grown to where he was seen as invincible before he ever teed it up against the men.Wie has lost the ability to do this to the women on the LPGA.They already know they can beat her.Her peers, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome do not fear here and they never will. They may respect her game, but she has never beaten any of them.(Annika Sorentsam has that psychological edge over her opponents every time she tees it up.) Michelle Wie has lost the chance to build a legacy as an amateur that would have enabled her to strike the same type of fear that Tiger once did.
Wie also has her image to worry about.Because she chooses to compete against the men and the women at select events she is always seen missing the cut or losing.She is seen as a choker.This repeated behavior is not good for her psyche.She must start winning or eventually her endorsements will dry up.Grant it, she may always be able to snag a clothing deal with those long legs, but again, does she want to be known as the Anna Kournikova of golf, beautiful but never a winner.In fact, I think her agent, parents, and IMG marketing group should tone down her clothing so that people will focus on her beautiful swing, (golf that is), and not ooh and ah every time she bends over to pick up her golf ball.
So my answer to what will help Michelle is to let her go back to being a kid for the next two years.Unfortunately, now that she has turned pro she can not go back to the amateur ranks and defeat all of her peers and put the fear of God in them.When they eventually play one day, they will be winners and ready for the next level while Wie will be resting out from under the sun. If she continues to compete against the men, then her legacy will resemble her body on that stretcher.
SoCalSportsFan
*For the record as I posted earlier today, Wie did not have heatstroke and this picture was just a way for her to bow out without the media attacking her for missing the cut against the B rated players on the tour.*
She probably should have "toughed" it out. Whether or not she was faking, it would have made her come off as a gamer.
I agree with you. I don't get why she has been rushed so much either. Let her hone her game and deal with pressures such as these when she is ready.
You raise a good point. Will this harm her psyche? If she sincerely believes that to be the best you play competetion better than you then I say she'll be fine. I always believed that myself. As a child I would play against older kids and it did make me better. Golf isn't baseball/basketball/football though.
Hopefully she can handle all this and grow from it. She is just a kid after all.
i agree...again....it's similar to the high school kids who jump to the nba and dont make it. sure, we've got lebron, KG and moses malone (to name a few) but there are several who werent ready and were out of the league in a couple years. others werent even drafted. it happens in baseball too, where 19-21 year olds (especially pitchers) get a shot in mlb and get rocked, only to have their confidence shattered, and are never the same again. rookie qb's in the nfl have learned it too.
it comes down to needing more experience against people with similar talent before jumping to the pros. not to mention she (and others who went pro too soon) cant just be a teenager, hang with friends, and whatever else teenagers do these days (it's been so long for me....now i feel old).
who the heck wants to be a sports agent? these kids would actually have to go to school....and class...to become a sports agent. kids dont wanna go to school, they just wanna get the money as soon as they can.
I must start by saying that, living here in the Phx. area, heat stroke is a very serious matter (115 degrees here today), so I'll accept that as the reason she withdrew. That aside, I, like you, don't understand why she and her parents, handlers, whoever thinks there is such a big rush to succeed on a grand stage. Unless she feels the pressure to give Nike their money's worth for the huge deal she signed with them.
I don't think the average fan, or even golfer since most of us usually ride in a cart, realizes how much physical effort goes into playing competitive golf. Try walking over 7000 yards (6500 or so for the ladies) four days straight every tournament. Granted, nowhere near the physical exertion of football or basketball; that's not what I'm saying. But golfers don't have teammates or time outs to rely on, either.
Getting back to Wie-I can name dozens of players who had the potential to be great and didn't pan out. We've all heard an athlete called "The next so-and-so" and that they were destined for greatness. Michele Wie needs to prove, to herself more than anyone, that she can compete with her peers before she moves on to the next step. Yes, she's talented and a phenom, but how you are looked upon ultimately is based on results.
Hi Socal, good post and an interesting take on a subject I also felt strongly enough to write about today. I agree with your assessment that her parents need to do more to protect their child and allow her to be a teenager. I don't believe that is going to happen, though, and it's a shame because she will never reach her potential if she continues the way she's going....
rivjo, ed, halfbacked ricko, thanks for the comments. As for heat stroke, she did not have it. The physician even said it was heat related illness. Heat stroke is a very serious illness and your internal body core temp must reach 106 or higher to be deemed heat stroke. This was not the case with Wie. She only went to the hospital because of state law. Otherwise she would have walked off the tourny on her own accord. She was let go that evening. Again, in heatstroke she would have stayed overnight and maybe a couple of days.
Ed, I did get your email and I thought I responded back then. That was during the busiest time of year for me as a HS principal and father. It has my interest, but I need a few more details. I would be willing to collaborate though.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on July 15th at 2:34 PM.
I'm not sure what to think of Wie. Like you said the pressure of the game of golf at that level is out of this world. Something that takes age and experience. Maybe it's too early to hold her against the best, like you said, and maybe it is her mistake for trying too soon. But I do wish her a long career, and will hold judgement on her till she has had some time to make adjustments to her mental game. Great entry!
Okay, heat related illness. The point I was trying to make is that being affected by the heat is nothing to be taken lightly. And I was also trying to say that whether or not that was the reason she quit was not what I was addressing.
ricko, what I am saying is this heat thing was all a convenient ruse. She started complaining on the first hole. Come on, that's ####. If you have been out in the heat for several hours,maybe, but even so, I golf all the time and no way do golfers suffer from heat related issues unless they are playing in 104+ degree weather with 100% humidity. Golf is physical for you or I carrying 20 extra pounds and our own bag. She has a caddy, drinks water, is 16.
She needed a way out. She was 8 over par and out of contention. No way she comes close to the cut line. As for her long term golf, who knows for sure, but it looks dire to me right now.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on July 15th at 4:00 PM.
Amen, brother! Let's hope someone affiliated with Wie reads this post, or somehow gets this message. I don't want to see this young lady's career ruined, nor her life.
I've known many an athlete and entertainer who pulled the trigger because they couldn't take the pressure of failure, or of not succeeding.
Personally, I don't think Michelle fits this profile, but one never knows.
Something like this latest event, (Michelle's Withdrawal) was bound to happen. The sad part is that none of the "adults" that surround her and advise her put an end to her Men's Tour trials before it did. Critics of Michelle Wie have just been thown a big juicy bone and they are feasting on it. The novalty of her playing in these events has just about worn out and this latest event will only speed the burn out process along.
I understand the talent she possess and her desire to compete against men. That type of drive is admirable, but we have to remember these are the wishes and dreams of a 16 year old girl. It is certainly hard for us armchair golfers to accurately access what type of mental strain or psychological damage that her results on the various Men's tour have done. But I believe it is a safe bet that her results can not be producing any real positive outcomes. I really do not see what Michelle has to gain by playing any more PGA Tour events. There is no hope in winning an event, her realistic goal is to make a cut. And even then the interest is waining.
As mentioned in earlier posts it is certainly the responsibility of the "adults" that advise her to step in and put her on a new path. She can still set lofty goals for herself but it is the adults who need to understand and show her the best way to attain those standards. Unfortunately this will never happen. My feeling is that the first person in line to take the blame should be her father. It is beyond me how a man can possibly think that the best way for his 16 year old daughter t
Pound well said. I have no idea how much of a toll this will take, but it definitely is negative. Also, since she has no shot at winning, what is the thrill of making a cut. She is not the first woman to do it and if you are going to make a cut, do it like Babe Zaharias against the best there is. Playing while Tiger, Phil, and Ernie are in Europe is the cowards way.
Can you pull the stats on the number of top 5 finishes she has in LPGA majors for me? She has accomplished more at 16 than some of these fat, out of shape losers on tour have in 20 years.
It will be interesting if she still enters the PGA Tours 84 Lumber Classic scheduled for this September.
Temperatures are normally in the 70s in Western PA in September, so "heat related illness" will probably not be an option.
Copperheads are the only poisonous snakes indiginous to the region, so maybe she can fake being bit by one of those during her Friday round and withdraw due to injury.
Norcal, I can, but second does not count for anything. Ask Phil about that. Second is equal with the other 68 spots on the course in the record books. It does give you more money, but that is about it. My point is, coming in second repeatedly wears on the mind.
Also, I have no issues with her playing on the men's tour one day, just not now. She has not earned it. Also, I have no issue with the Tournament Director allowing her, they want the money and viewership. But she is being used. They know she will not win and do not have her best interest at heart.
TJHooker, you are so right. As for heat exhaustion, she had not even played for 15 minutes when she started sitting on her bag complaining. It had to be a plan from the beginning, but to me that is not a good sell. Had she played until hole 15 and started acting all wobbly around 9, maybe. But gosh, the temp is 88, 10 degrees cooler than our own body temp. It is not like she was in Phoenix in 114 degree heat.
Maybe Wie can just put a venomous snake in her bag for the 84 Lumber Classic.
It’s hard to criticize Wie's continued sponsors exemptions without being labeled sexist. But I have no problem at all with women playing on the PGA Tour if they EARN a spot. To date, the only woman to EARN a spot is Suzie Whaley, who beat a field of men and women in a Greater Hartford Open qualifying event (from the forward tees, according to the rules at that time that have subsequently been changed).
I would consider Annika's invitation to the BOA Colonial acceptable, since she had been #1 on the LPGA. Especially since she did not continue to enter tournaments just to see if she could “make the cut”.
As an avid golf fan, I tired of the Wie hype long ago. Some media want badly for her to succeed, but are quick to qualify her poor performances with "she's only 16". I guess Tiger Woods should have got a sponsor’s exemption when he was 4 years old, sure he would have only broken 100, but he would have only been 4!!
Brandel Chamblee on the Golf Channel is the worst when it comes to this. He is a blatant cheerleader for Wie.
I am also tired of the excuse “sponsors have the right to invite anyone who will sell tickets since they are paying the bills”. Why not invite Playboy Playmates – that would probably sell some tickets. The PGA needs some standard for sponsors invites, and it should exclude the likes of Wie, who has not proved on any stage that she is ready to compete.
TJHooker, I agree with you 100%, just because you can get an exemption does not mean you should use it.
The only thing is, that I might bring up again, I still blame her parents and agents primarily for where she is. She started down this path at 13, too young to know better. They should have guided her and helped make better decisions. In no way is a 13 yr old going to know what is right to do. Not even now at 16. Tiger's dad did it right. Gave his son guidance and love, but let him make the right decisions, and encouraged him to go to school.
Hey socal how u doing? Im ganna disagree when u said its nearly impossibe for her to have a tremendous career. She still is only 16 and shes got many years ahead of her. She might have not won anything now, but im sure she'll win many LPGA championships and even qualify for the mens tournaments. Sure she has failed so far, but shes go so much time left.
Hey amp, that is fine to disagree, and for her sake I hope you are right. To me, she doesn't stand a chance on the current path to success her people have her own.
SoCal, nice post. I agree mostly, however I remember a comment Wie made from one of her earlier attempts to play with the men. She said the most amazing thing was how the men could make par from anywhere. Playing against the best and seeing how they handle themselves can be a great learning experience. I do agree however that she has learned about all she's going to form this and she should move on. Hopefully her parents will step in and make the right move for her and her future. The talent on the men's tour is incredible
and there are hundreds of extremely talented golfers playing min-tours everwhere who could beat Wie easily. I also enjoyed your article on plagiarism, but to me it's simple. I think we know when we've ripped off someone elses idea. Looking forward to your next post.
hogan, thanks again for the comments. I also agree, we know when someone is blatantly plagiarizing and that is wrong.
As for Wie, she has learned a lot, but her mental state is fragile. It is difficult for the pros who are much older to take losing repeatedly. I can only imagine what her psyche will look like if they persist on this path. She will be bruised and battered, and not necessarily stronger. Look at Justin Rose.
I didn't realize she was complaining on the first hole. I golf here in the desert all the time, and I relate to you points about her being young, in shape, etc. I guess my point was that whether she was or wasn't suffering from it, the fact that she, her handlers, whoever put her in that position in the first place is the problem. I think we all agree on that. It's a shame, really. We are witnessing one of the great women golfers of all time in Annika, and she is being overshadowed by Wie. Guess that's sports in America. By the way, anyone heard of Matt Kuchar lately? How 'bout Joel Kribel? Just of coulple of the many who were supposed to be "The Next _________" It seems only Tiger, and to a lesser extent, Phil, have lived up the the hype that preceeded them.
yeah, she started her saga on the very first hole ricko.
As for what if's, what about Justin Rose or for that matter, even Sergio has not lived up to the hype, in my opinion. How about Ty Tryon or Charles Howell III. Although the men's competition is stiffer than the women's. Annika will go down as the greatest woman golfer ever and yet all the talk is Wie. Glad Annika won her 10th grand slam. all she needs now is to pass Mickey Wright for the most wins ever.
When Tiger burst onto the scene, he first won as an amateur, winning an unprecedented 6 times, three times each as the junior amateur and then 3 times at the amateur.
So my answer to what will help Michelle is to let her go back to being a kid for the next two years.
