Michelle Wie is at it again, playing against the men in Japan. Don’t get me wrong. She has every right to play against the men if she gets a sponsor’s exemption and clearly the companies which endorse her, like Sony, want her to compete against the men. The only problem is they want her to COMPETE against the men. Sooner or later Michelle is going to learn that she is not competing. She can play two rounds with the men and miss the cuts, but that is not what they are looking for. They want her to make the cut and make some noise in the final round so that they can get some #### for their buck, but this is not going to happen.
What’s worse is that every time Wie misses a cut or loses she makes statements which are so far from the truth that it is just plain laughable. Take this statement from Wie after shooting an opening round 81,
"I don't think I was playing that bad," she said. "My long game put a lot pressure on my short game. I have to get my confidence back on my drive and just hit the ball the way I always do and I'll be fine."
I have news for you Michelle, shooting an 81 in a professional golf tournament is playing badly. You can remain positive all you want, but until you go back to the drawing board and hone your game against people you can win against, then you will remain a loser. Playing against the men will not sharpen your game; it will only cause you to doubt yourself even more. This Thanksgiving as I sit around my table and enjoy turkey and the NFL, Wie will be over in Japan searching for birdies.
She'll be there in the 4th round Socal, just not right now. At 16 years old she had been playing some great golf for a 16 year old. Is it over her head to play against the Men? Yes. But you know where I stand on that issue; until she can play a full LPGA schedule she should get in some men's tournaments if she gets the exemptions.
I can see her making noise in a men's event when she's in her early to mid 20's, but not at 17 which she is currently.
She is 17 now Dan, at least according to the article. She should be allowed into more than 8 events in the LPGA and my guess is if she petitioned now for early admission she would get it because they know she is good for the game.
She will win eventually, but not like she has been hyped. She will not dominate the ladies like Tiger has the men. Lincicome beat her hands down this year and Pressel and Creamer are not afraid of her.
No worries Socal, one thing Wie will have is stiffer competition from the younger golfers. Unless Wie just intimidates other golfers the way Woods has, it will be tough to dominate the LPGA with the talent they have.
Socal ..... On a serious note we're talking about Wie aren't we ? What should we really be expecting of her when she can't even compete solidly against her own fellow professionals on the LPGA tour on a regular basis. She's still to win a sanctioned LPGA tour event and yet all this fuss is being made over her. We knew that when Tiger came out he had all the potential and within a year he's proved it by winning.
Personally on the women's tour we're seeing the likes of Lorena Ochoa making a serious challenge at Sorenstam's supremacy while Wie has become just another damn sideshow or major 'carny attraction'.
Ed, I agree with one caveat. Wie could have been very good had her parents pushed her to compete against her peers thereby beating the snot out of other teens, then competing against the ladies.
Rampan, she can compete against the ladies if she would just stay there and concentrate on winning. I agree Ochoa is the new face of the LPGA along with Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer, but Wie would be a factor if she stuck to the LPGA. As long as she keeps playing in men's events she will lose and her focus will be unstable. "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Last edited by socalsportsfan on November 24th at 7:27 AM.
If a man shot 81 in any tournament, it would be his LAST. Does the PGA think that this is healthy for the sport, having women embarass themselves, fighting to NOT finish last? There is a tradition in sports that says you can do anything, no matter how stupid it is, to get more attention to your sports, like the midget in Major League baseball, interleauge play and the designated hitter but this is ridiculous. The good news is there are a lot of players out there who thinking, "Hey, I can shoot in the 80's, maybe I have a future in the PGA"?
USAToday says "17-year-old phenom shoots 8-over 80 in second round of men's event on Japanese tour."
What exactly is a "phenom"?
If I had David Leadbetter as a coach I could shoot 81 at a Japanese Tour stop - and I am not joking.
Sad thing is, she is going to continue receiving and accepting these exemptions. She will play in Sony Open in Hawaii in January.
I think the novelty has worn off COMPLETELY and it has reached the point of absurdity. But since it is obvious that she is not going to stop accepting exemptions, I wonder when the sponsors are going to stop granting them.
Seriously, what is it going to take to get these to stop? Heat stroke didnt work. Three consecutive last place no-cut finishes didnt work.
Seriously, WHAT IS HER HANDICAP?? It cant be scratch. She must be the best 17 year old 6 handicapper on the LPGA tour.
Last edited by TJHooker on November 24th at 12:16 PM.
TJ, the novelty has worn thin. If I had Leadbetter for a coach, and I could get my long game to sink with my short game and my mid irons, I would be a pro.. sounds like Wie.
Good call, dude. Thanks for referring me to this post. The thing I like about you is that once you take a stance on something, you stick with it.
Wie has become a circus sideshow to the point where it's hard to take her seriously anymore. The only way for her to regain her waning credibility is to get back out there with the women and start winning.
P.S. One good referral deserves another. I have a new batch of limericks you might enjoy...
Socal .... I think Carolyn Bivins the Executive Director of the LPGA should be speaking with Wie. And above all she should be asking Wie to devote more time to LPGA tour if she's intending to commit herself to the Tour in particular. Because Wie in her stance is hurting the women's sport rather than enhancing it. The sponsors also bare a certain amount of responsibility for Wie's predicament as well. They seek the overall tv exposure Wie brings to the event but they aren't so committed to the competitiveness of the event if she's shooting +9 over par for their event. It makes a mockery of the other prominent females on LPGA Tour even they aren't in the forefront of Wie's attempt to seek legitimacy within the sport by playing in these male events.
As motivational speaker and diet guru Susan Powter say "Stop the insanity ......"
TSI, when I think I am right I don't change my mind. If someone can show me where I am wrong, then I am willing to say so, but on Wie, I knew I was right a long time ago.
Rampan, the sponsors simply want money back on their investment. Sony has 4-5 million invested in Wie, so they will continue to invite her to the Sony Open, which is her home course. She plays her best golf there. In time, if she does not make a cut, she will stop getting invites. I just don't know how long before the media starts crucifying her. Up to this point, they have been very generous to her even to the point of ignoring when she faked heat stroke to get out of the John Deere tourny.
Socal .......I know that she's got sponsors' obligations to meet but one would've thought that not only do they want her there to turn up. But they'd expect her to compete as well ! And compete , competitively against the opposition. Afterall they're paying her and the fans at least you'd expect would want to see something rather than her just flailing her swings on the fairways just for the sake of it. They'll become bored, the public become bored and the audience in attendance as well as the tv viewers will ultimately become bored and fed up of the situation. Then they'll be a total withdrawal from anything to do with Wie.
We all remember what happened to Ty Tryon. He was all the rage after Tiger came on the scene and then faded faster than a lead balloon !
I'm listening to the Trojans take care of business against The Irish. This season in my opinion has to be the best coaching job done ever by Pete Carroll, considering what he's had to go through in terms of injuries and the number of freshman he's had to play. Dwayne Jarrett is simply amazing !
Socal ..... All in all it's been a great day for college football. Especially now after USC's win over Wiess and his Fighting Irish team. They came with a thought that if they could get rolling against the Trojans then they'd be fine. Little did they know what Booty and Jarrett had in store for them. I'd written a post about the four college coaches who at present I feel had the best chance of making it to the NFL and succeeding. It's entitled 'Opportnunity Comes Knocking It's Not Avon Calling ' under my pseudonym tophatal. I've listed what many might consider the obvious in terms of the quartet in question, Carroll, Tressel, Wiess and Meyer.
Of the four I think Carroll is the most likely to leave if given the autonomy he craves to get the job done his way rather than having an interferring GM looking over his shoulder all the time.
Everyone is right about Wie being a distraction and a sideshow. The difference: Tiger's Dad never let him enter a tournament that he wasn't almost guaranteed to win, he developed an expectation that he would win every time. Michelle hasn't played in a tournament for years that she has had a real expectation of winning, she hasn't, and unless she goes back and starts over she won't even have a remarkable career among the women. This from a Hawaii resident who's daughter also went to Punahou, and has every fond wish for Wie's success.
Kamaan, I have been saying that since March. I wrote a whole post devoted to talking about how Tiger was taught to win and Wie has been taught to lose. Her career is over before it ever begun. She will win a few women's tourny's one day, but nothing like Annika who has over 60+ career wins.
