For all of those who don't get the Wickenheiser and Rheaume references, they are female hockey players who have made attempts at playing at the men's professional level... Rheaume was invited to the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) training camp back in the 90's as a publicity stunt. Wickenheiser is the best female hockey player in the world right now and two years ago now played in Finland in a pro league there. Last year the team moved up one tier and her ice time was cut considerably (and the level of play was much better) and she quit (about a year ago now) and moved back to Calgary to be with her family.

To get back to golf, I would compare Wie in the PGA similar to Tampa's move of inviting Rheaume to training camp. Strictly a publicity stunt to get press time. Also, both were very young, and just starting to show what they are capable of, but by no means proven in their sport.

Annika could much compare to the Wickenheiser situation. Annika has dominated women's golf just as Hayley has dominated women's hockey. Hayley went to the men's pro league to better herself and get a prospective of where her game was versus the men. Annika has said she was interested about where she would finish vs the men and she said afterwards that she picked up very valuable lessons playing those two days that will help her futher her skills.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall