Michelle Wies' Debut.

I have been watching the coverage of the Samsung tourney on the LPGA tour this weekend and something puzzled me.

If its a top 20 players on the LPGA, why is Michelle Wie playing???? No doubt she will become a regular participant in years to come, but what has sje done to earn it this year??? If she is there why isnt someone like Christina Kim included, one of the livewires of Americas victorious solheim cup team??? Answers on a postcard if someone heard why this happened...

Anyway, on the subject of young miss wie, she was playing the par 5 7th hole and the commentators were expressing disappointment at the fact that she wasnt blasting one down to the green with her second shot. Now they had already mentioned that she had went for the green in two on friday and saturday and found unplayable lies both times....am I the only one that sees the sense in her playing safe today???? So she knocks a 6 or 7 down to about 70 yards or so and then stuffs a wedge to 3 feet and gets the birdie....and they are STILL moaning that she should have went for the green in 2!!!!!!

I am not a fan of Wie, I must admit, but I feel for her already, nothing she does is going to impress the media by the sounds of it, she will be on a hiding to nothing her whole career. The LPGA is probably going to head the way of the PGA, you cant watch the coverage of the mens tour at the moment without seeing Tiger every couple of minutes or hearing about him. The coverage of the LPGA this week has been the same with Wie.

D.

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Michelle is playing LPGA events (and probably PGA events) on Sponsors' Exemptions (which means that the Tournament Sponsor can have anyone they choose play in the tourney).

Welcome to the world of trying to make golf dramatic.


To make your allusion better, we should have coverage of Sorenstam... but wait! You're right - Wie wears the swoosh. Now we know who really holds the power over the TV stations...

Well it was certainly dramatic but probably not in the way she intended. I wonder how many other pros have been disqualified on their fist ever tournament? Answers once again on a postcard....

A shame though as she played really great golf to provisionally finish 4th against the best players in the world, although Anneka's 10 shot margin of victory graphically demonstrates just how good Michelle will have to become. Personally I think it will make for some intriguing match ups as I'm sure Anneka has received another jolt of motivation with Michelle turning pro. I just hope that Michelle concentrates on the LPGA tour until she's a proven winner rather than playing too many men's events.

As for TV commentators, they are mostly idiots trying to add drama to what's basically a conservative and slow-moving sport. I remember watching a PGA tournament and one of the big hitting Keuhne's was vying for the lead. He pulled out a driver at one hole which put a big, big lake in range at the narrowest part of the fairway, whereas the 3W would be the safe play. The commentators were applauding his choice and of course he spanked it straight into the lake - no further comment was made by the knowledgeable CBS/ABC/NBC/XYZ team!

Darryl,

I agree 100%.....................It is becomming a farce as you mentioned like the PGA coverage.

Personally I have stopped watching it on tv, all you see is wedges, putts and adverts.......why can't they get a cameraman behing every tee shot, and close up views of each player like the European tour coverage, it is very hard to examine a swing on the pga coverage.

As for Miss Wie, she has been recieving special treatment from the LPGA, and thats wrong, with this treatment comes pressure and a circus of media that I think will kill her career...........


Ian.

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Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

I think she (and the sponsors) have to be really, really careful. She's obviously going to get a few sponsor's exemptions to play PGA tour events each year, but the longer she goes without even making a cut (which I'm convinced she can't do in a full-field PGA event), the more pressure is going to be on them to stop the farce.

I respected Vijay a few years ago when he said he wouldn't play with Annika if paired with her at the Colonial. After all, this is guys out there trying to make a LIVING. The guys in 125-150 on the money list who need to get into these events to keep their cards are not out there for a good time; they aren't there because they think it's neat-o. They are there to FEED THEIR FAMILIES, and the more sponsors let Wie into their field and the more times she comes up above the cut line, the more people (PGA players specifically) are going to tire of it.

Wie is good, but let's face it - she has to play her best to beat a few guys on Tour playing their worst. What's the cut, 72 and ties? Out of 150 players in a full field event? So Wie shoots 72-75, misses the cut, but "beats" 40 Tour players? ****. She beats guys who had an off week. Annika is as long as Michelle and a proven winner. She tried the Colonial. Have you seen her at another PGA tour event since? No? Wanna know why?

She knows she can't compete. Plain and simple. She did well, and I was rooting for her, but, like the commercial says, "These guys are good."

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Rhinebeck, NY

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"You can talk to a fade, but a hook won't listen."
- Lee Trevino

[quote=mr3856a]I think she (and the sponsors) have to be really, really careful. She's obviously going to get a few sponsor's exemptions to play PGA tour events each year, but the longer she goes without even making a cut (which I'm convinced she can't do in a full-field PGA event), the more pressure is going to be on them to stop the farce.

I respected Vijay a few years ago when he said he wouldn't play with Annika if paired with her at the Colonial. After all, this is guys out there trying to make a LIVING. The guys in 125-150 on the money list who need to get into these events to keep their cards are not out there for a good time; they aren't there because they think it's neat-o. They are there to FEED THEIR FAMILIES, and the more sponsors let Wie into their field and the more times she comes up above the cut line, the more people (PGA players specifically) are going to tire of it.

Wie is good, but let's face it - she has to play her best to beat a few guys on Tour playing their worst. What's the cut, 72 and ties? Out of 150 players in a full field event? So Wie shoots 72-75, misses the cut, but "beats" 40 Tour players? ****. She beats guys who had an off week. Annika is as long as Michelle and a proven winner. She tried the Colonial. Have you seen her at another PGA tour event since? No? Wanna know why?

I for the most part agree with the above, except for the fact that she can not make the cut in a full field PGA event. Yes she and her handlers need to be careful in selecting the events to make sure that it does not draw all of the top players and more importantly that the course fits her game. But I am convinced that she has the game to make a cut. Afterall she barely failed last attempt and it appeared to be more due to the pressure of the situation then anything.

But for the most part your rigtht she does not have any business being in a PGA event if she is only trying to make a cut and can only do that 1 out of 3 attempts (or worse). That is not good enough to maintain a tour card, why should she be given oppurtunity after oppurtunity and prevent other players who have tour cards from playing in those events.

As for Annika, I think Annika choose a perfect event the Colonial (one where her lack of length would not kill her) and might again if a chance materializes but I also think that she realizes that the LPGA needs her support and needs her to play in their events.

I thought the disqualification was outrageous. The card was signed and in and she had signed another one and it had been accepted too!!! Rules work both ways, if no one notices when it happens then it should count. What about when Tigers' ball "mysteriously" bounces off a spectator back into play when Monty or Sergio or (insert non US pro name) find theirs in a footprint 20 yards further into the munch than they thought??? Very strange.....it also begs the question of whether she knew it had happened and if it was a rule infringement...Vijay and Monty have been hung without trial for similar.

Yea the swoosh sees all Lowpost. Their stuff sucks as well. I dont mind their blades but thats only cos they are Titleist 691/Mizuno MP33 copies. Their new drivers are promising but as usual for Nike its image and from over function.

The media might well ruin her because she looks like she has no stablity, no steady home life and no one around to keep her feet on the ground. She has spent some of her most formative years in the media spotlight and will be expected to conform to the public perception, Jennifer Capriati anyone????

Only time will tell I suppose. We may be sitting here in a couple of years time discussing her half dozen Major wins. We wait and see....

Oh yea, Annika....what can you say that hasnt already been said? A pretty awesome performance at the weekend, she just put the foot down and stretched away when it was needed. I cant help but think that if she were american Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer would be nothing more than interesting footnotes on US coverage.

D.

__________________
Longniddry Golf Club Champ 2005.

In the Taylor Made Bag:

Titleist 905T 8.5 Degree

Callaway Steelhead 3 Wood

Callaway Steelhead 5 Wood

Callaway X-16 3-PW

MacGregor Tourney 52 Degree

Cobra Phil Rodgers 59 Degree Rusty

Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

Callaway Tour iX

i agree too the DQ was a little late(ya think the reporter will be getting death threats i bet so). after watch her measure her two club lengths last night on golf channel really makes me think she did it on purpose, if she went straight she would have been in the edge of the grass with bad foot position. you can see when she measured second club length she was lookin to see if anyone was watching. i think it was a good call but really late.as for her playin pga or lpga with sponsor exemptions ya gotta have them the sponsors pay big bucks and they want there name out there who better to draw attn. than a 16 year old girl that can wipp the **** out 90% of the pros out there.all she can do is ruin it herself with all that money, but i dont see it happing she loves the game,

I think the DQ was correct, and in my mind, miss Wie should have to take the rules test all over again!

Why, you ask?

Well ... not because of the drop error.

But she was confronted with the problem saturday only moments after signing her card and handed it in (and only because she refused to talk to anybody until after she had signed the card).

The reporter actually tried to ask her about the incident BEFORE she signed her card, and when he later brought the incident to her attention, she didn't pursue the issue.

She had every opportunity to ask the rules officials herself on saturday afternoon, but chose not to.

Instead, she apparently tried to "slip one by" outside the rules.

That simply isn't the spirit of the rules of golf, and now how this game should be played.

Back to school, "rookie".

__________________
//Mox
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No, the reporter did NOT approach Wie before she signed her card. The reporter has said explicitly that he did not feel familiar enough with her to approach her until her press conference AFTER she had signed her card. Moreover, in that press conference, which was the only point at which he talked to her about the incident, he never told her he thought she had made a bad drop. He simply asked her questions about how she checked her drop. I don't think anyone at that point thought he was saying she had made a bad drop, and I know that I thought at the time that he was simply asking technical questions about how drops are conducted.

No one wants to see fat and ugly Christina Kim. Michelle Wie is at least somewhat attractive.

Thats a classy argument wildbore, but it's probably not a million miles away from the truth, I dont think theres much to choose between them to be honest. I think it probably goes to who has the bigger sponsor.....


D.

Can anyone educate me as to how Wie can be called world #2 by the Golf Channel? Wie made the Rolex Rankings at #2 with a points average after 16 events of 10.03. Where do the points come from? Sounds like a Page Ranking campaign to me. The Global Golf industrial/media complex strikes again! I guess that's why the pros say the only list that matters is the money list.

My 2¢ but what does everyone else think?

this is not just an issue for golf it happens in a lot of other sports f1 obsession with schumacker (pre alonso) football has david beckham tennis has roger federer. my other love which is motorcycle speedway racing went through it in the late 80's/early 90's with a danish guy called hans neilsen the media become so obsessed with the superstar no1 that everyone else is reduced to being bit part players! she is not my cup of tee as talented as she is she still has a lot to learn.

I think there are probably a dozen female golfers at least, who should be ranked above Michelle Wie at the moment. She is a fantastic prodigy, but has not yet won an event, and that must be a kick in the teeth for all those who have.
The rankings must be compiled by the same team who ranked USA no.7 in the world at Soccer - whatever they are on must be seriously mind altering stuff