Michael Bamberger, the Sports Illustrated reporter who questioned Michelle Wie’s “bad drop” on the 7th hole in the third round of the Samsung World Championship, was interviewed by his own magazine. I encourage you to read his Q&A and decide for yourself if you still hate the guy. On that, a comment posted to Geoff Shackelford’s blog:
Here’s the thing that bothers me about the excessive Bamberger criticism: Michelle Wie is the one who actually broke the rules, not Bamberger. In fact, it was Wie’s hastiness and immaturity on the course which forced Bamberger (a, you know, grown-up) into an ethical quandry. After the improper drop he was thrust into an extrordinary situation which, I think, he handled with honesty. He has also appeared to be very straight-forward with all questioners of his actions thus far, even readily admitting that he could have made better decisions in the whirlwind aftermath.
Michelle Wie is not a victim here. She broke the rules and nearly got away with it. While it remains true that she could have simply been penalized two strokes had her card not been turned in, she did, again, break the rules.
Photo Credit: © AP Photo/Reed Saxon.