Michelle Wie: Returning to Form

[golfchief]

Just another one of the Leadbetter kids going down in flames, perhaps? Actually I'm not entirely sure. Wie's got the talent, and can launch a ball over 300 yards, but her father (and a public who's mostly pulling against her) hasn't exactly helped. Hell, even I admit - I'd watch Wie play, but only in the same way NASCAR fans come hoping for a huge crash.

I agree with that. Like I was hitting the ball really good,(into the rough)

[Jeepthrills]

I guess I will be the lone one saying that I still think she will be fine and although she can be annoying, I still hope and think she will win on the LPGA Tour. It may not be this year, but it will happen in the not to distant future.

[BASHERBAKER69]

Hi

Wie is not as good as Ochoa

Wie=too much too soon, due to greedy parents milking profits.

Tennis has a number of similar casualties-Dokic is one who immediately springs to mind.

bb

[Ruari]

Sure she's returning to form.
And I'm returning to my mis-spent youth.
But in the fulness of time I may enter my second childhood and Ms Wie's undoubted talent may emerge out of the crushing influence of her parents and the weight of far too much expectation.

[Jeepthrills]

Hi

I don't think anyone believes that she is even approaching Ochoa at this point. Hopefully she will end up more like one of the Williams sisters. The problem is, I think BJ Wie is far worse than their dad ever was.

[Bassmaster1256]

Michelle Wie sucks. Point blank. Lets all move to another subject.

[CPHoya]

Sean O'Hair seems to have overcome perverse parenting to make his way. Michelle Wie is no less talented than Sean O'Hair. He needed time to mature and to escape the damaging influence of his own family, in what must have been a complicated and painful process of expungement. Michelle Wie needs to undergo the same therapy before she can "get her head on straight" and start winning tournaments to please her critics.

Bear in mind, this is a young girl who became a professional golfer to reap a windfall - which continues to this day - for her parents , the rest held in trust for her. Then her parents railroaded her into one of the most difficult universities in the world, seeking to provide her with "normalcy." There is nothing normal about entering Stanford with a lucrative professional career in athletics shoehorned into your daily life. Nothing.

Her parents destroyed her youth for profit, and sought to repair the damage by contradicting every lesson they had previously taught her; sport over education became education first, sports on the side and, oh yeah, make sure the endorsement cash still rolls in.

We express disgust with Michelle Wie because she's an undeserving beneficiary of a financial circus, but her parents caused the mess (and moreover, the economic decisions made by Nike do justify her decision to turn pro, thus making her a deserving beneficiary in her sponsors' eyes). We should either root for Michelle to harness her immense talent and become the champion she possesses the tools to become, or root for her to escape from her sick family and mature to enjoy the rest of her life, whether it involves golf or not.

I feel awful for Michelle Wie - everyone around her used her, and when they were done they led her down a more destructive path than was necessary. Stanford, after all, was a worse decision than turning pro.

TANGENT: The reason the NBA has an initiation program for new basketball players is to assist them with the transition of 18-22 year olds to extremely wealthy 18-22 year olds. In other words, the NBA has a team set up to protect these vulnerable young men, many of whom still fail to adequately cope. Michelle Wie had no team. She had her parents milking her instead.

She is a victim who was never given the tools to cope. Her game won't improve until she recovers from that trauma.

I always root for Michelle out of sympathy, but feel a tinge of guilt because my viewership is yet one more statistical blip that encourages sponsors and loved ones to continue screwing her up.

[Ruari]

Amen to pretty much all of that, CP Hoya

[stuartaustin]

returning to form? she tied for last place...

Her even playing in a tournament is a sign of improvement right now but I think she has a pretty good future in front of her......she just need to stop screwing things up!

[Roody]

TANGENT: The reason the NBA has an initiation program for new basketball players is to assist them with the transition of 18-22 year olds to

I guess as a middle-class American who will probably never ever see that type of money, I have a hard time visualizing how it's so difficult to transition into a millionaire's lifestyle. But I'm also not 18 years old either, I'm 34, so my level of maturity is a bit higher.

I guess I just answered my own question. A 34 yr-old has a much better chance of transitioning into a millionaire's lifestyle than an 18 yr-old would. But I think you're right, there are so many people who can't seem to be financially responsible in this country, be they millionaires or not. I guess it's not surprising they need teams of people to educate them how to be.

[Jeepthrills]

I guess as a middle-class American who will probably never ever see that type of money, I have a hard time visualizing how it's so difficult to transition into a millionaire's lifestyle. But I'm also not 18 years old either, I'm 34, so my level of maturity is a bit higher.

She is actually better equipped than a lot of people. How many Lottery winners end up flaming out in record time. Age is only one factor in maturity. I would like to think that I would do OK with an extra $20 million, but if anyone wants to give it to me so I can find out I will be here waiting.

[Shindig]

I guess as a middle-class American who will probably never ever see that type of money, I have a hard time visualizing how it's so difficult to transition into a millionaire's lifestyle. But I'm also not 18 years old either, I'm 34, so my level of maturity is a bit higher.

"All I ask for is a chance to find out if money does bring me happiness."

You're right, it's a maturity issue. If you're 18 and you see a ton of money, it's hard to restrain from spending it all. I'm amazed at how much of the money I earned in high school went to my savings account. I'm similarly amazed at how much of my income while I was an undergraduate stayed with me (then again, full time school + 20 hrs/week of work doesn't leave much time for spending). Sure, that's only 5 figures of money, but the only reason it isn't still in my savings account is that I moved it to a CD once I realized I wasn't touching it. I understand financial troubles from young people starting out who live paycheck to paycheck. For the life of me, I can't understand financial troubles from people with good incomes who live above their means. It seems so easy. I make under 50 grand a year at the moment, but I play golf, drive a car, live in Westwood, and still take in more money than I spend each year, even when you don't count the money I'm getting back in the tax return. I wonder of Wie's receipt of the money at age 16 instead of 18 helped this, actually -- she was forced to put much of it in trust, right? Maybe she can't touch it.

[Jeepthrills]

"All I ask for is a chance to find out if money does bring me happiness."

I know this is getting off topic, but it sounds like you are way ahead of the game compared to most college students. I have always said that one of the biggest hurdles that my generation (I'm 37) and those after me have faced is the borrow and spend attitude that was long accepted with easy access to credit cards and low interest loans and long term payment plans for cars, stereos, etc.

I came out of college with no student loan payments, thanks to my grandparents, but close to $7500 in credit card debt. Combine that with a non-paid internship my first Summer out of school and getting married that same Fall an the number was well over $10,000 when I was starting out. That January I started Grad School, which cut into my work hours, and my wife got pregnant. My closest friend did not go to college. He started working construction and worked on his plumbers license instead. He was making a nice living by the time he was 21 and living at home. My wifes best friends all got married to guys that also did not go to college. This made it hard when the weekends come around and everyone else has money to go out and you either stay home or put it on a credit card. I think one of the classes that should be mandatory in High School and college is real life 101. Make people learn about interest, loans, credit and how much life really costs.

[Roody]

one of the biggest hurdles that my generation (I'm 37) and those after me have faced is the borrow and spend attitude that was long accepted with easy access to credit cards and low interest loans and long term payment plans for cars, stereos, etc.

That's most of the reason that our economy is in the mess we're in now - too many people taking out home loans that they had absolutely no business taking out. Lucky for my wife and I, we spent within our means, and we're thriving financially now because of smart decisions when we were younger (ok, it was mostly her driving the smart decisions, but hey, I should get some credit for marrying a good woman with a good head on her shoulders).

But to get back on topic, I liken Michelle Wie to a child actor. Fame, success, and money (ok, maybe not "success" just yet, but fame and money) have been thrust upon her. It's sorda like locking an alcoholic in a room with a keg. I've heard stories about Michelle's behavior in Pro-Ams. People have said she's rude, barely talks, and acts like every minute she's made to be at the Pro-Am is like torture. Do you know why she acts this way? Because she doesn't get it. She doesn't get that it's the fans who are the reason she has millions of dollars, and the reason she is famous. She needs to realize that, and act accordingly. Yeah, I imagine pro-ams are probably rather boring for many of the pros. But this is one of the times where she, as a star athlete has the oppotunity to interact intimately with her fans, and the impressions she leaves with them will last a long time. Those fans will talk about their experiences to other fans, and the word spreads. That is why I'm so animated about spreading the word of my experience with Morgan Pressel. I played in a Pro-Am with her last year. And I gotta tell you, I went into it with some pre-defined opinions of her. I saw an immature girl on TV in the U.S. open a couple years back, and I thought "oh boy, this should be fun". But after spending 18 holes with her, I have to say she was a truly amazing and personable young woman. Of the 6 years that I've done LPGA pro-ams, she was my favorite, just slightly edging out Angela Stanford. Another truly telling indication of Morgan's maturity is how she handled a question I posed her about Michelle Wie. I said "so, I've seen you in interviews and whenever Michelle Wie's name is brought up it seems to bother you. How do you really feel about her?". Her immediate comment was "ohhhh boy, don't get me started..." and then she paused and then said "ehhh, no comment". She could have dished, but instead took the high road.

[geezer]

Where are all these Pro-Am events, and where do I sign!?

[SubPar]

This weekend Wie had a last-round 67 to finish 14 under. She finished 6th, but -14 is not too bad (avg. -3.5 strokes per round). Maybe she's going to get her game together.

SubPar

leaderboard

[Thrash13]

If nothing else, it seemed to have boosted her confidence a bit. As we all know, that's half the battle in the game of golf.

I hate to admit it, but it would be nice to see Wie start playing well again. The media overdid things WAY too much, but she is definitely good for the game.

[Shindig]

IIRC, she had a total of 3 bogeys and nothing worse during the tournament. Sweet!

I hate to admit it, but it would be nice to see Wie start playing well again. The media overdid things WAY too much, but she is definitely good for the game.

I agree. Wie is easily in the top 5 for recognizable female professional golfers, especially among casual fans. If she were to do well and maybe contend here and there, it'd probably be great for bringing in more fans. Casual fan watches her, sees another good player, starts to recognize him or her, and so on.