Wie says, "Im only going to think about now"

[GaijinGolfer]

http://www.pgatour.com/2008/r/06/24/...nge/index.html

She has been a fixture at the biggest event in women's golf since she qualified in 2003 after finishing the eighth grade. She was tied for the 54-hole lead at Cherry Hills when she was 15, tied for the lead with six holes to play a year later at Newport. That all seems like ancient history. Wie showed up at Interlachen looking for a new start, hopeful she is on the road to recovery. "I feel like I'm re-emerging as a new player, a new person," she said Tuesday. "I feel like I'm never, ever going to think about last year again. I'm not ever going to think about before I broke my wrist. That was then and this is now. I feel like from now on, I'm only going to think about now." She is coming off three straight events that once would have looked ordinary, but now look promising. Wie finished sixth in the Ladies German Open in Europe against a weak field, then breezed through 36 holes of U.S. Women's Open qualifying, the first time she has had to earn her way into a tournament since the ninth grade. Last week on the LPGA Tour, she closed with a 69 and tied for 24th. When she was 15, that would have been her worst finish of the year. Now, it is called progress. "Right now, golf is getting a lot more fun," she said. "I know I'm not fully recovered, but I feel like I'm getting there. This past year, I've been able to become a better player and stronger player than I ever was before. And I feel like I'm on the road to that. I want to be able to prove to myself how much better I can be." But there are some things she can never get back -- mainly, her youth. What allowed Wie to bring so much excitement to women's golf was her age and her ambitions. Annika Sorenstam's caddie, Terry McNamara, shook his head in a mixture of wonder and sadness when he recalled being in the final group with her at the Kraft Nabisco Championship when Wie was only 13. Youth was a large part of her appeal, but now she blends right in on a tour loaded with youngsters. Morgan Pressel won the Kraft Nabisco Championship last year at age 18, the youngest major champion in LPGA history. Earlier this month, 19-year-old Yani Tseng of Taiwan won the McDonald's LPGA Championship. Tseng was 15 when she rallied to beat Wie for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links title. "I don't know what's her problem," Tseng said when asked why Wie had struggled so much. "I just feel maybe she needs to play more tournaments in the LPGA and she needs to get more experience." She picked up experience in humility, some of that from injury, some of that from going through U.S. Open qualifying. Wie was not forthcoming with her wrist injuries last year and still claims loss of memory on such details as how long she was in a cast and how much time she spent away from the practice range. She completed only 19 rounds on the LPGA Tour and broke par only twice. In the three tournaments where she played 72 holes, she finished a combined 91 shots out of the lead. Wie used to be a hot ticket for all the majors. The McDonald's LPGA Championship was only for pros until it changed the criteria in 2005 to allow Wie to play as an amateur, and she tied for second. The U.S. Women's Open gave her an invitation in 2004, claiming the money she would have earned in LPGA events would have made her eligible. Those free passes are no longer valid, not after the debacle last year. So it was a big step when Wie, the picture of entitlement in women's golf, signed up for a 36-hole qualifier for the U.S. Women's Open. She was more worried about the heat than failure, and she handled both. Wie shot 137 and finished second. That was a small step. "I think it made me realize how much of an honor it is to be here, how much of a privilege it is," she said. "It's been a long time since I had to qualify for something, and it made me want it even more. I think going through that qualifying humbled me a lot as a player, as a person. Sometimes, you have to go back to your roots to become a better player and a better person." Maybe she can get back to the level she reached when she was 16, still in high school, the top attraction in women's golf. She had at least a share of the lead on the back nine of three majors that year. Everyone knew where she was, and most of them cared. "I don't think I've reached my full potential," Wie said. But she can never be 16 again. There are other players her age, just as good.

I wish her all the luck in the world, but IMO, she still has a lot of growing up to do.

[Spectrums]

Quite a lot. An amazingly talented player with a natural flowing (and very powerful) swing that was messed around w/ by coaches.

Hope she does well.

[TigerCurtis333]

I'm gonna try not to offend anybody here...

But I am SICK and TIRED of hearing about her on the Mens tour (this is in general). Forget it - shes an awesome talent on the womans tour, but STAY ON THE WOMANS TOUR.

She entered a tournament that had just one man in the top 50, and she missed the cut. Come on. Why was her swing ruined? Because coaches tried to lengthen it even more so she could be a factor on the Mens tour. She had too much exposure because she tried for the Mens tour. Instead of focusing on her game and competition on the LPGA, she decided to play games and have no worries playing on the Mens tour. It wasn't the right thing to do for her, mentally. It was STUPID and bad parenting.

But that's just my opinion. I think PGA players and LPGA players should stay on their side of the fences. Why? Because when someone tries to hop that fence they're in a different world, and the media quite simply eats them alive. It's a horrible thing to see.

Remember - that's just my honest opinion. When woman have tried to jump to the PGA, bad things have happened because they no longer focus on their game and winning tournaments - it's simply a side show and "hanging in there," with the guys. There are two leagues for a reason - it's not simply skill level - it's just because there are differences in how the game is played, just like the WNBA. It's just DIFFERENT!!! It's not that the PGA is better (sure, guys for the most part are more athletic - then again, I'd get my clock cleaned but any woman who can play), it's just that it's a different ballgame.

[teal]

I am encouraged by the apparent growth she seems to be showing. There is a world of growing up done between 15 and 18. Good for her, but she does have more to go....

[iacas]

I'm gonna try not to offend anybody here...

The only offensive thing I saw is that you're kind of off-topic, or at least a year late. She is playing just women's events.

I'm all for pointing out mistakes, but she's not making that one right now.

[BigAl5150]

One of our local columnists had some interesting points about Wie at the U.S. Women's Open this week.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...tml?page=1&c;=y

[Q.Q.Quillume]

- shes an awesome talent on the womans (sic) tour . . .

No, she's not.

[Lemay427]

What a great hole...from Foxsports

Michelle Wie tumbled out of contention in the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday by taking a quintuple-bogey 9 on the ninth hole, making the turn in 42 and falling nine shots behind the early leaders. Wie, an 18-year-old from Hawaii who had to qualify for the first time since the eighth grade, arrived at Interlachen showing signs that her wrist injuries were healed and her confidence improving. One hole left her in a state of shock. She pulled her tee shot into the right rough, then tried to hit a low approach through the trees to an elevated green. The shot came up about 30 yards short, and she bladed her wedge over the green, facing a steep, downhill chip. She tried a flop shot, but it came up inches short of the fringe. Using a putter for her fifth shot, the ball bounced out quickly, rolled down the ridge and off the green. Her chip reached the top of the slope, then trickled back to her feet as she turned away before it stopped rolling. Her seventh shot made it up the ridge to 5 feet behind the hole, but she missed the putt. A year ago, Wie also shot 42 the last nine she played at the Women's Open. Then she withdrew halfway through the second round at Pine Needles last year. Wie was second at her 36-hole qualifier, and tied for 24th last week on the LPGA Tour

[iacas]

What a great hole...from Foxsports

That was a stupid hole. I know nobody else has seemingly had trouble there, but she was barely off the back of the green, barely got the ball on, and it rolled off the front. Then she chipped to eight feet short of the pin (which was back of the middle of the green), and then it rolled back to her AGAIN.

I saw it on TV, and it was pretty stupid. +5 on that one hole alone, +3 the other 17 holes - not a bad round. She won't make the cut, likely, but she's still a talented golfer.

[rudygu]

That was a stupid hole. I know nobody else has seemingly had trouble there, but she was barely off the back of the green, barely got the ball on, and it rolled off the front. Then she chipped to eight feet short of the pin (which was back of the middle of the green), and then it rolled back to her AGAIN.

That's ridiculous. Yesterday on the Golf Channel they said the course rating for the tournament was 79.7 iirc. I don't know what a U.S. Women's Open layout is usually rated at, but it seemed pretty high to me.

[GaijinGolfer]

I am encouraged by the apparent growth she seems to be showing. There is a world of growing up done between 15 and 18. Good for her, but she does have more to go....

Exactly. She may be an adult in the eyes of the court system, but IMO in a lot of ways she is still a kid.

To be under all that stress and pressure of being predicted as, "the next big thing" is a lot to deal with and this girl has had to deal with that basically since she was in her early teens. Granted, she chose this life but its still a lot for anyone to deal with.

[TigerCurtis333]

Once you shove a kid into the spotlight 3 years too early, it's not like she can go back and live out those 3 years of her childhood - they are lost, and she won't have the proper preparation (mentally) for a long time.

Iacas I inserted (this is in general) to try to make that point that I was just jabbering about Wie's future and what she's done to bring herself to where she is now. I highly, highly doubt her parents and coaches have truly let the men's tour talk die.

[MrKadash]

I highly, highly doubt her parents and coaches have truly let the men's tour talk die.

If they had any cells in their brain at all they would let it die. She is in no condition

nor talented enough at this stage to entertain the idea, IMO. She should concentrate on winning on her own tour.

[GaijinGolfer]

I agree. If she were dominating in the LPGA, it might be something to consider; but she isnt.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

She should concentrate on winning on her own tour.

Just curious . . . what is "her own tour"?

She's not a member of the LPGA and can only play in a very limited # of LPGA events each year.

[GaijinGolfer]

I think he is referring to the LPGA. Shes a lady, the LPGA is the ladies' tour, so thats "her tour".

[BruceMGF]

Just curious . . . what is "her own tour"?

She isn't? She's 18 now, isn't she? What's stopping her?

I know she's in college but she could play all summer.

[iacas]

She isn't? She's 18 now, isn't she? What's stopping her?

LPGA Tour members are required to play every event at least once every four years.

That'd muck things up, and she appreciates having some flexibility right now.