Someone needs to help me understand something re: Michelle Wie

[FAHooGolfs]

I'm not trying to be sexist or anything with this post, and I can understand Michelle's desire to see if she can beat the guys, but the problem that I keep stumbling over time after time is the implications that her actions have for the future of golf.

Let's follow a hypothetical for a minute... she qualifies for the Open next year at Oakmont and makes it into the field. Her heroic actions give hope to all sorts of young female players all across the country that they too can qualify for the US Open. Where does it end? You end up with a bunch of Open applications by women and the US Open that has always been the Men's US Open (but of course they can't put Men's on it because that would be discrimination) turns into the co-ed US Open.

At that point, do you eliminate the US Women's Open since all the best female players are now trying to beat the men? The Women's Open would have a reduced field and of course, it would only be women, because restricting men from playing against women is somehow not discrimination.

Unless the USGA restricts entries to "men only," I only see this phenomenon getting worse in the future and I think we can all agree that the minute someone tries to stamp "men only" on the US Open, we'll get to witness a court case that has an effect on golf the likes of which haven't been seen since the hockey strike that wiped out the entire season and almost the entire sport.

If women truly want to see if they can beat the men, then should they create a true US Open where the top 30 from the men's Open and the top 30 from the women's Open qualify to compete against each other?

I just don't see a good ending to all of this... what am I missing?

[allin]

Actually they could legally restrict it to men. This is not the type of situation covered by discrimination law. I question whether that many women could or would go this route. There are probably only 2 or 3 other women golfers that could reasonably hope to compete at this level. More importantly the # of women who could qualify is miniscule. This has been covered well by others in other posts, but the great majority of men have an inherent physical advantages over women, making it unfair for men to enter womens events, someone else compared it to adults competing against children. I feel the comparison is apt. The # of juniors or women who are able or wish to compete on PGA tour or US Open is not going to disadvantage male players in any significant way and there is no valid argument for excluding them since the avowed purpose of these tournements is to identify the best player not just the best adult male player. I admit I am jealous that this young woment is so much more talented than I am, its bad enough losing to other men, but w t h.

[FAHooGolfs]

Perhaps I'm getting overly influenced by the news media who seem to be trying to turn her competing against the men into a "i can do it too" battle of the sexes.

Damn media.

[Thrash13]

Well, I'm against her trying to qualify for men's events anyway, but I'll try to keep that aside for now.

Like allin mentioned, there aren't many female golfers wanting to compete with the men and rightfully so. Every once in awhile, this will happen, but it's not something that will happen very often.

A majority of great LPGA golfers are very happy to remain on the LPGA Tour without any attempts at playing with the men. And that's how it will likely stay for the most part.

As long as Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel, etc. keep their focus 100% on the LPGA, it will deter other young females from trying to compete with the men.

It's not like Michelle Wie has had any success whatsoever in the United States so far competing against men. That in its own right will deter a lot of young females from trying to do the same.

At least I hope so.

[muskegman]

The sad thing about it is that imagine how appealing the LPGA could become if you have Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Pressel, and a host of other up and coming stars competing for the next few years. Imagine how much money the LPGA could be competing for in the future. Wie would have the same kind of effect on the LPGA as Tiger had on the PGA Tour... more interst, ticket sales, sponsorships and a healthier tour.

Not only is dominating men's events unrealistic for Wie it will rob women's events of star power and potential future gains.

[FAHooGolfs]

The sad thing about it is that imagine how appealing the LPGA could become if you have Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Pressel, and a host of other up and coming stars competing for the next few years.

I already watch more LPGA than I ever have simply because of Paula, Natalie, & Morgan. And let's not forget Lorena Ochoa.

[georgep]

Rather than Wie vs. the Men's Open, I think of it as someone trying to play on the highest level she can. Overall, the quality of play on the LPGA is not up to PGA Tour standards, and probably not equal to Nationwide or European tour standards, when you get right down to it. If Wie can qualify next year, more power to her! I'd much rather see her play her way into the US Open (or onto the Tour), than be given sponsor's exemptions to six (is that the max?) events a year. If other women can make it, too ... good for them. And there probably will be other women who try, but they still have to get through all of the qualifying. And few have the length to play against top male players.

But in 100+ years no woman has qualified for the Open. I don't think the dam is about to burst. This is about one very talented player, who happens to be a 16-year-old girl.

The question for her in a few years will likely be whether to dominate on the LPGA or compete on the PGA (possibly in the middle of the pack). On the LPGA she can win lots of mediocre purses. On the PGA, she may not win as much, but the endorsement $$ would probably be substantial (much more than her current deal). I suspect at some point she will settle on splitting time between the two.

[nurseduffer]

The sad thing about it is that imagine how appealing the LPGA could become if you have Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Pressel, and a host of other up and coming stars competing for the next few years. Imagine how much money the LPGA could be competing for in the future. Wie would have the same kind of effect on the LPGA as Tiger had on the PGA Tour... more interst, ticket sales, sponsorships and a healthier tour.

I agree with you. I am a female, and I wish Wie would at least win on the women's tour first before she tried to make it on the men's tour. She is awesome and everybody knows that....but at least prove that you are worthy of even trying to compete against men. She has not even proved that she is worthy to win against the worlds best women (I know she came close...but failed to seal the deal) never mind the worlds best men. It seems to me she is putting the cart before the horse.....I think she might get more respect if she were to pay her dues on the women's tour first

[Rafcin]

I don't have a problem with it. It's US OPEN afterall. It's not Masters, not PGA Championship. If your USGA handicap is below certain number or you're a playing professional - as long as you pay your $2000 (or whatever it is) entry fee - you've right to play. Let's forget about 16 or 30, let's forget about penis or lack theirof for a moment. Do you guys want to tell neudi or Ben (members of TST.COM) that they should not have attempted to qualify only because they didn't make the cut? That they're putting cart before the horse? That they should play local events first and win them, otherwise they just create media frenzy?
C'mon guys and gals, that's not what Open is really about. Don't get into that media spin of "history in making", "gender barrier breaking" and the rest of the B.S. Get some prospective...

[iacas]

Well, I'm against her trying to qualify for men's events anyway, but I'll try to keep that aside for now.

Cody, she hasn't tried to qualify for any men's events. She's tried to qualify for the U.S. Open (emphasis on the word "Open") and various PGA Tour events. Nowhere in "U.S. Open" or "PGA Tour" does the word "men" or "male" or "penis" appear.

It's not like Michelle Wie has had any success whatsoever in the United States so far competing against men. That in its own right will deter a lot of young females from trying to do the same.

It depends on how you define success. She got $10M recently - that's pretty successful. She's tested her game on tougher courses than the LPGA plays. In her interview yesterday, she said "playing on these longer, tougher courses might make the courses I'll play on the LPGA seem easier."

She, no doubt, took a lot away from each of the events she's done - she's learned to handle the media, she's seen how important the short game is to men (while women consistently lack the same short game finess of men - and Annika will tell you that), etc. It depends on how you define success. No doubt Michelle Wie defines it differently than you do, Cody. Let's also bear in mind one thing, Fahoo: Michelle Wie is a freakish talent. I don't think waves of girls are going to be trying out for the U.S. Open because waves of girls don't have her talent. She'd be playing at Winged Foot if THREE of the short birdie putts she had would have fallen. Think about that for a second. If she had averaged 31 putts per 18 holes instead of the 65 she took, she'd be teeing it up. She's a freakish talent. As a father of a 3½-year-old, I was pulling for her to make it so that I could tell my kid about the amazing feat the girl had pulled off against tremendous odds. She's SIXTEEN... And cut the crap, guys: if you don't understand why it's okay for the LPGA to have the "L" in it but for the PGA not to have an "M" then you need to have your head examined because the logic is really not that complex...

The sad thing about it is that imagine how appealing the LPGA could become if you have Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Pressel, and a host of other up and coming stars competing for the next few years. Imagine how much money the LPGA could be competing for in the future. Wie would have the same kind of effect on the LPGA as Tiger had on the PGA Tour... more interst, ticket sales, sponsorships and a healthier tour.

Bear in mind one thing, too: she's not an LPGA Tour member. Bivens, in her infinite wisdom, did not grant her an early membership. She should have, and if she had, Michelle would probably be playing a relatively full LPGA schedule.

As it stands, though, she's not an LPGA Tour member, and she can only play 7 LPGA Tour events per year. So she has filled her schedule competing in other events (like in Asia, Sony, John Deere, 84 Lumber Classic, etc.). She may not make the cut, but the experience she'll gain in the events can be useful to her. There's no sense saying "she should compete against her peers" because a) she's a pro, so she can't beat up on amateurs anymore and b) she's got a full LPGA Tour schedule and has filled the holes with learning experiences.

[iacas]

She is awesome and everybody knows that....but at least prove that you are worthy of even trying to compete against men.

I think she did that. Remember, if she had taken 62 putts instead of 65 over 36 holes, she'd have proven it. She was

that close.

[tartanjack]

She's a freakish talent. As a father of a 3½-year-old, I was pulling for her to make it so that I could tell my kid about the amazing feat the girl had pulled off against tremendous odds. She's SIXTEEN...

Tonight I attended a dinner where the Met Golf Writers honored Phil Mickelson with their Gold Tee award. In his acceptance remarks he told how yesterday, after taking his kids to the Columbus Zoo (he was still in Ohio), he got back in time to watch Michelle finish up. He said he made a point of having his oldest daughter watch while he explained to her the significance of what Michelle was trying to achieve. He said something like, "I want her to understand that barriers are breaking down in golf and everywhere else... and that anything is possible. What Michelle is doing is tremendous for golf and everyone who plays it."

I agree.

[NCGolfer]

Here's my 2 cents on the whole Michelle Wie issue...

I'm still not crazy about Wie getting a bunch of sponsor's exemptions into the PGA Tournaments...but I can understand why she gets them. Tiger got a few when he was a youngster and the sponsors want to get as many people in the gate as possible. If Wie was a 16 year old boy, I don't think that anyone (including myself) would have any problems with her playing in a few PGA events. I still have to feel for the guy who is left out because Wie is in the tournament...

As for the US Open. I'm with Erik. It is open to anyone. She proved that she has the talent not only to hang with these guys, but beat a few in the process. What she did the other day was pretty amazing for a 16 year-old girl . I was just starting to shoot in the 70's on a regular basis when I turned 16...

Honestly, the rounds she played this week were her most impressive to date...at least for me. Wie only had one thing keep her from qualifying for the toughest golf tournament int he world: her putter. To me, you'd think that it would be distance, ball striking...the normal things that a 25-35 year old male pro golfer would be at a distinct advantage with their strength and conditioning. Not so.

Just wait until she starts putting well. That's when we'll really be talking about her.

[xian]

If it's Wie's age that makes her fascinating, you should check out this kid:

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/new...pen-hawaiiteen

He's only 15.

[Rafcin]

If it's Wie's age that makes her fascinating, you should check out this kid:

Holly smokes, there has to be SOMETHING in the tap water in Hawaii... Maybe I should book a trip

[cold]

I think you're forgetting most women wouldn't be able to qualify.

[Rafcin]

For all who question if losing or missing cut again will shake her up : http://www.lpgascoring.com/5363/scorecards/50624.html