Wie fires caddie

[ragontona]

and at least Wie didn't "Jang" it and deny hitting the moss in the first place.

I forgot about that double-hit out of the rough! Aside from when it happened on the air, that incident barely got any coverage in the news, and I don't think we touched on it at all in here. Why? Because her name is Jeong Jang.

I honestly doubt that Michelle Wie had a face-to-face meeting with Greg Johnston and interviewed him to become her caddy. More than likely, as is the case with a lot of young tour pros, their caddies come "recommended" to them by various advisors and coaches. And it probably works both ways -- those same various advisors and coaches may tell the young player that his/her caddy may not be the right fit. Wie's agent may very well have been the person that hired Greg Johnston. It wouldn't be unusual for her agent to fire him as well. And I don't think she's going to have any trouble finding a caddy to replace him, either. With her very limited schedule, she would be a solid 14th on the LPGA money list right now, displacing Natalie Gulbis in that spot. And I don't think there will be any issues with veteran caddies wanting to loop for Wie -- remember when Tiger fired Fluff (essentially for becoming a semi-celebrity), every caddy on tour would've dropped their player for the opportunity.

[SubPar]

Anyone know why?

I think it was just one too many references to stiff shafts and clean balls.

Lots of players go through a number of caddies before the find the right fit. .

[ragontona]

I'm beginning to agree with the LPGA's decision on not granting her full status until she matures a bit.

Right, because when she turns 18, she'll be all grown up then and she'll have earned her full status by demonstrating maturity.

This girl doesn't even have her driver's license yet. Who here has a daughter around Michelle's age? Now imagine that every mistake that your daughter made was broadcast all around the world. Then imagine that there were legions of people who sat around and waited for her to make those mistakes. Then those same people jump on her for being too immature. Then people start bashing you for being a bad parent. And all your daughter wants to do is play golf, and all you're doing is encouraging her, and trying to surround her with the right people. A little perspective is in order when it comes to this girl. Every last one of us has made mistakes at our first job as a teenager. It just wasn't a newsworthy item when we burned the fries.

[gas_can]

Right, because when she turns 18, she'll be all grown up then and she'll have earned her full status by demonstrating maturity.

ragontona,

The public eye wasn't thrust on Michelle. Wether it was her decision, or her fathers, they came up with the publicity and hype, they endorsed the $10 million dollar check. With that comes certain unavoidable obligations. They'd better be ready to put up with a lot more than has already happened. There are plenty of 16 year olds I work with at the first tee who know the USGA rule book, there are a lot who act much more mature than she has recently. My only point of contention is this: sure caddies and players split ways all the time; however, the mature thing to do would be to sit down with him and explain why things aren't working and what he could have done better. Not terminate him at the airport gate at the last second through your agent.

[Thrash13]

A little perspective is in order when it comes to this girl. Every last one of us has made mistakes at our first job as a teenager. It just wasn't a newsworthy item when we burned the fries.

That comes with the territory of being a professional golfer. Not all of it is fun. I don't feel a bit sorry for her when I see people criticizing the decisions of the Wie camp. It just comes with it. And the 16-year old part gets a little old as well. Michelle Wie obviously isn't your normal 16-year old.

Ok, now to get back on topic, I could care less if Michelle Wie fired her caddy or not. If Michelle or BJ thought it would be better to change caddies, then so be it. She turned professional, so she has the right to do whatever she wants. Maybe a new caddy will bring her some victories. The caddy change worked ok for Tiger if I recall correctly. I'm not hating on Wie for changing caddies. I might have done the same thing in that situation. This shouldn't be a big story as Rafi stated. That caddy will find someone else to caddy for, and Wie will find another caddy. Yay! Let's move on and talk about someone else.

[iacas]

The public eye wasn't thrust on Michelle. Wether it was her decision, or her fathers, they came up with the publicity and hype, they endorsed the $10 million dollar check. With that comes certain unavoidable obligations. They'd better be ready to put up with a lot more than has already happened.

She chose to be a good golfer. She didn't choose to have the public eye thrust on her. Sure, she probably knew that was coming, but she didn't "choose" it and they didn't "come up with" publicity and hype. The media was doing a fine enough job for them.

There are plenty of 16 year olds I work with at the first tee who know the USGA rule book, there are a lot who act much more mature than she has recently.

The point has been made that even Annika and Tiger don't know the rules all the time. Get over it. I know a second-grader who can do long division, too: it doesn't mean they all should be doing long division.

She's not a normal 16-year old... when it comes to her ability to play golf. From what I've seen, the rest of her - her personality, etc. - is pretty normal for a 16-year old. Just because she can play golf well doesn't mean she's automatically mor emature.

My only point of contention is this: sure caddies and players split ways all the time; however, the mature thing to do would be to sit down with him and explain why things aren't working and what he could have done better.

Riiiiiight. I'll expect the same comment from you every time a caddy is canned. Very few (i.e. zero) have an "exit interview" on the way out. "Your personality and mine don't mix. You're fired." is how it goes. Or "You were late again. You're fired."

And again, most of the time, the guy or gal doing the firing is 30 years old or so, not 16. Wie likely didn't hire him to begin with, so why anyone would expect her to actually fire him is beyond me. You're speculating and reading way too far into things.

Not terminate him at the airport gate at the last second through your agent.

More speculation. There was no "at the last minute," but it sure makes your point sound better, right?

Let's be sure to suggest that it was because she had a "poor" showing in the Weetabix (even though nobody's said that's the reason). For all we know, she could have been planning to fire him weeks ago. Tell that to the caddy weeks ago and he may have dropped Wie with the Evian and Weetabix coming up, leaving her in a fix. Caddies get fired in all manner of fashions all the time. The only reason this is a story is because Wie is involved. In other words, it's not a story. The end.

[Rafcin]

...The only reason this is a story is because Wie is involved.

didn't I typed it 30 posts ago ?

Succesful people (Tiger, Wie, Trump, Gates, etc. ) always draw negative attention of (IMHO) jelaous little people for ANYTHING THEY CAN FIND - penalty, bad shot, caddie switch - geez, even wardrobe choice ( see Garcia @ British Open). Part of being great is getting over it and accept as something that can't be avoided. I think she's dealing well with it for a 16 year old girl, professional golfer, or whatever she is in your eyes.

[Rafcin]

...so is caddy the scape goat for her penalties and lack of win?...

http://sports.yahoo.golfserv.com/gdc...YAHOO&id;=41623 C'mon all Wie-haters - I want to see you bashing the playing horribly (in 2006 at least) Ernie Els now. Looks like he found "scape goat" too !

[NCGolfer]

[URL]C'mon all Wie-haters - I want to see you bashing the playing horribly (in 2006 at least) Ernie Els now. Looks like he found "scape goat" too !

Looks like Els is getting some advice from the Wie family.

[iacas]

Looks like Els is getting some advice from the Wie family.

You do realize this thread is closed, right? You guys can comment as moderators, but the others can't.

Anyway, it seems "Big Easy" and "Big Wiesy" think alike.