If I wanted to watch the LPGA tour...

[DBake]

Considering that she finished in the Top 5 in six out of seven ladies' tournaments this year, you would be wrong.

Have her prove it for a year not a tournament here and there.

[ragontona]

Have her prove it for a year not a tournament here and there.

Yeah, I'll get right on that.

[iacas]

Have her prove it for a year not a tournament here and there.

Even given her limited LPGA playing schedule, she'd currently be well inside the top 20 on the LPGA Tour money list. That qualifies as pretty darn incredible.

Excluding one tournament (the Weetabix), something like SEVEN LPGA players beat her in six tournaments. That's impressive. I'm pretty sure even Annika can't claim that (in any six tournaments).

[golfchief]

ouch....Wie is +8 today thru 12 holes. +12 for the tourney....this is not a good thing for her or the PGA. I am starting to convert on the issue of wether or not it is good for her to be playing on the PGA events even with a sponsors invite or exemption. Go home Michelle, concentrate on school and have fun playing golf for your High School.

She can't play golf for her high school,shes a pro? what would her sponsors do if she tried to go back to being an amateur? I think her family was seeing the $$$ and not looking out for HER.

She could be a mental wreck by the time she reaches 18.

[Baynative]

...(can't figure out the multi quote thingie)

<<<>>>

<<>>

Ryan Moore is a local star whom I follow because he had an outstandiung amatuer career and played his way onto the tour (last year). In this, his second year his scoring slipped andit wasdiscovered that he had a broken bone in his hand which was surgically repaired in early summer. The healing process hasn't gone perfectly and he plays with some pain and because he can't take the club away and cock it on the way back, he has adapted a unique swing in which he lifts the club off the ground straight up -sort of towards his head, almost knee high and then swings like a modified baseball swing from there. If this isn't one of the more notable examples of talent and determination on tour, I don't know what is.

But to TV and sports writers it's not as interesting as a tall girl with short skirts.

[ezmoney5150]

Ragontona, I disagree with your comments about the TV coverage (and yes, I caught all the sarcasm).

That's the same problem I have with Tiger Woods. I hated watching the US Open second round. I didn't see Phil making good shots. I had to watch Tiger grind out a six footer for double bogey.

But like Erik says. "Its not his fault, blame the network." Which I agree with. I just wish Carolyn Bivens would make her exempt already so she'll play the LPGA tour. Then maybe we won't have to listen to the nonsense of her saying she want's to play the Ryder Cup and other BS. She'll be so busy trying to compete with Paula, Cristie, and Annika she won't have time to think up all these wacko fantasies.

[iacas]

That's the same problem I have with Tiger Woods. I hated watching the US Open second round. I didn't see Phil making good shots. I had to watch Tiger grind out a six footer for double bogey.

The LPGA Tour is discussing a move next year that may change the number of events Wie will play in.

Currently, members who finish in the top ten one week are granted an exemption or a spot in the next tournament and that doesn't count against their seven allowed sponsor's exemptions. The LPGA Tour will discuss extending that privilege to non-members (i.e. Wie and others). So, Michelle may have some choices to make: play a few weeks in a row or forego these extra-special opportunities to play against the gals.

[drizz]

michelle wie needs to learn how to putt/play golf she seems like she thinks she so much better than any one on the lpga ?shes never won

[janzaruk]

But to TV and sports writers it's not as interesting as a tall girl with short skirts.

Ah, I think somebody finally nailed it on the head. It has nothing to do with her play, it really doesn't, IMO. As long as she is tall, thin, and attractive, and physically able to swing a club, she will get exemptions....for now. But as we all know, there will be another come around right after her who is 15 or 16 and can "outdrive" the men.

Everyone knows she is not ready for the PGA, she(or her family) is just trying to capitalize as much as possible (unfortunately, isn't that the American way now?), and men who could never get a woman half as attractive love to watch her fail, so their egos will grow a millimeter and their sexist, moronic jokes will still be relevant. But the truth is, she is one laughing....all the way to the bank. IMO, its all a sad commentary on the state of America and our facination for building someone up just so they have faller to fall when we knock them down. If her goal is truely to play on the PGA and on the Ryder Cup, she should "go home" as has been said and develop her game. My guess: she (and her family) realize this probably will never happen on some level and figure they better grab as much money from us as quickly as possible before the hype dies (probably in another 12-18 months), and then head to the LPGA and probably do very, very well.

[NCGolfer]

I would love to see Michelle go out to the LPGA tour (when she is allowed) and clean house for a few years. She needs to get her game, especially the putter, into top shape and then come out to the PGA tour and see what she can do.

She's so young and has her best years ahead of her. I think that these experiences (on the men's circuit) only make her stronger but she needs to use the LPGA as a stepping stone to greater things on the PGA tour... which she has stated numerous times as her goal.

[Baynative]

I would love to see Michelle go out to the LPGA tour (when she is allowed) and clean house for a few years.

I have supported her pursuit of her dreams from the start, as I would with anyone. But, I am beginning to wonder who is behind these disappointing efforts. These dead last finishes aare doing nothing for anyone, not her, not the PGA, not even the fans.

I hope someone with some decent mentoring insight gets involved in her development before she becomes the female Ty Tryon.

[cdriver]

I have supported her pursuit of her dreams from the start, as I would with anyone. But, I am beginning to wonder who is behind these disappointing efforts. These dead last finishes aare doing nothing for anyone, not her, not the PGA, not even the fans.

I don't think she is being well served by what she has been doing, but what is driving it is MONEY! Look at the upsurge in ticket sales at every PGA event she has played in. As long as the public is willing to fork out to see her play, she will keep getting invites. I keep hoping the novelty will wear off, or she will get fat... either of those things and she will be forced back to the LPGA where IMHO, she belongs.

[golfchief]

She can't learn anything but rejection when she can't make the cut. It was a great chance to show her game which seems to lose it's luster everytime she shows up for a PGA whipping. Since turning pro she shut many doors for her development, But her family has plenty of money now.

[iacas]

She can't learn anything but rejection when she can't make the cut. It was a great chance to show her game which seems to lose it's luster everytime she shows up for a PGA whipping. Since turning pro she shut many doors for her development, But her family has plenty of money now.

I think that's a short-sighted opinion. You're saying that you can't learn anything through failure except failure. I'll leave aside the point that she's not being "rejected" - but failing (different things).

I don't believe that the only thing you can learn from failing is failing. I do fear, as I said on the podcast, that though she may be learning to play tougher and longer courses and that the LPGA Tour courses may seem "easier" in comparison when she plays them now, that her swing is suffering trying to keep up with the boys.

[golfchief]

I'm sorry, what can she learn that she doesn't already knows? she has trouble hitting out of deep rough,and she's only 16 and not strong enough yet, her words.
She's swinging harder and spraying the ball all over.
The greens are faster and a little harder to read.
when she hits the ball in the fairway she has to hit more club trying to get to the green on most holes and not doing a good job their.
Her answers to questions are all the same, I feel I hit the ball really solid today but the putts would'nt fall.

She knows:
she's 16
not strong enough to hit the shots needed to get out of deep rough
the greens are faster and harder to read the breaks
If she swings harder she loses accuracy
The guys on the PGA are really good.

what else is she learning that she doesn't already know?

[iacas]

I'm sorry, what can she learn that she doesn't already knows?

That's still an incredibly short-sighted approach. She's said playing longer courses makes playing the shorter LPGA courses seem easier.

She knows:

To take your list:

a) how to read faster greens with harder breaks. b) she's also said that the guys on the PGA Tour have a much better short game touch than the ladies on the LPGA Tour, and she watches that and learns from that. So there are two or three easy things.