[Rick Sides]

Yesterday Michelle Wie came out and said she believes she will play in the Masters one day and she sees herself getting to Augusta.  Will someone please tell this girl she needs to win an LPGA event before anything else.   She is delusional.  I really don't blame her, I blame her father who has been pushing her and misleading her her entire life. I could understand if a star like Aniika Soremstam came out in her prime when she was beating up the LPGA tour and made a similar statement, but Wie has not won one event.

[Ryan DeMay]

Playing at Augusta and winning at Augusta are two entirely different things.  Sure she could play and maybe even make the weekend (she has a decent game) but, she lacks the mental toughness to have a legitimate chance at winning.  I agree with Rick that BJ, her father, is a large obstacle in her path to success and relevance in professional golf.  The sooner she breaks free from her father, the better she will be in the long run.

[PThomas]

its kind of amazing that she hasn't WON a tournament in what, 5-6 years?

she blew that one earlier this year and nothing since then.........

[PCCraig]

I understood all the media attention she received when she was a 15 year old girl on the PGA Tour hitting 300 yard drives...that was neat and all. However now she has turned into a somewhat bitter and spoiled 18/19 year old athlete with too much endorsement $ and yes-people around her.

She should take a year off, go to school, get away from BJ, and come back later when she wants to win.

[Phil_the_Author]

And just when I was starting to believe that the new web-site would prevent anymore Michelle Wie playing in men's majors discussions...

And someone mentioned that MICHELLE was delusional?

For those who take note of such things, Michelle actually said that playing in the Masters was a GOAL of hers, not that she believed that she actually would...

[Rick Sides]

Phillip,
Did you read the quote?  Her exact words were, "I see myself getting there(Augusta)".  That quote to me means she thinks she will play there one day.  I just feel bad for the girl because she is obviously a talented young lady- just mis-guided by her family.

[PThomas]

if they didnt invite Annika with all of her achievements, how doe Ms. Wie think she would get invited??

[George Pazin]

She is a young woman with a dream. Do folks really see the need to knock that?

If your college age child shares an outlandish dream, do you set him or her straight?

If you don't wanna hear the answer, don't ask the question, or don't read the interview that asks the question. The media is going to keep asking her the Masters question until she finally says no. That day is probably far away.

[Garland Bayley]

You can either have parents that discourage you from attempting to reach what you are capable of, or you can have parents that encourage you to pursue your big dreams. Which kind of parents do you want?

[Richard Choi]

I am guessing a ton of folks here on GCA must have superstar PGA/LPGA players has their son or daughter because they sure think they have or can do better job than Michelle's folks.

From where I stand, Mr and Mrs Wie have done a fine job raising an intelligent and confident girl with incredible abilities.

If you guys think you can do better, why don't you go out and do it?

[Rick Sides]

Richard,
I think Michelle seems like a good kid and she has an abundance of talent.  Unfortunately, like a lot of kids, their parents try to live their lives through their children's abilities.  I coach jr. high school baseball and I see it all the time.  I coach 14 year old kids whose father's send them to private hitting instructors, work with personal trainers, and have the best equipment money can buy.  All of us want our kids to do well, but when  parents  try to make their kids professional athletes while they are teenagers is wrong. The kids get burned out.

[Richard Choi]

Rick,

That may well be true, but how are people deducing that just by Michelle claiming that she wants to play Masters someday is the parents' fault (is that even a fault?) and equate that to bad parenting?

[Garland Bayley]

Richard,
I think Michelle seems like a good kid and she has an abundance of talent.  Unfortunately, like a lot of kids, their parents try to live their lives through their children's abilities.  I coach jr. high school baseball and I see it all the time.  I coach 14 year old kids whose father's send them to private hitting instructors, work with personal trainers, and have the best equipment money can buy.  All of us want our kids to do well, but when  parents  try to make their kids professional athletes while they are teenagers is wrong. The kids get burned out.

I see, so you come down on the discourage them from accomplishing what they are capable of side of the parenting philosophy. I feel sorry for any kids you may have.

[Mike Wagner]

Rick,

Seriously, your last topic on kids and private clubs made my blood boil - now this?  Good grief....

[Rick Sides]

Mike,
Sorry to hear I made your blood boil.  Perhaps your taking my question about kids about too seriously.  If you read my post carefully, you will see that I said that kids are the future of golf and I said parents were to blame for allowing kids to act up at clubs.  And once again I claim that parents are often to blame for pushing kids too much and not leading them down the right paths. I think Michelle is a great talent, but she needs to win first on the LPGA before wanting to play in the PGA.  Maybe you should get your blood pressure checked MIke!

[Garland Bayley]

Mike,
Sorry to hear I made your blood boil.  Perhaps your taking my question about kids about too seriously.  If you read my post carefully, you will see that I said that kids are the future of golf and I said parents were to blame for allowing kids to act up at clubs.  And once again I claim that parents are often to blame for pushing kids too much and not leading them down the right paths. I think Michelle is a great talent, but she needs to win first on the LPGA before wanting to play in the PGA.  Maybe you should get your blood pressure checked MIke!

I take it that you don't dream of playing on the PGA Tour like the rest of us do.

And your degree in child psychology is from where?

[Rick Sides]

Hey Garland,
Interestingly enough I do have a degree in child psychology.  Nothing wrong with dreams.  Parents should always encourage children to shoot for the stars.  But children have to walk before they run.  I think Michelle should keep playing hard on the PLGA and I would love to see her at the Masters one day.

[Richard Choi]

Rick,

I have a smaller chance of becoming a CEO at Microsoft than Michelle's chance of playing at Masters.

So, by following your logic, if I tell my friends that I want to become the CEO of Microsoft someday (I would love to!!!), my parents were terrible parents?

Hmmm... that is pretty strange logic.

[Garland Bayley]

Hey Garland,
... I think Michelle should keep playing hard on the PLGA and I would love to see her at the Masters one day.

...She is delusional.  ...

So who is delusional? I'm getting so confused! Just call me Vinnie.

[Rick Sides]

Richard,
I work with kids everyday.  So using your logic, (you wanted to be president of Microsoft one day) if your parents locked you in a room as a child and made you study business reports and market strategies, and had a financial consultant tutor you at the age of 12, then this is the same thing sports parents do to children.  Now I'm not going to tell you that some kids would not love learning how to become Microsoft president, but when parents push so hard that the child's identity is lost, that's a problem. I wish the people on the forum would understand, I think kids are awesome and should dream big, but I personally have witnessed children hate what they once loved because their parents pushed them too hard.

[George Pazin]

That's all well and good, but where is your evidence that the Wies locked Michelle on the golf course?

[Rick Sides]

Vinnie/ Garland

I used the term delusional at this stage in her life because she is miles away from the Masters.  I stated that I would love to see her compete in the Masters one day because that would be great to see a woman at the Masters. I would love to see Lorena Ochoa compete at the Masters- she is an awesome golfer.  I just think Michelle has to take small steps to get to Augusta.

[Rick Sides]

George,
If you have ever studied a lot of the lives of some child/athletes, like Michelle, it is quite sad.  Look at Sean O Hair.  When Sean was a teenager his father would have him run a mile for every stroke over par he finished in a tournament.  It has been documented that Michelle's father has pushed her to try to enter PGA events when she never even won on the LPGA.  My son likes music.  I encourage him to take lessons and I try to tell him there is no limit to his love of music.  Now if I told my son he had to practice piano 5 hours a day, listen to classical music only, and read about the history of the greatest musicians during his down time, and he really didn't like doing these things, what do you think my son would do? Would he really still love music or would he probably hate it?

[Garland Bayley]

... It has been documented that Michelle's father has pushed her to try to enter PGA events when she never even won on the LPGA.  ...

Sorry, got to call BS on that one. You best provide some pretty concrete evidence if you wish to proceed with any credibility.

[George Pazin]

The key word in your post is some.

When Tiger first came onto the national scene, the popular notion was that Earl pushed him very hard, and the press certainly ran with this, emphasizing in every story how Earl was a Green Beret. Later, it came out that Tiger was the one who begged his dad to take him to the course or the range all the time, and even Tiger has said that his dad was somewhat of a softie, it's his mom that instilled the killer instinct.

You may be right about the Wies, but me, I'll guess just the opposite. The media is doing what it always does, selling a story; the facts are almost immaterial.

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