He's back!!!

[BCowan]

''Kudos, because the qualifiers are played at too short a distance to get a proper field of women''

  
My course hosted a Men's 1st stage Qualifying for the US Open.  The course is 6967 from the tips.  The mens open was 7500 from the white paint, and prob. played around 7250 yards.  I can guarantee many of the Men's qualifying courses were 200-400 yards shorter then the 7250-7500 Pinehurst course set up.  So that just blows your argument straight out of the water.  Why aren't you happy with an 11 year olds incredible achievement?  

[Garland Bayley]

Bill M. -

I suspect our friend Garland is just a wee bit jealous of young Ms. Li, especially as she has handled this whole affair with more dignity, maturity and class (and a better sense of humor) than he has.

DT

Here's the deal. Last night I watch the CBS Evening New, The News Hour on PBS, and Charlie Rose show. All reported on the Women's Open. All only reported that an 11 year old missed the cut. Nothing else. Nothing about the leaders. Now I are a engineer without a great vocabulary, so maybe freak is in poor taste, but if you literary types want to suggest a better word, I will gladly go back and edit my post.

Ms. Wie and Ms. Thompson are playing the course far better than the vast majority of you ever could, and yet all you talk about is an 11 year old. The USGA needs to quit sponsoring a circus, and hold a proper women's golf tournament.
JMO

   So are you advocating controlling the media and what stories they cover?  That is basically what you are saying.  You could of just turned your TV off and not watched CBS and PBS and wrote them a letter.  A 11 year old qualifying for a Woman's Open is awesome and is something that should be looked at as a positive. 

No Ben, I'm saying that the Women's Open should have a minimum age of 16 so that the media will report useful news instead of useless news. Useful news would be Lucy Li winning events for her age group, and who is actually leading the Open and who looks to have a chance.

Don't worry, I plan to write PBS as they violated their own standard by what they did. CBS plays to the LCD, so they don't surprise me by what they did.

[BCowan]

Bill M. -

I suspect our friend Garland is just a wee bit jealous of young Ms. Li, especially as she has handled this whole affair with more dignity, maturity and class (and a better sense of humor) than he has.

DT

Here's the deal. Last night I watch the CBS Evening New, The News Hour on PBS, and Charlie Rose show. All reported on the Women's Open. All only reported that an 11 year old missed the cut. Nothing else. Nothing about the leaders. Now I are a engineer without a great vocabulary, so maybe freak is in poor taste, but if you literary types want to suggest a better word, I will gladly go back and edit my post.

Ms. Wie and Ms. Thompson are playing the course far better than the vast majority of you ever could, and yet all you talk about is an 11 year old. The USGA needs to quit sponsoring a circus, and hold a proper women's golf tournament.
JMO

   So are you advocating controlling the media and what stories they cover?  That is basically what you are saying.  You could of just turned your TV off and not watched CBS and PBS and wrote them a letter.  A 11 year old qualifying for a Woman's Open is awesome and is something that should be looked at as a positive.  

No Ben, I'm saying that the Women's Open should have a minimum age of 16 so that the media will report useful news instead of useless news. Useful news would be Lucy Li winning events for her age group, and who is actually leading the Open and who looks to have a chance.

Don't worry, I plan to write PBS as they violated their own standard by what they did.

   It is the US OPEN, not an invitational event.  That is like chicken shit men who don't allow kids to play in the Club Championship because they want to have their name on the wall.  If you qualify, you qualify.  No age limit.  Older girls/woman best sharpen their game.  Other greats missed the cut!  If anything this is going to encourage girls to take up golf instead of watching the Karcrashiens!

[Jud_T]

This little girl is the best thing that's happened to the LPGA in years.  I used to be a Wei fan, and it'll be nice if she wins her first major, but I can't stand to watch that rediculous putting method.  Frankly the LPGA needs all the help it can get and if an 11 year old helps them make the evening news then so be it.  If it weren't for Pinehurst or Lucy I wouldn't be watching at all.

[Michael Whitaker]

I can't stand to watch that rediculous putting method.

I guess you thought Nicklaus was ridiculous as well?



or, maybe you would prefer this classic style exhibited by The King?

[Jud_T]

Only partially as rediculous looking.

[Michael Whitaker]

Only partially as rediculous looking.

Or, even ridiculous... if one is so inclined.

[Garland Bayley]

Only partially as rediculous looking.

The primary difference is the body fat.
Get over it.

[Bill_McBride]

My big issue with Garland's lack of respect for Lucy Li's role in this event at age 11 is that she apparently blew away the field to win her qualifier.  She is not a Bill Veeck side show to sell tickets by playing a midget, she is the real deal and deserves proper respect.

[Ken Moum]

[John Kirk]

Wait for it...some apologist will soon let me know that the stats indicate that Wie isn't a bomber.

I'll step up to the plate.  Michelle averaged 237 off the tee in her second round.  The field averaged 238. 

She also hit fewer fairways than the field: 71% vs 73%. 

I recall similar stats at the Dinah Shore, where Michelle averaged 230 something off the tee.  Is she dialing back her driver, or maybe hitting less club? 

Wie had 125 left on the 420 yard 8th hole today.  She then hit 7-iron on the slightly downhill 170 yard 9th hole.  She can really bust it; I'd guess she hits driver 260-275 when she hits is solid.

I'm kind of excited for Wie at this point.  She's playing well, and major success has been a long time coming.

[Mike Sweeney]

For today's third round...

- 3rd hole, which played 229 yards yesterday, is playing 330
- 9th hole is back to 155 yards from 124 yesterday.

The course is at 6649 today.  The elite women deserve a chance to show the world their talents. Huge kudos to Mike Davis.

The therapy is working. The 11 year old is respectful of her elders, Michelle Wie is in a dogfight to win her first major, I will be cheering for the obnoxious Stanford grad (jealousy), and Jaka is retreating. Xanax for all

[David_Tepper]

"When John perceives a line of thought on this site is too popular he cooks up a counter argument to be provocative. There is nothing genuine about his comments.

Can't you hear him giggling as he sets the hook?"

Mike W. -

Thanks for posting this. I have often wondered whether he was a jerk or simply pretending to be one. Now I know the answer.

DT

[John Kavanaugh]

I am at a loss for words as I try to describe my disgust at this set up. The beauty, grace and power of these elite women is being stifled by a set up either based in ignorance or pity.   6150 yds on a purely firm and fast course. Can anyone offer an explanation?

[Mike Sweeney]

I am at a loss for words as I try to describe my disgust at this set up. The beauty, grace and power of these elite women is being stifled by a set up either based in ignorance or pity.   6150 yds on a purely firm and fast course. Can anyone offer an explanation?

While I really enjoy taking the other side of your statements, I am really enjoying this. Let wait and see how Michelle Wie finishes.....

[John Kavanaugh]

I am at a loss for words as I try to describe my disgust at this set up. The beauty, grace and power of these elite women is being stifled by a set up either based in ignorance or pity.   6150 yds on a purely firm and fast course. Can anyone offer an explanation?

While I really enjoy taking the other side of your statements, I am really enjoying this. Let wait and see how Michelle Wie finishes.....

Don't forget this next time the apologists call for a ball rollback. These women hit the ball further than any of us and they play at 6150.

[Mike Sweeney]

I am at a loss for words as I try to describe my disgust at this set up. The beauty, grace and power of these elite women is being stifled by a set up either based in ignorance or pity.   6150 yds on a purely firm and fast course. Can anyone offer an explanation?

While I really enjoy taking the other side of your statements, I am really enjoying this. Let wait and see how Michelle Wie finishes.....

Don't forget this next time the apologists call for a ball rollback. These women hit the ball further than any of us and they play at 6150.

Merion plays at 6159 from the Member Tees:

http://course.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/course/course/merione/actual.htm

I am not seeing the issue....

[Jud_T]

I think they're pretty happy with the scoring being right where they want it.

[John Kavanaugh]

I think they're pretty happy with the scoring being right where they want it.

That is scripted realty tv bullshit.

[Jud_T]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here John.  Would you have preferred if they played it at 6600, Wei won by half a dozen and no one scared par?

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here John.  Would you have preferred if they played it at 6600, Wei won by half a dozen and no one scared par?

I would have preferred that the astounding athleticism of the modern woman be displayed. They are our equals and should be treated as such.

[Paul Gray]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here John.  Would you have preferred if they played it at 6600, Wei won by half a dozen and no one scared par?

I would have preferred that the astounding athleticism of the modern woman be displayed. They are our equals and should be treated as such.

Meaning?

[Joe Hancock]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here John.  Would you have preferred if they played it at 6600, Wei won by half a dozen and no one scared par?

I would have preferred that the astounding athleticism of the modern woman be displayed. They are our equals and should be treated as such.

Hogwash. The athleticism was on display, for all to judge on their own. These are the best female golfers on the planet, and they all played the same course. MW won, because she played 72 holes in the fewest strokes because of athleticism and intellect. If anything, the term "modern woman" is a slight to women of the past...I can't imagine my mom being happy with that reference, nor Babe Zaharius.

Joe

[Brent Hutto]

4th round scoring average for Pinehurst #2

Men 72.40
Women 72.39

For that matter the third round was 73.82 vs. 73.30 which indicates that Mike Davis, love him or not, accomplished exactly what he set out to do with these course setups. He wanted to use the same hole locations and achieve the same scoring round for in both Championships.

Of course in the first two rounds, scoring parity was not achievable due to the humongous different in depth of the fields prior to the cut. The 150th ranked women's player is much weaker relative to the top women than the 150th men's player is relative to the top men, in my view.

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm not sure what you're looking for here John.  Would you have preferred if they played it at 6600, Wei won by half a dozen and no one scared par?

I would have preferred that the astounding athleticism of the modern woman be displayed. They are our equals and should be treated as such.

Hogwash. The athleticism was on display, for all to judge on their own. These are the best female golfers on the planet, and they all played the same course. MW won, because she played 72 holes in the fewest strokes because of athleticism and intellect. If anything, the term "modern woman" is a slight to women of the past...I can't imagine my mom being happy with that reference, nor Babe Zaharius.

Joe

Please, Wie only hit driver on the back nine because 10 was a ridiculously short par 5 that she reached with a seven iron and eagled. The back nine was barely over 3000 yds. These elite athletes deserve to play courses at least on par with weekend country club male golfers. It is an insult to their years of training and sacrifice to be relegated to inferior tees. It holds their game back which mirrors the same tactics used in society to quash the advancement of all minorities. If any of theses ladies came to your club I doubt that you would insult them by asking them to move up. Sub 250 yd par fours are as insulting as separate break rooms for the secretaries or, God forbid, men's only clubs.