Wie sideshow - this will make some unhappy

[John_Conley]

Why Michelle, why?
--
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
41 minutes ago
 


Fresh off a disqualification on the LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie has decided to tee it up against the men, again.
 
Wie will play next week in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, the first time she'll play on the PGA Tour this year, tournament organizers said.

It will be her eighth time playing on the PGA Tour, and she has yet to make a cut. The only time Wie has made money playing against the men was on the Korean Tour, in 2006, at the SK Telcom Open.

Wie, who is 18 and attends Stanford part time, has no status on any tour. She has only one sponsor's exemption left this year. She will be playing her seventh and final LPGA Tour event of this year at the CN Canadian Women's Open in August.

The Reno-Tahoe Open starts July 31 at Montreux Golf & Country Club. The Nevada tournament is one of the weakest fields on the PGA Tour, held opposite the World Golf Championship in Ohio. Steve Flesch won the Reno-Tahoe Open last year.

Wie showed signs of improvement this past weekend at the State Farm Classic in Illinois. She was a shot off the lead going into the final round until Tour officials discovered she had left the scoring area without signing her scorecard after the second round. Wie was immediately disqualified.

A win or high finish would have all but guaranteed her enough money to finish in the top 80 LPGA players this year, the cutoff for automatic inclusion in next year's tour.

There's been speculation Wie would concentrate solely on women's competition, especially after last year when she injured both wrists and made only two cuts.

Wie's chances of securing a 2009 LPGA Tour card now rest with her winning roughly $80,000 in her final tournament, which probably would take a top-three finish. Otherwise, she could be headed to the first of two stages of qualifying.

"I think the qualifying conflicts with school, so I probably won't go to that," Wie said last month at the U.S. Women's Open in Minnesota. But that was when she had greater hopes of winning enough money to become exempt for next year.

Her father made it sound as though Q-school was a distinct possibility at the time.

"What other options do we have?" he said.

[Jim Franklin]

They are nuts. But who did not know that.

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Before someone comments, remember pro sports exist to entertain.

[David Stamm]

Wie's chances of securing a 2009 LPGA Tour card now rest with her winning roughly $80,000 in her final tournament, which probably would take a top-three finish. Otherwise, she could be headed to the first of two stages of qualifying.

"I think the qualifying conflicts with school, so I probably won't go to that," Wie said last month at the U.S. Women's Open in Minnesota. But that was when she had greater hopes of winning enough money to become exempt for next year.

Her father made it sound as though Q-school was a distinct possibility at the time.

"What other options do we have?" he said.

This would not be a bad thing. And I love this "we" statement form her father...

[John_Conley]

David, I thought the comment was from her mother. 

[Phil Benedict]

I guess she can only play one more LPGA event, so the men's tour is the only way to get some competition, which she needs.

If her game is really coming around, there could be upside for everyone in this:  she gets to compete, hopefully have a decent result and a low-key event gets a marquee name for at least two rounds. Then again she could shoot 160.  It's a risk but she knows her game better than we do.

[David Stamm]

David, I thought the comment was from her mother. 

Her father made it sound as though Q-school was a distinct possibility at the time.

"What other options do we have?" he said

[John_Conley]

David, the quote was attributed to her mother.  I'm not sure why Ferguson's story has it from her dad now.

[David Stamm]

David, the quote was attributed to her mother.  I'm not sure why Ferguson's story has it from her dad now.

Fine. Either way, it just sounds odd.

[rjsimper]

I wonder what the scoring tent rules are at the RTO?

[Craig Sweet]

Who cares who said what....the truth is, Wie has only one or two options left if she is going to qualify to play the tour full time next year...

I think its great that she's playing next week....I could care less if it's against men, senior men, women, in Europe or in Asia...just so long as she plays!!!!   What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?

[John_Conley]

David, I agree it is very odd.  She's 18, which is pretty old on that tour!  Mea culpa, I'm sorry, I stand corrected.  I went back and looked for the Interlachen driving range story where her parents made her practice for hours on Saturday and the quote is attributed to her dad B.J.

I'm forgetting, is mom's name Bo or something?  I guess I blanked and thought B.J. was mom.

If you haven't, be sure to read Kournikova's comments in the Sports Illy where are they now feature this week.  Basically she blames nobody for the attention and resultant resentment.  Hey, I took the money!  Same applies here for Wie.  Some won't cut her slack because she was managed by others.  Funny thing about Kournikova, who the writer couldn't contact directly for an interview a decade ago because of all those choreographing her every move.  Today he just talked straight to her and she was on time and in no hurry when they met at Starbucks.

I don't think Michelle Wie made any of the decisions to this point.

[Garland Bayley]

...
I don't think Michelle Wie made any of the decisions to this point.

Her parents say she makes the decisions. Are you saying you don't believe them?

[John_Conley]

Garland:

I graduated with someone whose dad said, "YOU can go to college anywhere you want.  My checks are going to BYU."

Who made that decision?

Michelle, like most teens, goes with the flow and trusts her parents.

[Phil_the_Author]

Craig,

You asked, "What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?"

She has a LOT of them. What is wrong with playing overseas? What about accepting a job as an ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL at a club? That was certainly good enough for people like Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and so manu others then and now.

[John_Conley]

Phillip, I know you are looney, but this is a new level.  How many tournaments does a low level assistant professional get to play?  Why would she do that?

[JSlonis]

Craig,

You asked, "What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?"

She has a LOT of them. What is wrong with playing overseas? What about accepting a job as an ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL at a club? That was certainly good enough for people like Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and so manu others then and now.

Why would she ever be an Assistant Professional at a club?   Besides the fact that the large majority of Assistants don't play much golf...

She was already given Millions by Nike and Sony.  The early days of great golfers working at the club level have been over for quite some time.

[JohnV]

What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?

Can you say "Futures Tour"?

[Garland Bayley]

...
Michelle, like most teens, goes with the flow and trusts her parents.

Since the news reports contradict what you say, what is your source of information?

[Garland Bayley]

What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?

Can you say "Futures Tour"?

Better yet, LET.

[John_Conley]

Since the news reports contradict what you say, what is your source of information?

?  Everything I read has her doing what her parents want/demand.  It clearly wasn't here idea to spend hours practicing after the MC at Interlachen.  Unless the writer had it wrong.

[Phil Benedict]

I don't think this is brand-building.  She just wants to play, which is understandable given how much improvement she showed this weekend, and doesn't have a lot of alternatives given her (lack of) LPGA status.  I was both surprised and pleased to her name on the leaderboard.  Why would she want to wait a few weeks to play competitive golf again?

Even if she took Philip's advice and got a job as an assistant (probably worth $20 grand or so), she's too late to enter any club pro events.

[rjsimper]

What other "options" does she have if she wants to get in a competitive round or two before her nest LPGA start?

Can you say "Futures Tour"?

Does she even have status there?

[JohnV]

No, but they do have sponsors invites that I'm sure they'd be more than happy to offer to her.

[Garland Bayley]

Since the news reports contradict what you say, what is your source of information?

?  Everything I read has her doing what her parents want/demand.  It clearly wasn't here idea to spend hours practicing after the MC at Interlachen.  Unless the writer had it wrong.

There is a difference between supporting your child's efforts and making decisions for the child.

You can facilitate your child's practicing a musical instrument, but career choice decisions along those lines are usually the child's. The child can choose to audition for the NY Phil., but the child may need the parents prodding to get there. Or, the child may choose to be happy playing for the Colorado Springs Pops.

The news media has reported on MW's parents advising her not to play the men's events, but MW insisting on doing so. It has reported on Leadbetter (and her parents too, if I recall correctly) advising her not to play hurt last year, but MW was adamant about playing, and has since admitted it was a mistake.