Semi-OT: Did Michelle Wie just save the LPGA?

[Kalen Braley]

A big congrats to MW...looks like we can finally put this thing to bed!

[John_Conley]

Amen Kalen.  I remember how Phil Mickelson was a "choker" until he went on a mini-tear and won three Majors in a short window.  He won, and that talk was done.  Anna Kournikova, Danica Patrick, Michelle Wie...a few notable female athletes where there was hype and naysayers clamoring, "but what has she WON?" 

Like I said with Mickelson, lI said with Wie: people will say that until she wins, and then they can't say anything.

Unless of course we get a chorus of, "but when is she going to win again?"

Well done, girl.  Well done.  Strong field too.

[John Moore II]

Could you imagine Tiger being multi-lingual, wait, he does have a 4 letter vocabulary.

Russell,

I don't understand this comment--lots of male pros are bilingual (Spanish, Afrikaans, etc.) although, to my knowledge, Tiger is not one of them.  You'd think he might have some Swedish. 

Tim-You're a slightly dense one aren't you? I think Russell was talking about Tiger swearing a lot. (Not the phrase "4 letter vocabulary")


On the topic though, I think if someone like Wie were to be able to play good all the time, she'd get ratings. But like I've said for a while, the LPGA needs personalities, not golf machines. Wie falls a bit too far to the machine side for my liking.

[Bill_McBride]

She wasn't very machine-like on that shot where she hit the tree!  Bad planning, terrible execution.  Such a great athlete she still almost made par.

[John Moore II]

She wasn't very machine-like on that shot where she hit the tree!  Bad planning, terrible execution.  Such a great athlete she still almost made par.

I mean in interviews. All those LPGA players talk like Nuke LaLoosh at the end of Bull Durham. Nothing but worn out cliches and nonsense.

We need more people who give interviews like Boo Weekly, just say what you think, not what some PR toolbag or handler wants you to say.

[jeffwarne]

Good for her. Think the new commish is smiling today?

He's definitely smiling.

Seeing that until this weekend, only 4 events had been won by Americans  on the LPGA this year , you wonder if perhapsmost of his marketing/endorsement efforts should be spent overseas.

The course actually had an interesting set of greens-firm, slopey, not overly fast, unless going downhill ---looked nothing like a PGA event.

Amazing how poor the short games of LPGA players continue to be -despite their ballstriking prowess.

When asked why so few Americans were winning....
Kristie Kerr said "UH I think we're a minority"
Paula Kreamer said " American players know what's going on and perhaps party too much - I know I have"
a final player who I can't remember her name(shocker) said "the pressure of Solheim points is too great for American players"

I'd say the Commish has an uphill battle,but Wie's win and the crop of new talent definitely help

[tlavin]

She had to go all the way to Mexico to win $200,000.  The LPGA still has a ways to go...

[George Pazin]

We need more people who give interviews like Boo Weekly, just say what you think, not what some PR toolbag or handler wants you to say.

Unfortunately, as soon as someone says something even the tiniest bit unusual - not even necessarily controversial - everyone goes off the deep end with endless criticism. If there is one thing I can understand, it's why most athletes prefer to give pat answers to every question. You let folks in just a little, and they think they know everything, including your deepest fears and motivations.

Congrats to Wiesy, hope this opens the floodgates.

[Phil Benedict]

Tom Doak is a guest on Golf.com weekly journalist discussion.  He believes the success of the LPGA Tour is critical to the golf business because male particiipation has peaked but female participation has room to grow.  It's an interesting perspective.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1939592,00.html

[Kalen Braley]

We need more people who give interviews like Boo Weekly, just say what you think, not what some PR toolbag or handler wants you to say.

Unfortunately, as soon as someone says something even the tiniest bit unusual - not even necessarily controversial - everyone goes off the deep end with endless criticism. If there is one thing I can understand, it's why most athletes prefer to give pat answers to every question. You let folks in just a little, and they think they know everything, including your deepest fears and motivations.

Congrats to Wiesy, hope this opens the floodgates.

George

A big ditto on that from me...its a no win situation.  Say too much and you get criticzed....give only the "canned" responses and u get criticzed for not saying anything real.

F the media....they created that whole scenario, don't give em nothing!!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Tom Doak is a guest on Golf.com weekly journalist discussion.  He believes the success of the LPGA Tour is critical to the golf business because male particiipation has peaked but female participation has room to grow.  It's an interesting perspective.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1939592,00.html

It is, and it's one that's been said for quite a while. If there were as many women playing (even 1/2 as many) as there are men everyone in the golf business would be smiling, except someone trying to get a tee time.

[Jud_T]

think about that the next time you start barking at the 4-some of ladies in front of you to pick up the pace....

[jeffwarne]

Tom Doak is a guest on Golf.com weekly journalist discussion.  He believes the success of the LPGA Tour is critical to the golf business because male particiipation has peaked but female participation has room to grow.  It's an interesting perspective.

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1939592,00.html

It is, and it's one that's been said for quite a while. If there were as many women playing (even 1/2 as many) as there are men everyone in the golf business would be smiling, except someone trying to get a tee time.

Not everyone in the golf business would be smiling

[Phil McDade]

T-2nd, and only 1 stroke back, at the midway point of the U.S. Women's Open after a tournament-low 66 on a course that favors bombers.

Just saying.....

http://www.uswomensopen.com/scoring2012/dyn/alllb.html

[noonan]

You can have Wie....my money is now on Lexi to save the LPGA...and yes I know this thread is almost 3 years old

Lexi is the real deal!

[Phil McDade]

You can have Wie....my money is now on Lexi to save the LPGA...and yes I know this thread is almost 3 years old

Lexi is the real deal!

Playing in her 6th US Open at the ripe old age of 17 -- I once started a thread here on whether, at the age of 12, Thompson was too young to be playing in the US Open (and was roundly booed off the stage ) She held up well today, on a day when she obviously didn't have her A game.

[John_Conley]

Phil, I was thinking of Wie this week.  Her results have been abysmal of late.  It is all too common that prodigies in sport not only fail to get better, they often regress.  Jennifer Capriati was #5 in the world at age 13.  Aree Wongluekiet (Song) finished Top 10 in the Dinah (a Major) at age 13.  Ty Tryon made it through all three stages of Q-school at age 16. 

Michelle Wie did many amazing things:

* qualified for a USGA event at age 10
* defeated Curtis Cupper Hilary Homeyer in match play at age 11 (as Hilary Lunke she would later win the U.S. Open)
* won the U.S. APL at age 13
* scared the cut line of a PGA Tour event just into her teens
* led the U.S. Open at 54 hole mark at age 15 & 16
* reached the final 8 of the MEN'S U.S. APL around age 16
* gave a good run at a U.S. Open qualifier for men

and on and on and on if you include her high LPGA finishes, often Majors.

Anyway, I pondered this briefly and figured best case she will rally in her career and achieve Capriati-like success.  (Jennifer won three Majors around age 25 and attained the #1 ranking in Womens tennis, something seemingly impossible since she'd initially made a splash what had been half a lifetime before.

Nope, didn't see Wie shooting a lights-out score today!  Best of luck.  That'd be an absolute shocker if she someone contended this week.

Strange day for Stanford golf.  Wie around the lead and TW makes the cut.  Tom Watson of course, as Tiger Woods (coming off a win) is off for the weekend at the Greenbriar.

[Craig Sweet]

Lexi's swing is painful to watch...I can't see her winning all that often.

Can these women play any slower..can they incorporate any more silly pre-shot nonsense into their routines?

[Dan Herrmann]

They need to be encouraged to play more quickly.  The pace of play should be embarrassing to the USGA because it's obviously against their own rule 6-7.

[Terry Lavin]

Michelle Wie is a gifted athlete who has been mishandled over the years but has the raw talent to overcome and persevere. I am less optimistic about the LPGA. It is decidedly a sport at the margin headed for the fringes, still breathing but destined for the ventilator.

[PThomas]

Michelle Wie is a gifted athlete who has been mishandled over the years but has the raw talent to overcome and persevere. I am less optimistic about the LPGA. It is decidedly a sport at the margin headed for the fringes, still breathing but destined for the ventilator.

Terry is right...I think the new Commish has helped, but can he get back some events that have been lost like the one in Springfield, Il?  and what about markets like CHicago?  No sponsor interest I assume...

but some Americans need to start winning on a consistent basis....for ex, Creamer?  nothing since Oakmont..
Wie?  well lets see if she can actually win this and then some more...I think Jack was right when he said winning is a habit, and how often has she won in the last 5 years, once? 

maybe Thompson...and Phil that is amazing that this is her 6th Open already

and it would be cool to see them give out some slow play penalties like they gave Pressel recently (and where has her game been,btw?)

of course, it would be nice if they'd speed up play in the men's open too, since Finchem is too chicken shit, i guess, to do it ....

[Phil McDade]

Paul:

Pressl withdrew yesterday, apparently due to a lingering hand injury she's had this season.

I actually think the LPGA would be much better off focusing on mid-major markets like Springfield, Toledo, Colorado Springs, and such to build up their market niche. They do that now, to a certain extent, but I think you could build a decent fan base and avoid the very competitive (for fan dollars and interest) big markets like Chicago.

But -- golf is a sport that is geared toward big stars, and it helps if they are personable, and/or there are some good rivalries among players (like the Sorenstam/Webb one). There's a lot of talent on the LPGA, but not many that most fans on this side of the Atlantic can name.

A Wie win at the US Open would help, but I agree with those who suggest the LPGA Tour needs a sustained run of successes like that to raise its stature.

[Greg Chambers]

I'm a golf fan, and I had absolutely no idea the women were playing their US Open this week...just sayin...

[Alex Miller]

I'm a golf fan, and I had absolutely no idea the women were playing their US Open this week...just sayin...

Isn't it typically the week following the men's championship instead of 2 weeks after?

I know 2014 will be back to back.

[PThomas]

Paul:

Pressl withdrew yesterday, apparently due to a lingering hand injury she's had this season.

I actually think the LPGA would be much better off focusing on mid-major markets like Springfield, Toledo, Colorado Springs, and such to build up their market niche. They do that now, to a certain extent, but I think you could build a decent fan base and avoid the very competitive (for fan dollars and interest) big markets like Chicago.

But -- golf is a sport that is geared toward big stars, and it helps if they are personable, and/or there are some good rivalries among players (like the Sorenstam/Webb one). There's a lot of talent on the LPGA, but not many that most fans on this side of the Atlantic can name.

A Wie win at the US Open would help, but I agree with those who suggest the LPGA Tour needs a sustained run of successes like that to raise its stature.

Wiesy off to the wrong start today Phil, 2 bogeys and a flare way right on the 6th, named "Mercy", I believe