Whats your opinion on MW playing in mens events? Up until today, I was a big fan of her desire to challenge herself at the highest levels but DAL on a manageable 6200 yd GC is not acceptable. I'm officially moving to the "not so impressed any longer" set.

THx
KV

How many women's events has she won?

If she wants to play men's events, I think she should go through Q-school and qualify. Sponsor's exemptions enrich the tournaments, but they do not instill any credibility in what she is doing.

She's a great talent and still only 16. I'd cut her some slack, but it gets less and less each year. Obviously she is getting marketing $$$ for the exposure of playing men's tourneys, and the sponsors have every right to invite her no matter whether she qualified or not (they invite local boys all the time who didn't qualify) to drum up interest and ticket sales (its entertainment you MCPs). At 16, Tiger Woods won exactly ZERO men's PGA tournaments. Wie has 3 or 4 top 5 finishes in LPGA majors so far. Give her time. She has a game that'd kick all you phat azzes around the course.

Ditto what O Man says. She doesn't have the game at least right now to compete with the big boys. It's all coming down to money and drawing attention to the tournaments she plays in which equats to $$. The LPGA and other women events is where she needs to win and concentrate on at least until she develops her skills to get to the next level imo.

Playing poorly in men's events has hurt her credibility as a golfer.

You guys make the same old arguments. No one says she isn't a good golfer. No one says she shouldn't make money if possible. No one questions whether she is good for her age. The thing I question is whether she is building strong credentials for herself and making decisions that benefit her development as a golfer. MANY people wonder whether it is good for her psychologically to finish dead last in men's tournaments. Just because she CAN do something does not necessarily mean she SHOULD. I could list many, many young athletes who had bright futures but burned out because they tried to do too much too early.

She can make money doing what she's doing, but if she wants to earn the respect of the men who play on the PGA Tour, she needs to jump through the same hoops everyone else does at some point. I am all for giving young golfers exemptions if they have some talent, but at some point, she needs to EARN her place on whichever tour she attempts to play.

She's #7 woman player in the world despite having a limited schedule and being too young to join the LPGA. I agree, if she wants to play the PGA on a consistent basis going forward, she should qualify. Right now she's selling tickets. Should she be allowed to be a prdogy and pro at 16? Tennis players and gymnasts and skaters do it all the time. Only time will tell whether playing in these events hurst her development. Guess once she wins a LPGA event, that will be moot.

I'm no huge fan of hers. Just not looking to kick her for being a girl.

quote:

I'm no huge fan of hers. Just not looking to kick her for being a girl.

I feel the same way.

I don't know this for a fact, but I think her dad is one of those ultra-hyper sports dads. She does not seem to be getting good advice on how to proceed.

Tiger played his way into big tournaments at a young age by winning amateur titles. He finished high school and went to college for a couple years. COULD he have played more when he was 16? I tend to think that he definitely could have. But he took things at a reasonable pace even though he could have pushed and wringed out more Tour starts if he had wanted to.

For as weird as I think Earl was in some respects, he also helped his son make a lot of the right decisions. I can't say the same about Wie and whoever is giving her advice.

Those are good points and I tend to agree. Earl let Tiger be a teenager (as much as that was possible) and then a college student. Tiger progressed at a natural level. I suspect we are only beginning to see the real man that he is. Their real affection for each other was obvious. Can't say that about Jen Capriatti (sp?) and a host of other teenage phenoms. Wie's dad says its Michelle that wants to play the boys. OK for now. Time will tell. I hope for her sake that's true.

Final thought...She may make the cut in a men's PGA tournament someday. Win one? Never! She'll starve playing the men's tour.

Business = sports = business

There is no such thing as an amatuer athlete and there is no such thing as a teenage phenom playing for the love of the game. Only those with better or worse handlers and flacs.

Love her, hate her...you guys are talking about it in the forum. The old Hollywood line still holds, "it doesn't matter what they're saying, only that they are talking about you."

Just another person making a buck any way they can.

Another last place finish for Ms. Wie over the weekend (although you could argue she beat the guys who withdrew after their first round).

What does "B. J." stand for, anyway?

Wie needs to focus on women's events and get to where she can beat Annike Sorenstam, then worry about playing in a PGA event. Until she can beat the women pros, then she doesn't need to get an exemption.

Mike

She's better to look at than Furyk.

Seems Wie has pulled out of a LPGA tournament with a "wrist injury" after she was in danger of shooting an 88. As a non-exempt player dependant on sponsor exemptions, an 88 would disqualify her for these exemptions. Her decision was made after talking with her agent and dad. After several LPGA top 10 finishes last year, she hasn't shot below par in a long time.

Two thoughts here...
First, her "team" of advisors are doing her no favors letting her play on the men's tour. Her game has gone into reverse, and she can't even hang on the ladies tour, must less win. This chick is in danger of being the biggest over-hyped flameout since Brian Bosworth.

Second, its all about the money with this "team". She plays for the pub, so she can be a phenom and get paid, but I'm a short seller of her career here. She may come back and be a force on the LPGA, but this BS of playing with the men should stop. Right now, she would flunk the ladies Q school. She should've stayed an amateur, gone to Stanford, date jocks and frat boyz and then tourned pro. Better to be a "never was" than a "has been".

I don't know too much about her golf but I still think she's hot.

She needs to kick her parents to the curb--her dad is going to single-handly ruin her before she even has a chance. She is still extremely young with incredible talent--it just has to be put to good use. She needs to get a good coach who is going to help develop her game and not promote her for the sponsors. If she doesn't turn it around soon she'll eventually fade away into obscurity.

glad to see Annika and LPGA smack the brat down a bit...Wiesey will probably grow up in a few years and be a good player and person, but right now she seems like just another self-aborbed, super entitled teenager to me. She does have game, though, and it will come back. Just maybe not until her 20's.

quote:

but right now she seems like just another self-aborbed, super entitled teenager to me.

That's what $20 million in endorsements will do for a girl with crazy parents, yes-men, and ZERO professional tour wins.

This girl has Capriati written all over her.

Will all do respect. Jennifer Capriati was able to win a few tournaments and achieve the number one ranking in her sport.

Something Wie has yet to do.

However, as for the rest.......

I am thinking in terms of meltdown.

quote:

Originally posted by Coriolanus:
I am thinking in terms of meltdown.

So you thinking Michelle is living in a motel, smoking dope and playing "a round" with boys in a few years?

Its possible.