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Michelle Wie versus the LPGA

Centerfield Jun 08 2007 08:36 AM

Let me preface this by saying this: I don’t like what Michelle Wie is doing. Or more accurately, I don’t like what the person charting the 17 year old’s career path so far is doing (the consensus being that it is her ever-present father). I think her attempting to play on the men’s tour without first establishing herself in the LPGA is presumptuous, it can upset and insult quite a few people, and it puts an incredible amount of unnecessary pressure on the girl. It’s ok to want to play on the men’s tour eventually...but I certainly think she should work up to it. It's amazing actually, how oblivious she is to public sentiment. That being said, I can’t believe the amount of criticism she has taken this week. Anyone who is familiar with my arguments about Benitez or McGwire knows that unfounded, unfair or unproven criticism is my pet peeve. Which brings us to the events of the past week. Last Thursday, Michelle Wie was playing at the Ginn Tribute, an LPGA event. Wie, who is under the minimum age of 18 to be a member of the LPGA tour, can play 6 events (and the US and British Opens) on sponsor exemptions. Wie found herself 14 over par through 16 holes. There is a rule that states any non-member who scores 18 over par for a round is banned from competing for the rest of the year. Wie withdrew complaining of a wrist injury. Many were skeptical of this injury...claiming she withdrew because she was in danger of hitting 18 over par. Eyebrows were raised further when, just two days later, Wie was seen practicing for this week’s event. To be fair, Wie has been bothered by a bad wrist throughout this year after hurting it jogging over the winter. Things boiled over earlier this week when Annika Sorenstam, world’s #1, spoke out and said: “I just feel that there’s a little bit of lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and then come out and practice here. You know, I just don't know the situation, if it's injury or whatever it is. It just seemed really weird.” Sorenstam went on to say: “I know what it’s like to be injured. I mean, when I was injured, I wasn’t able to touch golf clubs for weeks. It’s a little funny that you pull out with an injury and then you start grinding. My doctor told me to rest.” Here is my issue, if no one knows whether the wrist injury is real, isn’t it presumptuous to say it’s lack of class or respect until something comes out showing that the injury is bogus? Isn’t it classless and disrespectful to call a fellow golfer a liar and/or cheater without proof? It could very well be that, and it is Wie’s contention, that two days later her wrist was good enough to practice. Sorenstam’s reference to her own injury is one of the dumbest things I’ve read in a while. Annika is surely aware that not all injuries are the same. Some take months to heal. Others go away overnight. Even injuries that appear similar can have vastly different recovery times (one need look no further than the hamstring injuries to Gomez and Endy as an example). Today, LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens backed Sorenstam’s comments: “Clearly Annika’s comments reflect those of some of the membership. [Playing on the tour] is a privilege not a right....I think that leaving the tournament and coming to practice was not very respectful and that’s what Annika and some of the members are responding to.” It’s amazing. Everyone is just working off the assumption that the injury was bogus without any proof. Granted, if I were advising Wie, I would probably have told her to take the week off just to avoid any controversy. But this sort of indictment without evidence is just incredible. And finally, what kind of idiotic rule bans a player for a year based on one bad day? People who have discussed the rule say it is there to make sure that the players who play in these events are of a certain caliber. There is no question that Michelle Wie is good enough to play on the LPGA tour (she has made 28 of 30 cuts and finished in the top five 6 times). So if she were to be banned for a year pursuant to the rule, it is a rule that does not effectively achieve its intended result. And if a player can avoid the consequences of this rule by withdrawing with an injury, real or imagined, it is one that cannot be effectively enforced.

Edgy DC Jun 08 2007 09:00 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 08 2007 09:44 AM

1) It is a crap rule. 2) I think there's bitterness over her trying to bypass establishing herself as an LPGA force, as if that's beneath her. 3) Sometimes practicing is a way to find out how your injury is doing. Sorenestam's logic falls apart when she gets to Practicing = Grinding. 4) Annika is a great golfer, and she should be the one getting buttloads of sponsor's invites to PGA events. 5) Athletes speak emotionally and say ill-advised things all the time. Commisioners have lawyers and Communications/PR Directors to protect them and should know better.

metirish Jun 08 2007 09:43 AM

I think young phenoms get built up and torn down quickly,I can't say I follow her but certainly have read plenty about her,she's a kid and I hope she makes it. The excuse that she must be OK because she was practicing is petty,a wist injusry can feel a lot better in a few days and the only way to chart the progress is to test it. Having said that it would be best for her I would think if she made some noise on the LPGA in the next few years.

Nymr83 Jun 08 2007 11:11 AM

can a man try to play on the LPGA? if not this is a bullshit double-standard.

Edgy DC Jun 08 2007 11:19 AM

It can't be. They're two different organizations.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 08 2007 11:25 AM

="Nymr83"]can a man try to play on the LPGA? if not this is a bullshit double-standard. I don't follow golf at ALL, but I know you're wrong about this, Namor. If men have a physical advantage over women, then it's only fair to keep them out of the ladies tour. If there's a rare woman who can overcome that disadvantage, and actually compete with men, then that's an entirely different story than if a man plays in the LPGA.

Nymr83 Jun 08 2007 11:34 AM

no, its not fair. if the reverse were happening you'd all be up in arms. find me somewhere where men can join a women's event/league/club/etc but women can't join the men's version. does it not exist? now do you think thats because men are inherently better at everything or because discrimination is only PC against men? edit- i wont be home til sunday afternoon so don't take my lack of further response (here or elsewhere) to have any meaning

Edgy DC Jun 08 2007 11:38 AM

They're two different organizaitons.

Rockin' Doc Jun 08 2007 11:55 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 08 2007 12:01 PM

Michelle Wie has done nothing to enamor herself with the members of the WPGA. Since the age of 13, she has consistently acted as if the competition on the WPGA Tour is beneath her. She talks only of competing and winning on the PGA Tour against the men. Her comments over the years have been viewed as a slap in the face by many of the men and women pros on the two professional tours. To date, Michelle Wie has been granted sponsor exemptions to play in 6 PGA Toutr Events. She has missed the 2 day cut in five of them and withdrew from the other with a few holes to play claiming "exhaustion". She was not remotely close to making the cut at the time of her withdrawal in the middle of a hole. She has trtied to qualify for the Mens US Open on 3 (or 4 occassions) but has never advanced out of the regional qualifiers. She has played in 2 Mens Asian Tour events and failed to make the cut in either of them. She has also missed the cut in her only Canadien Tour event. She has missed both cuts on the Mens Nationwide Tour (PGA's AAA if you will). To date, she has never won a single event on the LPGA Tour. Michelle Wie would greatly help to improve her image with the professionals of both the mens and womens tour if she would stop talking about what she intends to do and instead actually succeeded at doing something. She should prove that she can consistently compete and actually win on the LPGA Tour against the woment before trying to jump straight to the Mens PGA tour. To date, she has continually shown that she is not ready to compete with the men. Michelle Wie has tremendous talent and has the capability to be one of the best to ever play on the LPGA. Someday, she may be able to compete and possibly earn her playing card for the the mens PGA Tour.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 08 2007 12:00 PM

Nymr83 wrote: no, its not fair. if the reverse were happening you'd all be up in arms. Well, I wouldn't be "up in arms" because I'd find it hard to care very much. But a man playing in a woman's league where his size and strength give him an unfair advantage would be a jerk. It would be like a heavyweight boxer trying to fight in the featherweight division. And men aren't better at EVERYTHING. Just things where size and/or strength play a factor. (I assume this is the case in golf, but since I don't play I don't know for sure.) The size difference is the very reason that there are separate leagues/tours/etc.for men and women. Boys and girls compete against each other in spelling bees because neither gender would have an advantage.

Farmer Ted Jun 08 2007 12:20 PM

Mrs. Ted went to college with a player on the LPGA tour, Becky Morgan. It's the only reason I pay attention. I have as much interest in women's golf as I do in Sri Lankan cricket.

Frayed Knot Jun 08 2007 12:43 PM

Part of that was just Annika and the LPGA person opining on what they thought of Wie's withdrawl and explanation, and I can't say that I would have had a different one. The timing of the withdrawal was very suspcious although I agree that we could have done without the "when I had my injury" part of it. Their point is that these exemptions are very valuable (they do keep somone else out) and to use one and then walk away because you're not having a good day (again, their opinion) is considered insulting to the sponsor who chose to give it to YOU as well as to the host of the tourney, who, in this case, is Annika. The '88 or bust' limit may be a stupid rule -- or at least one aimed not at players like Wie having an off day but at keeping celeb-type exemptions from being handed out to those not deserving -- but it is a rule and her pull-out in the face of it certainly smelled suspicious.

martin Jun 08 2007 03:45 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 08 2007 03:47 PM

Nymr83 wrote: no, its not fair. if the reverse were happening you'd all be up in arms. the "men's" league is open to the best golfers in the world. it isnt the MPGA, it is the PGA. it is open to players based on skill (or marketability, which is what these sponsor exemptions are for). if there were an MPGA, that would be the league to compare to the LPGA, if you really had to compare something. it is like boxing, you can fight up, but you cannot fight down. a woman can take a shot at the big leagues, but a man cant step down and dominate the ladies. if michelle wie or floyd mayweather want to try their luck with the heavyweights, good luck. but that doesnt mean mike tyson should have been allowed to go and pound flyweights to avoid a double standard. i like the 18 over rule. if you cant keep it within 18 of par, you should pack it up and head to the muny course with the rest of us chumps. edit: dangit YSG alread used my boxing analogy.

cooby Jun 08 2007 03:47 PM

Bravo, Rockin Doc. You took the words right out of my keyboard

Edgy DC Jun 08 2007 05:25 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: ="Nymr83"]no, its not fair. if the reverse were happening you'd all be up in arms. Well, I wouldn't be "up in arms" because I'd find it hard to care very much. He's 100% sure you would be.

Benjamin Grimm Jun 09 2007 05:54 AM

Well, he's always right, so I guess I would be up in arms. Funny how little I know myself.

Elster88 Jun 30 2007 04:13 PM

Michelle Wie just pulled out of another event mid-round.