LPGA major

In terms of competition, it is comparable. And in PGA events, she's playing the men's tees, which makes the opponent itself dramatically tougher. Predictably, she consistently fails, and thus is building a growing reputation as a consistent failure.

 

Michelle Wie is the poster child for the "Everybody Gets a Trophy" generation. With the exception of that one Women's Public Links, she's done nothing except a lot of fuzzy, nebulous, meaningless non-accomplishments.

"Oh, look Michelle...you finished top-10 in an LPGA tournament."

"Oh, wow, Michelle ... you made the round of 16 in the men's public links."

"Golly, gee Michelle ... you ALMOST made the cut in a PGA Tour event."

"Great job, baby girl ... you beat nine guys named Craig Barlow at the Hawaiian Open."

It's all crap. In the meantime, Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer have passed her by, while she's fiddling around with PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Korean PGA Tour events.

 

Hey good job at understanding what I was saying.

 

That's a bit harsh. Finishing in the top 10 at an LPGA major at the age she did was an accomplishment. Nearly making the cut in an PGA event (and defeating so many established Tour pros) was an accomplishment. To deny that is absurd. But she's gone off track, no doubt about it. She's played too many PGA events. She hasn't learned how to win. She's put the cart in front of the horse in a lot of ways.

But it's a stretch to tie that into the "Everyone Gets a Trophy" rant. Go berate some youth hockey parents/administrators if that's the issue you want to take on (I have several of those types of trophies from my own days on skates -- talk about meaningless awards...).

 

and an egomaniac

 

Just win baby. Put some trophies on the mantle and people will take Wie seriously. Right now, she and her parents have turned her into a billboard/freak show with no substance and no direction.

For the blueprint on success, see Earl/Tiger Woods. After the first couple of sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events when he was 16 or so, Dad clamped down and made him enter the big junior and amateur events, even the AJGA. The only Tour events Woods played afte that as an amateur were the majors he qualified for by winning his three U.S. Ams. In the meantime, he learned to WIN. Three U.S. Ams. Three U.S. Junior Ams. A batch of AJGA titles. An NCAA individual title. All of which meant he knew how to close the deal on Sunday.

Michelle Wie, on the other hand, only knows how not to finish last.

 

Or see Richard/Venus/Serena Williams.

No juniors. No satellite events. No challengers.

Here we are, Steffi, Monica and Gabriela. Deal with it. Venus and Serena even went out and challenged an ATP player (a chain-smoking junkballer ranked in the 200s at the time) in a non-sanctioned match. Guy played at 50 percent intensity and beat Serena 6-1 and Venus 6-2 without breaking a sweat. Poor Venus. Poor Serena. Their careers ruined.

There is no "blueprint." Unless you want to take the easy way out by looking at the greatest golfing talent in history and just saying, "See, just do it like Tiger and Earl."

For every Tiger/Earl I can guarantee you there are 1,000 fathers/sons who followed the exact blueprint and did nothing.

Jesus, all of this "too many PGA events" is ridiculous. How many PGA Tour events has she played? Seven. Out of the 200-something rounds of golf she plays a year (counting practice), maybe 10 are against PGA pros. Big freaking deal. WTA players practice against men and even compete against them in mixed doubles. Wie plays a handful of rounds against men. Big freaking deal.

"But she should just stick with the LPGA!!!!!"

She cannot play on the tour full time. So those other events help fill in the gap.

BTW, Paula Creamer is more than three years older than Wie. Does that not even register in people's minds?

Only in this instant-gratification society could someone be proclaimed "ruined" before they are allowed to join their profession fulltime. But I've seen that kind of thinking before. I even use it as my signature (see below).