Running Michelle Wie excuse thread

Wait, I'm not angry about anything.

I am saying -- all of this "why is everybody picking on this poor wittle girl..." stuff is BS.

If you are going to take millions and agree to become the face of the LPGA and the next great superstar --- don't be shocked that when you shit the bed or you fail to live up to even half of your hype -- which she clearly has failed to do -- people will be quick to point it out and people will NOT be willing to hold you to the same standards as everyone else.

Further, my biggest objection to Michelle Wie is that she continued to try and play on the PGA tour when she hadn't even proved a thing -- and still hasn't -- on the LPGA tour.

 

The main difference being that Serena and Venus both had won multiple tournaments by age 17, Serena won two grand slam events at age 18 and Venus had her grand slam title by age 20 and likely would have had it a year earlier had it not been for an injury and Wie hasn't won shit......

 

When did she become the face of hte LPGA?

 

It was a clause in the Nike contract, remember?

 

This was the face they wanted

 

Oh I forgot the Wie's had nothing to do with all of the hype they received.

It was all Nike and the media.......

 

I guess I am just not going to understand this. She was a terrific 13-year-old player who got offered gobs of money, which she gladly accepted. For this reason, she was hyped as the future of women's golf. As it turns out, she might not be better than a mediocre professional. Along the way, she went to college and participated in PGA Tour events to which she was invited. She tried, and to whatever degree, she failed (if you really want to call her washed up at this age). I don't find anything to criticize in that story.

 

It may have to do with some of the quotes that came out of Team Wie, like how she'd be bored playing the LPGA, or playing on the Ryder Cup. Or maybe her lack of grace, like bowing out a tournament this year due to 'injury' (because her score closing in on an 88, she was in danger of losing a place on the LPGA tour for the year); then found practicing at the next site a few days later.

I know it's the American Way to get paid a Brinks truck full of money on pure spec. It just doesn't rub everyone the same way.

 

Here's the point I think some of us are trying to make: Her parents put her in position to achieve all these warm and fuzzy non-achievements. Almost making the cut against the guys ... almost qualifying for a men's U.S. Open or a Public Links ... finishing top-10 in LPGA events and majors ... and none of them taught her how to win on the Tour she's eventually going to have to make or break herself on, the LPGA. I've said it before: Michelle Wie is the poster child for the "Everybody Gets a Trophy Generation." She's achived millions of dollars and notoriety without actually doing anything. But then again, so have Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I don't begrudge the money but golf is the one sport where the money is nice, but the legacy is marked in Ws. Her parents should have quit the PGA Tour experiments after a couple, then let her go against the girls.

And the David Leadbetter experiment needs to end also. Someone please name the last player he actually helped.

 

She's still just 18 years old, guys.

She finished second at the LPGA Championship as a 15-year-old. I think that deserves at least some hype.

I don't like the whole "I'm gonna be bored with the LPGA" comments, and I agree she needs to learn how to win against her peers, but all this piling on to a struggling 18-year-old is a bit much for me.

And Wie is not a bust on the level of Leaf. She's already recorded top 5 finishes in each of the women's majors. That should get her out of Leaf-esque comparisons.

 

That's the difference . . . in hindsight.

But everyone is saying the Wies screwed up her development as if that is some kind of obvious given. The Williams sisters show that you can do things EXACTLY as Wie did them . . . and succeed.

And what everybody STILL fails to grasp is . . . she is 18. Draft a baseball player at that age, and 90% of them you will not hear anything from until 4 years later.

 

Exactly? You mean like constantly competing in events you have no chance in hell of winning or even making the cut in? You mean like playing in events on sponsors exemptions and not learning how to win because you aren't playing enough events against your peers?

No, there is nothing exact about the way the Wie's and the Williams were brought up and further, because of that, the Williams had enough early success that they made it easy to see why there was so much hype surrounding them.