Wie fails to qualify for women's open

I'll bet on the second one when I see a first one.

 

Just win baby.

Eldrick T. Woods would not have been happy with a bunch of T8s by his fourth professional season.

 

It's not hating her to point out that she's vastly overrated and almost criminally mishandled by her parents.

 

He probably would have if he was still a teenager at the time. His best finish at 19 was that T41 at the Masters.

 

Vastly overrated? Really? A girl who was in serious contention for pro major titles before her peers were even playing high school golf and was No. 3 in the world before her junior prom?

No. Michelle Wie is as talented a player as any woman on earth. I won't argue with the mishandled part as far as the golf goes, though I if they had played it the other way (coming up through the LPGA ranks) she wouldn't be rolling in Nike cash now, so it's hard to begrudge them that. But there is no question about her talent as a player.

 

Hey, how did Tiger qualify to play in that first Masters at age 19?

Oh yeah, he won the U.S. Amateur.

How old was Michelle Wie when she won the U.S. Women's Amateur?

*crickets chirping*

Uh-huh......

For the record, I don't hate her, but I also don't care that she's "only" 19. When she's raked in tens of millions of dollars worth of sponsorship money without ever having won a tournament of any kind in, what, six years, she's nothing more than the Anna Kournikova of golf.

Time called her "one of 100 people who shape our world" in 2006, and what a laugh that was/is. Wie undoubtedly still has the potential to be great, but as of today, right this very minute, she is the kind of "celebrity" who is famous only for being famous.....the Paris Hilton of golf.

 

Paris Hilton wasn't nominated for six Oscars (or Emmys or whatever) by age 16. Michelle Wie finished in the top five in six professional majors -- competing against the best female players in the world -- by 16.

No comparison. Sorry.

 

I don't think anyone here is arguing that she sucks at golf. The argument is that she will not be playing in the U.S. Women's Open, the biggest event on the LPGA Tour, and it's the same Michelle Wie who was supposed to be running over, under and through the LPGA Tour by now (based on all those wonderful top-5 and top-10 finishes she had in majors before her junior prom).

 

Michelle Wie never has been that good of a golfer. At least not yet in her career. I never understand what the fuss over her was all about.

Playing in a men's tournament? How about winning a few women's tournaments first.

 

Did you miss the "as of today, right this very minute" qualifier that I used when making the comparison?

Whoomp, there it is.

It's also funny that you will spout all of her long-ago accomplishments with plenty of references to her age.....before her 17th birthday.....at 14.....at 15.....at 16.....at 15.....she was only 15......at 12, youngest ever.....at 13, youngest player ever......and then in the same breath basically tell us to back off the criticism because of -

wait for it -

her age:

"Look, some perspective is in order. First, she's still only 19."

:

 

You're on.

 

I think Playthrough's on to something. I don't hate Michelle Wie, although I don't cheer her successes either. I think mostly the irrational hate for her is the perception that she hasn't paid her dues. Success came very early, but when other 18- and 19-year-old caught up with her, players who were having more success on the LPGA Tour, she still seemed to command more attention.