Wie fails to qualify for women's open

Well, he didn't turn pro until he was almost 20, so your point is a bit off.
Plus, by that time, he had won three U.S. Amateurs, three U.S. Junior Ams and a batch of other junior and amateur events.

 

My comment about the next real news about Michelle Wie would be the reporting that she actually won an LPGA Tournament was not even remotely related to my "hating" Michelle Wie. I do not "hate" Michelle Wie; I have exactly no reason on Earth to "hate" Michelle Wie.

My comment related to the over-the-top coverage she has received over her career when she has not won any tournaments - let alone majors - yet. When she wins, then she will be news again; until then, the fact that she finishes somewhere other than first in a tournament or fails to qualify for some tournament is not "hold the presses stuff" anymore.

Some coverages take on lives of their own. In my opinion, Michelle Wie's golf career is one of them. It went around the bend about 2 years ago. Comparing her golf career to Paris Hilton's "acting" career is unfair; Michelle Wie is a competent golfer; Paris Hilton is not a competent actress. Comparing Michelle Wie's golf career and the coverage she gets for her accomplishments in her golf career with Anna Kournikova is more appropriate.

When she wins her first LPGA Tournament, then she can be compared to Danica Patrick - - unless Danica wins one more race before then...

 

I didn't compare Michelle Wie the golfer to Paris Hilton the actress. I compared them as "celebrities" who are famous for being famous......despite not actually having accomplished anything of note other than increase their celebrity and the amount of black ink used in their ledgers.

 

This is actually fairly surprising, in my opinion.

I am not a Wie fan at all, but she has played OK this year. She's top 30 on the money list. Would have thought she could have gotten through. That said, Charles Howell III isn't playing this week because he didn't get through.

 

Big Wiezy is never going to be a consistent anything on the LPGA Tour (if the Tour even survives, btw) until she learns how to putt under pressure, which she has shown no signs, at any age, of being able to do.

 

I'm thinking (except for the hotness factor), that at this point, she's the Anna Kournikova of women's golf.

And Kournikova was a much better player, did a lot more, than people remember. She just didn't win the BIG ONE. And she flamed out early because of back problems.

But she was also famous for stuff that wasn't necessarily related to her sport. And made more money off court than anyone, which ticked off her peers.

 

Yeah, well, imagine how Wie's peers feel, knowing that every cent Michelle has, every bit of fame Michelle has, she owes entirely to golf.

Despite the fact that so many of them are, you know, better golfers than she is.

 

She paid her dues every bit as much as the rookie who gets a $40 million signing bonus before he ever plays his first down in the NFL.

Fine. Time fucked up. Write a letter to the editor and tell them. But before you do, tell me how many other women's golf posts you have made on this board. So I guess in some small way, Wie is still shaping our world, eh?

Two questions: Since she's "vastly overrated" . . .

1. What is her "rating"?

2. What should it be?

If you are talking about endorsement money, big deal. Young, attractive athletes get more attention/sponsorship deals than other people with better credentials (see Patrick, Danica; Stephenson, Jan; Kournikova, Anna).

If she had PASSED UP all this money/attention, she would have been criminally mismanaged for not striking while the iron was white hot (since there is no guarantee that another kind of "management" would have netted her a single LPGA victory to date).

Anybody "hold the presses" to get this Wie story in? Didn't think so.

Criminy, can we at least discuss the subject without off-the-charts exaggeration?

 

a) I can't be bothered to write a letter to the editor at Time. Why don't you write it on my behalf, Sunny Jim? And then bring a hard copy of it and a venti mochachino to my office so I can rubber stamp it and give it back to you so you can rush it into the outgoing mail?

b) I've written a few women's golf posts here, not that it should really matter how many posts I have under my belt about that or any other topic, but thanks for doing your best to weed out those you feel are unqualified to discuss the subject without off-the-charts exaggeration, by cracky.

c) Seriously, lighten the fuck up. Who are you now, Michelle Wie's press agent?

 

My post said nothing really positive about Wie. Just pointed out gross exaggerations and pointed the finger where it should be pointed --- to the people who screwed up by "overrating" her so much since it seems to bother so many of you that she is "overrated."

When she gets arrested, beats her spouse, does drugs, refuses to play until her contract is renegotiated, drives while intoxicated, fritters away millions of dollars and declares bankruptcy --- you know, like the average pro athlete --- then I'll criticize her. But "You're not as good as we said you'd be!!!" just ain't a good enough reason.

 

The average pro athlete does those things? Who's grossly exaggerating now?

Also, let's get this straight - I didn't say, "you're not as good as we said you'd be!!!"

My take is, "she not only hasn't lived up to the hype, she hasn't even come close."

So, yes, a substantial amount of blame should be laid on those who created the hype. A significant amount should also be directed to Wie and to those who "guide" her career, which has been marred by one poor decision after another. If you don't think the finger should be pointed at her, at what point does she become responsible for the train wreck that her career is shaping up to be?

Because let's face it - she's in her fifth season as a professional golfer but her last tournament win of any kind came six years ago. She was a phenom who never progressed. Meanwhile, others who turned pro at or around the same time - Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer, Anna Nordqvist, Vicky Hurst - have caught up and surpassed her as far as competitiveness is concerned.

But, hey, what do I know? I like to watch a sport in which the most highly touted young athlete to come along in years also happens to have four professional seasons under his belt. He won a scoring championship and an MVP award at age 19, in his second season as a pro. He's now 21 years old and just captained his team to the Stanley Cup. And Sidney Crosby has had a lot more hype to live up to than Michelle Wie will ever know about.