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Michelle Wie: Still Chasing that Whole Men's Tournament Thing

With Michelle Wie securing an LPGA Tour card for this season, I kind of figured that she had given up on - or at least significantly postponed - her goal of trying to win an event against a field of men.  Namely, winning a PGA Tour event.

From her pre-tournament news conference transcript at ASAP Sports (via Geoff Shackelford), Michelle waxes wantingly about that elusive men's victory.

Q. Is playing in men's tournaments also a part of your goals at this point, and how realistic do you think that is?

MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think that's definitely a part of my goals. You know, like I always say, dream high and stuff, set your goals up high, and I think it's definitely -- I'm not saying it's an easy goal to achieve. I'm not going to be like, oh, I'm going to go out and win a men's event, it's not like that, but it's one of those long-term goals where I see myself getting to. I see myself getting there, and it's one of those goals that really motivates me and pushes me to be a stronger player, a better player.

If that's your goal, that's your goal.  Fine.  But, right now, it would seem like her immediate goal would be focusing on improving upon that letdown at the end of the SBS Open to start the season.  She hasn't really contended since then, though has had some nice finishes.

Michelle_wie_260673c-745534_medium

via From the Rough

My question to LPGA Tour players, though, is do they see these kinds of comments as inflammatory or insulting?  Wie may well have LPGA Tour domination as one of the goals on her list, but she seemingly talks abuot it very rarely.

I don't know how critical I can be of Wie's desire to win a men's event.  I have a desire to be a golf writer, or President, or an astronaut.  I hope none of my fellow golf bloggers take offense that I'd like to do those things.

Back to the issue at hand, though.  What do you take away from Wie's insinuation that she is still driven by winning a men's event someday?  Also, can she stop using "like" all of the time?  My high school social studies teacher used to embarrass students in class that used "like" as a multi-functional word.

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Wie may well have LPGA Tour domination as one of the goals on her list, but she seemingly talks abuot it very rarely.

I’m not in the habit of defending Ms. Wie, but when was the last time a reporter asked her about LPGA domination then had the answer published?

My personal feeling is that now that she has her Tour Card, she’s bored with the concept of playing every week. I give her two years before she walks away, which is really too bad.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on May 15, 2009 10:47 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, I can only imagine that she’ll stay interested if she starts winning. I can’t imagine going six or seven years of being billed as the next great thing by winning one USGA event helps keep someone motivated to go on the grind to restore their good name.

Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.

by Ryan Ballengee on May 15, 2009 12:06 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

It wasn’t winning the USGA event that gained her notoriety, it was missing the cut by one stroke in a PGA Tour event when she was 13. That was the worst thing that ever happened to her because of the expectations it unleashed. She bought into them.

Truth has a well-known liberal bias.

by dianemarie on May 15, 2009 1:28 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Good point…hard to believe that Sony Open was five years ago.

Email me any comments or questions at ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com.

by Ryan Ballengee on May 15, 2009 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

ah yes - "dream high and stuff"...

…her Stanford profs must be SO proud to read her quotes.

One of her recent lines is that she wants to be finished with golf by the age of 30 so she can be a “global citizen” – whatever the hell that means.

Face it – this girl’s head rattles every time she moves.

Oh – and her goal wasn’t winning A PGA event – it was The MASTERS. Sigh. What a waste of $20 million – thanks xxx Golf Channel and Nike.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 15, 2009 5:09 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

A golf writer, seriously?

I get your dreams to be an astronaut or even President (I assume you meant of the U.S., not of your condo association), but a golf writer? You already are a golf writer!

I love Ms. Wie for her swing. I stand over the ball and try to channel that beautiful swing and follow through into my 5’5" frame. It just doesn’t work. However, I agree with Court, it is hard to listen to her sometimes. I guess I just expect (and want) more. I like kicked my like habit like a long time ago. She can do the same.

by realwomengolf.com on May 17, 2009 9:52 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

it’s tough to kick a habit like that when people like Wie have influenced dead-heads like Johnny Miller, who is sounding more and more like Wie every time he opens his mouth…like. Back when I was teaching high school English, the first rule in class was “none of that” – for one hour a day, the kids had to practice speaking English, not slang, not “pop”. It was a fun rule that the classes quickly took over policing.

rwg – there are millions of “pretty swings” out there – on Tours, on muni’s, at country clubs. There are light years of difference between a pretty swing and being able to play golf. If it was just the swing, Rocco Mediate wouldn’t have been in the playoff last June. Paul Goydos and Zach Johnson wouldn’t be in the last pairing today. Lee Trevino would never have gotten out of the caddy barn. It can be a help to have a textbook swing, but the point of the scorecard is to have the lowest number you can – not just to look good holding the club.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 17, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

To answer your question, RB...

…I have NO problem with her dreaming of playing on the PGA Tour. That’s what the PGA Tour charter says – it is there for the best golfers in the world. There is no gender qualification. IF she is good enough to QUALIFY – then she will be more than welcome to play on the PGA Tour, but, up to this point, all she has proven is that she believest that she should be given everything – that she has some “right” to play with the men.

This girl still hasn’t won anything since the age of 13. Everything she has, she has been given – not earned.

She says that getting a win against the men is something that “strongly motivates” her. Be serious. She hasn’t concentrated on golf since she was 16 when she signed her mult-million dollar endorsment deals, turned pro, then turned her back on being a professional to “study” at Stanford – something else she hasn’t taken seriously.

Her coach is a swing mechanic who doesn’t seem to be capable of teaching her how to play, just how to swing real pretty – a beautiful swing he has only managed to mangle over the years – and she STILL can’t put two rounds together back to back. No mental skills.

Ryan – you said an “elusive” men’s victory. How about ANY victory ? And if she plans to be a “global citizen” at the age of 30, how can beating the men be a “long term goal” ? Ok – she’s 19 – so 11 years seems like an eternity. Shouldn’t someone a little older than her point out these little problems in her greatly flawed thinking ?

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on May 17, 2009 1:51 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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