The scrutiny can stop, if just for this week at least. Michelle Wie is an LPGA winner, winning the Ochoa Invitational in Mexico Sunday by two shots over Paula Creamer. Wie closed in style, going up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the 18th hole.
Wie showed at the Solheim Cup that she’s easily the most talented European or American golfer and it was only a matter of time before she shed the mighty winner’s goose egg. That happened this weekend at Guadalajara Country Club. No, it’s not a major or an event that carries a lot of cache, but the field was strong (as is any LPGA field considering they have so few tournaments) and Wie had to shoot a final round 69 to achieve the win.
The majority of the sports media, myself most certainly included, have been pretty tough on Wie and her entourage over the last few years, and I’m willing to bet it will continue until she’s won about 20 major championships and the LPGA is out of the red and on network TV 40 weekends a year.
But this week, it’s time to say “congrats” Michelle, it’s been a good year with her Solheim Cup domination, a few close calls and many top tens. After her win Sunday, Morgan Pressel and Creamer doused her with celebratory cervezas,
I’ll toast my evening nightcap to you as well for all the golfers here in Texas, Michelle. Well done!
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6 top 4's out of 18 starts, the Solheim triumph, and now a win. In other words, while still not as good as she will become (and not yet entirely full-time on the tour), she is already registering a top 4 finish every 3rd start.
Already #1 in the world in birdies per 18 holes, and now 9th in scoring average, Wie will likely enter the top 10 in the world rankings within the next 24 hours. To go from where she was--237th--at the start of this year to the top 10 is quite amazing. All she has ever needed was a stretch of physical health, and the talent would assert itself.
Someone here has well noted that for Wie it's about reduction of bogeys (from 10 or so per tournament), since she typically makes plenty of birdies. Bogeys reduced, Michelle Wie wins.
Finish the year well, girl, and on to 2010.
Wie did not play that well in her fourth round. She missed quite a few fairways and was lucky on the 18th hole. It's very well likely that when Wie was near the top of the leaderboard of a tournament all the other gals near the top would throw the match so that Wie would win so the LPGA would benefit. If you watched her play Sunday she really was not playing that well and her counterparts that usually play well down the stretch faltered. It really makes sense to me that this was planned by all the girls so they would get more exposure. The LPGA needed this outcome desperately.
Timing wise is a bit off.
Who? Bu88les, aka Winless Princess, of course!
Hahaha!
As soon as Bu88les has not everything handed to her on a silver plate, she quits, citing a fake injury.