Michelle Wie stumbles to a first-round 78 against the men at Omega European Masters

What do you mean "stumbles?' Bubbles said she thought she played well today. She's getting very close, she thinks she's right there. Of course , six bogeys and a double bogey might make her re-think her Ryder Cup ambitions. Nah!

I just realized why I have enjoyed the last few weeks so much, not a single word about Michelle Wie playing "solidly" (and shooting 78). If any of the guys shot 78, no one would say "they have their work cut out for them", they would more rightly say pack your bags.

gpro, What you say may be true, but never forget, this is Bubbles we're talking about. With the cut at the Omega being tentatively set at even par, the Chosen One would only need a 64 tomorrow to make the cut on the number. From there, who knows what might happen. If anyone can do it, Bubbles can. Just ask the Wie Warriors.

She'd need a lot of luck to make the cut. However, she is enjoying a master's level seminar in Crans-sur-Sierre. Wish I had a stumblin' game like Wie or a hole in my resume like Tiger.

Ghet Rheel, On another thread, Paul W said that Bubbles might have some trouble making the cut at Crans, but that despite the length of the course, she looked like a good bet to make it at the 84 Lumber. What words of wisdom do you have on that analogy?

I watch the "Wie Debacle" and it really was pitiful. She was not having "FUN" as she always remarks before playing. She looked like one stressed out little girl who is about to have a nervous breakdown. The par threes ate her lunch and she was all over the golf course. Since they only showed highlights of her first 14 holes, then finished the last four, I can not say how many fairways she hit...I don't think there were many. This is the worse performance I have seen since her last round at the 2005 US Open. I didn't see any post round interviews, however, I am certain that she said that she played very well with the exception of a "few holes." I really think the Wie Team will have to regroup and seriously consider going down a different career path for their "little golf prodigy." Hopefully, we will not be witness to a "golf Capriati" in the coming months.

Joe, got the stats of her round:

-Hit 3 of 13 fairways. That's the worst I've ever heard of in a tounament. EVER.

-Somehow managed to hit 9 greens in regulation. Still terrible.

-31 putts. Yikes!

-A lackluster 254 off the tee. I thought the "Chosen One" has mad wicked power that could keep up with the men.....Incidentally, the three guys tied for the lead averaged 303.83 off the tee. And none of those 3 made the Ryder Cup squad. But she's talking about it........

Nice effort. She's CLEARLY prepared to play at this level.

Fun is relative. As a kid I had fun playing competitive sports. I truly enjoyed all aspects of it. Can't remember running around with a grin on my face though. I'm sure I looked stressed much of the time. Wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

Wie is about five years from being a mature young pro golfer. Wie is about two stroke per round from making PGA cuts regularly. She needs an extra 20 yards on her drives, and some additional course management savvy, etc... all aspects of her game will improve over the next five years, and her game will improve by a couple of strokes if not more. She'll likely make some PGA cuts and get some LPGA wins in the next five years as well. The main thing she'll be gaining during the next five years is a depth of knowledge of the pro game, unrivaled by any other golfer, male or female, at the age of 22.

It's getting to the "doing more damage than good" stage of her development to have her play men's tournaments. I know the Wie Warriors claim that her insistence on playing the longer tougher men's layouts is improving her game, but it appears to be damaging her mental game. Where I used to be smirking at her failures due to her hubris, now I'm covering my eyes because I'm seeing an overmatched kid getting run over again and again.

Yeah, she's richer than most small countries, but is that gonna be worth it when she's a quivering mass of nerves? Well..., probably, but that isn't the point. She may never reach her full potential because of this premature push towards competing with men. And that IS a shame.

Poor Michelle, she shoots 78, 7 over and her comments are"I was only 2 over if you take away the par 3's(she was 5 over for those), and that's not too bad"!!??!!??
She is in so far over her head it is pathetic; people will soon tire of watching her miss cuts, putts, etc.

At least Wie has shown all the pretty girls how to make a good living. Forget about the dreams to become a model, an actress, etc., just take a glf club and pretend you can swing, and Nike will pay you 10 million, if not more...

Hey, Gloomsters! She shot six over, not sixty over. Who else has shot six-over (or more) in the past TWO WEEKS? Here are some (not all): Chad Campbell, Miguel Jimenez, Tim Herron, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard, Paul Azinger, Steve Elkington, Jeff Sluman, Todd Hamilton, Jason Gore, etc. and etc... Gotta run now - heard the sky was falling.

OK seven over - same difference!

The Tiger and the Lamb

Tiger: When I enter a tournament I enter it to win.

Lamb: When I enter a tournament I just wanna have fun.

Tiger: When crunch time comes, I am the one that does the crunching.

Lamb: When crunch time comes I wanna be crunched.

Tiger: When I play poorly, I admit it.

Lamb: When I play poorly, I make excuses.

Yep, like they say, the Lamb is the new Tiger...gulp!

It's easy for us all to "tsk tsk" but at the same time, going to school seems to be a priority for Michelle Wie so, I wonder why the right decisions weren't made? Playing in Europe with the boys may be "cool and fun" concept but being stressed out balancing school work and playing a professional golf tournament on a course that she's not familiar with (couple that with jet lag etc) may not be working for her based on her own comments. There seems to be alot on her plate. Then again, when one is 16, all the world's a stage.

Five years from now, it would be a different story when she can focus firmly on being the best player on the LPGA and her golf game can only get better and she may be ready for the PGA legitimately. She's had a good run on the LPGA Tour as a part time player, so wouldn't that alone, have been a good way to spend her summer breaks? Now that's "cool and fun" by any teenager's stretch of the imagination. School's started.

I'd like to see the adults in her life help her make the best decisions which will serve Michelle Wie's best interest.

Michelle Wie continued her solid play today, racking up a brilliant eight-over par 79 at the Omega Masters. Coupled with her even more spectacular seven-over par 78 carded yesterday, it left Bubbles at 15 over par and in second last place in the tournament. Her fans had reason to be ecstatic since she only missed the cut by 14 shots. Bubbles said in her post-round interview that she felt she played well in the two rounds, and that she is getting closer, she is right there. Her spirits were buoyed by her three birdies she managed in the two rounds while the three double bogeys and 12 bogeys did take a bit of the gloss off her stellar performance. Her steady performance boded well for her appearance next week on another sponsor's exemption at the 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania. Although the Mystic Rock course in Pa. is about 700 yards longer than that of the Omega, Bubbles will undoubtedly do much better next week when her vaunted 300+ yard drives return. They were mysteriously absent this week.

Yup, MW didn't make the cut at The European Masters. Neither did I, when I was sixteen.

FINALLY..... a MW fan brings up the age card..... I was beginning to worry that the time honored excuse wouldn't rear its head (Alex's humorous sarcasm doesn't count).

Ghet Rheel, No kidding? You also missed the cut at the European Masters when you were sixteen? How did you get into the field? Did you qualify or did you receive a sponsor's exemption like Bubbles?

The "Age-Card" just kills you guys, doesn't it. No way to spin your way out of the fact that she is only sixteen, is there.

Tasha, dead-on my friend. The poor girl is in way over her head.

Ghet Rheel, you should heed you name.......There is no way to spin the fact that she's 16 just like there's no way to spin the fact that she completely overwhelmed and gets worse each time she plays men's events, is there.

Sergio had it right. Wie's low ball flight into postage-stamp (and crowned) greens is like mixing oil and water. She is in a five-year apprenticeship and learning from the best.

She has enourmous Star-Power and charisma. If she didn't, you clowns would be doing something productive with your time, instead of blogging about her ad nauseam.

Ghet Reel "Yup, MW didn't make the cut at The European Masters. Neither did I, when I was sixteen."
Your statement proves that what MW's doing is not spectacular in Men's tournamnets. If what your are saying is that her game at 16 equals to yours at 16 then she is average, NOT special. Look, when an athlete turns pro, no matter what age, they are going to garner criticism when they fail and praise when they win or are close to winning. But MW hasn't won YET and so some the praise she's getting is HYPE. Some of the praise is deserved, she did finish in the top 5 on the womens tour many times. As for her being 16, female athletes in all sports tend to be younger anyway so it's not that surprising that she is 16.
My problem with MW is that she skipped junior&college events and then she just expects to do well in pro turnaments. Why didn't she play the U.S. Amatuers? If she wants to play with the male pros at age 16 that's fine, but she has to prove that she can compete at age 16. So far she hasn't.

There will be no more making fun of Michelle Wie by me. I will not spoof that poor girl ever again. After seeing her give that interview on the Golf Channel, with her quavering voice and eyes blod shot from crying, I apologize for ever getting any enjoyment from that young girl's suffering. That vignette was truly pitiful. It is my hope that her parents will use common sense and withdraw her from the 84 Lumber next week. She definitely doesn't need any more humiliation so soon after the Omega. Ghet Rheel, maybe you can do something. Subjecting her to the Mystic Rock course in Pa, would border on child abuse. I'm not kidding or being facetious, I'm serious.

In the coming weeks, I hope she shows more mental toughness and resilience than Phil has since his collapse at the US Open. I think she will.

The ship is sinking Ghet Rheel--Why don't you make like the other rats and head overboard.

BV - Are you so clueless as to think Wie fans are bolting because she scored poorly this weekend. Millions of people worldwide are appreciating the chance to watch a legend in the making - through thick and thin.

You're a silly little grinch, aren't you BV.

On a site once filled with delusional Wie fanatics, I see only you left standing. While you should be comended for your dedication, the folly of Michelle attempting to compete against men should come to a merciful end. She is without a doubt a legend in the making, a marketing legend that is....

I do believe she has a future on the LPGA tour, a very bright one actually. I simply think she should curtail all the talk about Ryder Cups and focus on winning something.

Ghet Rheel, That has got to be the most absurd comparison that I've ever seen, even for a fanatical Wie Warrior like yourself. Phil did botch the last hole at the US Open, but he still finished tied for second in golf's most difficult and prestigious tournament. Miss Wie gets a sponsor's exemption to a mediocre third tier event in Europe, misses the cut by 14 strokes, and to you the two occurences are the same or very similar. Phil hasn't been setting the golf world on fire since the Open, but he hasn't been missing cuts by 14 shots, either. In the dream world of the Wie-wee's such as you, Michelle will be showing remakable resilience if she ONLY misses the cut by four strokes at the 84 Lumber.

"hello" is totally correct. I cant even root for Michelle as another woman because I feel like she's trying to achieve somehting without earning her stripes. And I dont care what sex you are, I have more respect for people who actually seem to have some modicum of poise. Wit MW, it's like get off your high horse already, the LPGA is great and you acting like that isnt a great way to develop your game when you havnt even won anything on it is disrespectful...and myopic.

"tasha" is right too, the child needs to be in school going through a somewhat normal growth process in relation to her golf aspirations. Not half way around the globe wearing short skorts that seem awkward to bend over & make birdies in.

Here's the thing with MW- I think in 5 years she will CRINGE when she recalls all the things she's said & done on the world stage. So why do they continually encourage her in this? why not develop at a more normal pace?

Ghet Reel said "The main thing she'll be gaining during the next five years is a depth of knowledge of the pro game, unrivaled by any other golfer, male or female, at the age of 22." But what is she sacrificing in that hope? Because if she loses the mental aspect so quicjkly (when Im not sure she's ever really had time to fully develop it anyway), all the talent in the world will not bring her game together.

Is so very heart-warming to hear all the Wie-Grinches express their heart-felt concern for the "proper" maturation process for someone they've never met in their lives. I think I'm going to be verklempt!

Ghet Rheel, I don't think that you've ever met her, either, but you seem to be absolutely positive that by the time Michelle is 22, she will have the best education as far as golf goes of any person who has ever lived. Do you believe that because you are Wie Warrior number one, you have been blessed with supernatural powers and insight?

Michelle, who is only sixteen, is a highly talented golfer who will improve dramatically in the next five years. She has been blessed with the opportunity to learn from the masters of the game - the elite professional men and women of the PGA and LPGA. Isn't that terrific? If she can play in the 70's on the 7500 course at Mystic Rock she'll have done herself proud; anything lower would be a huge bonus.

Note to MW:
Remember Michelle, even the Wie-Grinchies faithfully follow every round of competitive golf you play. When your detractors choose to spend their valuable time reading and writing about you, then you've arrived... you're a major sports personality - Bigtime!

Ghet Rheel, Seventy and how many more?