Michelle Wie offers no apology for first round Ginn Tribute withdrawal

She doesn't need to apologiaze for it. She will get criticized either way and the press will make a big deal about it. The LPGA is not commenting either. Controversies sell. I think it is more telling that the LPGA is confronting the Wie team about minor rules infractions such as the number of people on the practice range. A good cop, bad cop routine? The first win is always hard and needs some luck, like Birdies Kim or Morgan Pressel wins. The bottom line is that Wie sells --- just look at the number of tickets sold for the Canadian Open already. The kid is a goldmine. You don't want to kill the golden goose that lays the golden eggs. Hence, the difficulties and the drama of people associated with Wie, the LPGA included.

If Michelle Wie had wanted to apologize for last week, it seems to me that she could have done so without being extended the opportunity to do so by Annika. If Annika was offerring Michelle support in return for an apology the initial offer could have been made in private. Actually I suspect that it was, but if so, it was apparently not an offer that Michelle wished to take her up on. The question now arises as to why Annika either did not first make the offer in privste, or after making it in private and having had it rejected, chose to make it public.

I am reminded of Kathy Whitworth public advice to Michelle Wie. Why was that not made privately. Again, I suspect that it was, but since it was not accepted, Kathy Whitworth felt the need to offer this unwanted advice in public.

According to Kathy the best advice she ever had was when she was told to stop feeling sorry for herself when she was having a winless season. She noticed she was getting impstient, and told herself that she was playing well with some high finishes, and that the wins would come, which they did. But because Michelle would not stop playing the men, gave advice she knew to have the best chance of destroying the career of s player in Michelle's situation. Advice that she should view her high finishes not as signs that the wins would come, but as indications that she did not have the attitude of a winner.

The matter of playing the course the previous week could be handled quite easily. Extend the rule to non-members except for Monday qualifiers or others for whom a waiver is granted.

What we see with the LPGA is a lack of class and respect in the way they treat Michelle Wie. It would have been common courtesy to waive the 88 rule for a player of MIchelle's stature if she wereknown to be playing at less than 100%. But since they don't own Michelle yet, they would rather destroy her than allow her to do anything that would undermine a system where the LPGA owns the players. The LPGA sees Michelle Wie as their Curt Flood--which is actually pretty ridiculous. The men's game is so much harder than the women's it would have been very unlikely that Michelle would have ever had much more than a token involvement with the men. Indeed, it looked like she planned to wind down her involvement with the men. Now who knows what she will do.

As far as the pro-am is concerned, it sounds like she might have gone off by herself after shooting, instead of socializing as much as they like the pros to do. But I think it is understandable why she might not hsve felt very socisble this week.

"What we see with the LPGA is a lack of class and respect in the way they treat Michelle Wie. "

Because they won't suspend each and every rule that happens to conflict with what Michelle Wie wants or needs at any particular moment? What you propose in the rest of your post is creating a special category within the LPGA that would apply to precisely one golfer. How would that be fair to the others?

I guess you think the LPGA would be treating Bubbles with real respect and class if they allowed her to take a free drop in the fairway from any unplayable lie? How about if they let her ground her club in hazards? Maybe they can let her use a tee in the rough? This is precisely what is so aggravating about this girl and her clueless fanatics.

Jim C,

You must be losing your grip on reality.

The LPGA is not treating Bubbles with class and respect?

You understand why Bubbles treated her pro-am playing partners with disdain?

It's everybody's fault but hers and her entourage's.

Bubbles seems to have lost respect for her peers, her superiors, and her elders.

That is, if she ever had any.

It is not a minor infrasction to have more than the allowed coach with a player on the practice range. Chaos would ensue if every player was as flippant with the rules as Bubbles is.

Ales

If you had any class or respect you would refer to Michelle Wie by her name. You say that she seems to have lost respect for her peers, her superiors, and her elders.

Michelle may have lost respect for peers such as Morgan Pressel who have repeatredly attacked her in public. I thik that loss of respect has been earned, although I note that Pressel now acts in a more civilized fashion than she did a year or two ago.

Michelle has lost respect for her superiors. Funny, I thought the US was a country where everyone was equal. Exactly what do you mean by your suggestion that Michelle Wie is inferior to other people whom you would call her superiors? Do you consider Annika to be MIchelle Wie's superior because Annika is a member of the Aryan Master Race while Michelle Wie is Korean by ancestry. I would have hoped that we had gotten beyond such idea in America.

Perhaps you meant something different by her superiors. Maybe you think employees are inferiors and empolyers are their superiors and that employees need to respect their superior employers. In any case, this does seem to be something that needs clarification.

As far as respect for elders is concerned, I suppose you mean people like Nancy Lopez and Kathy Whitworth. Nancy Lopez openly attacked Michelle for hurting the womens game not respecting Anniks, while Kathu tried to undermine MIchelle's confidence by suggesting there is some mysterious thing called a winning attitude which Michelle Wie lacks.

Jim C,

You seem to hurtling headlong into that same abyss that putt4par fell into.

I always knew you were Wie-wee number one, but your latest tack is beyond the pale.

In your narrow mind, Bubbles and her team as a pure as the wind-driven snow, while all her critics are as evil as evil can be.

Annika is definitely her superior in everything but money scammed. And the racial background of neither is relevant to any rational person.

Also, the pro-am partners she arrogantly snubbed were her elders, but that didn't stop Bubbles from behaving like the spoiled snotty brat that she is.

She could definitely benefit from a lot more humility and a lot less hubris.

Jim C, if you can't see anything wrong with a teenage brat snubbing her pro-am partners and stating defiantly that she has nothing for which to apologize after the outrageous and phony withdrawal at the Ginn, your as much at fault as Bubbles is.

"Michelle may have lost respect for peers such as Morgan Pressel who have repeatredly attacked her in public..."

So what your post is saying is that all the respect must flow in the direction of Bubbles? Are you out of your damn mind? Look at who you're talking about. Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam? Compare their achievements with those of Wie and tell me who deserves respect from whom?

And just by the way, there IS such a thing as a winning attitude. It's what separates equally talented athletes into two groups, players and champions. It's what keeps Tiger Woods dreaming of and grinding over every victory he can earn even though he has enough money to last forever. It's what gets Curt Schilling to throw pitches with a sock full of blood. (not my favorite person, but you gotta give props) It's what gets a 37 year old Annika in the gym to rehab her injured spine so that she can retake the number 1 ranking on the LPGA.

The people you call out for showing the Princess Michelle Wie disrespect are all the things she is not. Class acts and champions. They don't have to fake it, it's in the books. You, Jim C, would demand that she be treated as a presumptive champion, before she has earned anything whatsoever.

Joltin' Joe,

Jim C even saw fit to deride the venerable and honorable Kathy Whitworth, the all-time greatest LPGA memberbecause she gave some well-deserved advice to Bubbles.

It lokks like Jimbo has an intense dislike for folks like Kathy, Annika, and Nancy. Of course, they are all Hall of Fame members, but to Jim C his attitude is "so what?"

Jim also isn't impressed with the fact that these three ladies made their bones in the golfing world with about 200 wins among them when Bubbles was an infant and years before she was ever conceived.

If there is such an ailment as group insanity, the Wie-wee's have it.

It is shocking to see the arrogance and complete state of denial Michelle Wie, her entourage and her fans are in at present. They show no respect or understanding for the game of golf and it's history. They think this is simply a show or a entertainment game to get rich. They do not understand that golf is a game of honor. There are so many examples of players calling penalties on themselves. We have seen the damage to a player's reputation at the slightest hint of cheating in a pro tournament. Everyone knows the 88 rule was the reason she withdrew. She is so programmed that she could not even say "I am finished for the day" she said "we". Everyone present knows what happened no matter how many times the WIe Team says it was the wrist. They have no credibility at all.

With the WIe group they do whatever they want and blame everyone else if they are criticised at all. Can you imagine anyone else having a parent talk to the caddie or make suggestions on rules during competition? It is shocking they have so little regard for the Rules and game of golf. For anyone to think the LPGA has showed a lack of respect to Michelle WIe is outrageous. IF anything they have gone too far in bending the rules so that Michelle WIe and her team think they are entitled to things rather than appeciate things. There is no question she should have had a better attitude for withdrawing, esepcially since she was given an exemption.

ENOUGH of this......whatever has been done is done and let her EARN something by performance for the first time in her life. She has turned into a circus side show rather than the act ready for the center ring as was expected. In reality it is very sad that this highly talented happy child had become an unhappy, stressed underperforming pro. I have seen her play in person each year since the beginning. She was a delight to watch and she had fun playing and competing. It all changed once she took the money and turned pro. She no longer was having fun and enjoying herself. It is clear if you see video over the years the change in her demeanor. This is all the fault of her parents refusing to listen to people with experience and doing it their way. One can only hope that turning to a more traditional path and earning her place will gain respect for her and her gme. The problem is I am not sure the Wie family will ever learn to respect the golf world. Without this her place in history will be diminished.

michelle wie is definitely lacking " class" having withdrawn & not at least, speaking to Anika simultaneously. She was definitely "indanger" of shooting the 88 and being DQ'd form all LPGA events for the rest of the year..and then "gives the golf world, LPGA tour & Anika ther :in your face "bit by practicing on the grounds of the tournament site from which she had just withdrawn...BOO...HISS...Michelle..you may be able to "thump" those 300 + yard drives but "integrity" is not in your vocabulary. Maybe you'll "learn" the meaning of the word while you matriculate at Stanfprd..hopefully your vocabulary will "grow" and you'll learn other words like"class", "comraderie, respect, and a whole lkot more that have very little to do with your golf game but "all" to do with life.