In a recent interview with ESPN.com, LPGA career-win leader Kathy Whitworth was given a chance to air her feelings about rising star Michelle Wie. Since she is no longer considered a “threat” at this year’s Kraft Nabisco Championship, how many people will follow the LPGA or be interested in it’s superstars (past or present) if Wie’s name is not mentioned?
Speaking candidly about Michelle Wie’s constant interest in playing men’s tournaments, Ms. Whitworth said,
“I don’t think in the long run it’s going to be good for her. I feel like at some point, for her sake, she needs to place herself in a competition where she is expected to win. There’s a different mind-set. She will tell you, ‘Well, I don’t feel any pressure,’ because she doesn’t expect to win. There’s a big difference when you are expecting yourself to win and you feel like you should win. That’s where you learn about yourself and how you handle pressure. As far as I can see, she hasn’t put herself there.”
Kathy Whitworth is correct in both her assessment of Michelle Wie as well as the mindset of a winner versus a contender. Wie has not yet made the commitment to win and, until she does, she will always come in second, third or worse, with “injuries” and “heat exhaustion” plaguing her every move.
Naturally, Dana Gross-Rhode, over at interview headquarters, tried to push the button of Lorena Ochoa in pre-round talks asking, “This is the first major that Michelle has not played in several years. Does it detract from the tournament that she’s not playing?”
Handling the question with aplomb, Ochoa sympathetically stated that Wie could probably use the rest and “she will be here sooner or later and playing really good, so we’ll wait for her.”
While the world is waiting for Michelle Wie to make a grand re-entrance, all the LPGA can do is move forward, hoping that Wie will make a smart decision, join their forces and make a name for herself bringing new hope to a flagging tour.
P.S. For those people who will be watching the Kraft Nabisco in person, don’t forget that this tournament also coincides with the annual
Dinah Shore Week, the most frolicky Lesbian and Gay party on the West Coast. The event has grown immensely since 2005 with this year’s talent including Carmen Electra, Sandra Bernhard as well as numerous actors and tons of parties. Given a choice between the Kraft Nabisco and Dinah Shore week, which one would you rather attend?
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As you probably would have come to expect, I don't agree with your blog, but it is at least written with some intelligence and thought out points attached to it, which is a long way away from some of the other blog writers, and there really isn't any malice in the blog either, just reasoned points, which is refreshing for the website.
As regards, putting herself where she would expect to win, it could be argued that many of the lpga players don't expect to win on the lpga tour, yet they still play there. When Michelle plays lpga events, she probably has expectations of winning that event, moreso than most of the field.
She has also come very close to winning. In my opinion, if Michelle were to not win in 2007, then she should join the lpga tour and completely dedicate herself to womens golf until she won a title. I do expect Michelle to win in 2007 on the lpga tour.
Let me see if I understand your pretzel logic.
You expect Bubbles to win on the LPGA tour in 2007.
But if she doesn't win an LPGA event in 2007, thereby rendering your prediction incorrect, she should join the LPGA, presumably in 2008, and completely dedicate herself to the LPGA UNTIL she wins a title.
When and if she eventually wins an event on the LPGA tour after joining the tour fulltime, what would you propose that she do then?
Should Bubbles then resume her failures on the PGA tour? Should she petition the Masters' committee fort an exemption to Augusta? What?
First, thank you for the compliment on our blog. We try to comment on golf, not just report about it.
I do not completely agree with your statement, "many of the lpga players don't expect to win on the lpga tour, yet they still play there." All of these women have won at some time in their past experience in order to achieve this level of golf.
The newer players on tour are more determined to win than those who have been on the tour without success for many years.
In my opinion Michelle will win in 2007. However if she were not to win, then the status quo of 8 more lpga tournaments in 2008 would be a bad idea in my opinion.
Not winning up to 18 years old is perfectly fine, and to win before that would be historic, but if she hasn't won by then, in that case, it would be my opinion that she should knuckle down to a good stretch of golf on womens tours in order to give herself a better chance of winning.
The women on the lpga tour need not have won. If they get within the top 20 or whatever number it is at q-school, then they qualify for the tour. They may or may not have won before that.
Even if they have won many titles, take Morgan Pressel as an example, winning at lpga level is a different thing, and they will then try to learn to win at lpga level, like Morgan is trying to do.
In any case Michelle has played the maximum lpga exemptions that she has been allowed to play as a 15 and 16 year old. What more could she do apart from petition early, and there really is no reason for her to bother petitioning early, only 2 other people have done that successfully before.
You could argue that instead of playing the mens events, she could have played some foreign womens events. If that's your point, I would also like her to play maybe some Ladies European Tour events, and I think that would be good for her and good for those events.
I think that she fears pressure, and her way of dealing with this frailty is to ensure that she never truly puts herself on the line. If it's a PGA event, then, well, hey, she's no supposed to win because she's a girl; ergo, there's little pressure. And as far as the women's tour goes, she has the same benefit to some degree because she's not a full-time player.
This is why I wouldn't be surprised if Bubbles does pursue her Ph.D. After all, the last thing she wants to do is fail as a full-time player.
I think Michelle might be a little ahead of schedule compared to when Kathy began winning at age 25. Well I guess we do have seven and a half years to find out.
Ph.D.???? She won't make it past Sophmore....... "
Coming from the same group of dour old men who said she would never be able to enter into Stanford in the first place?
Your credibility and insight are sorely lacking along with your spelling skills.
It seems like the Wie Warriors are lowering the bar even more each month. Two years ago, according to their rosy predictions, Bubbles was supposed to already be a multiple major winner on the LPGA tour. Tell me, Wie-wee's, what happened?
The best one yet is that Bubbles is ahead of Kathy in anything but hype.
As I have previously said, I really look forward to the day when Bubbles wins something, anything.
If the Wie-men have such glowing praise for someone whose game has been in the tank for about eight months, and who hasn't even played any competitive golf for months, what will they do if she ever gets off the schneid?
I don't know where you get your information or how you arrived at those conclusions, but if Bubbles believes that she can win on the PGA tour and expects to win on the PGA tour, sh needs to get off the LSD and the absinthe and go into rehab.
And if you share here beliefs, then you also need detoxification. Hallucinogens are definitely harmful.
Why are you gone back to golf talk, the butt talk was much more interesting. Speaking of butts, did you happen to watch Serena Williams in the tennis at Miami. There is one large butt on display, too big in my opinion. As you said yourself, Creamer and Wie have much nicer butts. Anyway, she won her match by the way, but Justine Henin will give her a good pasting in the final. Come on Justine, do it.
Unlike some guys here, I understand that a man shouldn't be governed by glands below the waist. Of course, if asked, I would say that Creamer was a nicely put together young gal, but I also know that what's on the inside is more important.
No, I didn't watch Serena Williams; if I wanted to see such things I'd read National Geographic.
You are right about Creamer though, she is built very well indeed. If she had a face as good as Wie's, she could have endorsements from all directions.
That's something that just isn't fair in the golf thing. Sure Wie has some game, but the game she has shown does not match the endorsements. What fills the gap between game and endorsement size?
Looks, simple as that. If Creamer or Pressel were as good looking as Wie, they could hugely raise their endorsements.
That's golf though. It isn't always fair. At least they are all well paid anyway.
Know ye by these presents that Larue is now officially the the resident Chief of Spelling Police.
He knows how to spell "sophomore" and maybe a lot more words.
One-Putt has just upped the ante from that of fellow Wie-wee GhetRheel. Now we'll have to wait until Bubbles hits twenty-five to see if she can win anything.
It seems like the Wie Warriors are lowering the bar even more each month. Two years ago, according to their rosy predictions, Bubbles was supposed to already be a multiple major winner on the LPGA tour. Tell me, Wie-wee's, what happened?
The best one yet is that Bubbles is ahead of Kathy in anything but hype.
As I have previously said, I really look forward to the day when Bubbles wins something, anything.
If the Wie-men have such glowing praise for someone whose game has been in the tank for about eight months, and who hasn't even played any competitive golf for months, what will they do if she ever gets off the schneid?"
OK Smart Guy Alex, I will go way out on a limb and predict for 2007 Michelle Wie will.....................................................................................
As far as Bubbles pursuing a PhD, she said that she might take eight years to get a Bachelor's degree, so at that rate she'll pass the big three-o before she gets a PhD.
I'd be willing to bet that she'll win the Grand Slam on the PGA tour before she gets a PhD
As far as Bubbles pursuing a PhD, she said that she might take eight years to get a Bachelor's degree, so at that rate she'll pass the big three-o before she gets a PhD.
I'd be willing to bet that she'll win the Grand Slam on the PGA tour before she gets a PhD
Yes, maybe Stacy will get around to deleting one ot them.
O-P, I'm all for encouraging young people to excel, to "shoot for the stars", to be all that they can be.
But when some of you Wie-wee's write confidently of Bubbles winning the LPGA grand slam, winning on the PGA tour, playing in the Masters',and becoming a billionaire, all this while studying intently to acquire a Doctorate, it becomes laughable,
Alex gets impatient when Judge Smails doesn't reply to him straight away, hence the double posting.
Alex, I also doubt that Michelle will get a PHD. When has such a talented golfer bothered with that.
Cary Middlecoff and Gil Morgan, both multiple winners on the PGA tour, were both doctors.
But since you are the consummate Wie-wee, winning doesn't matter much to you.
What is it you prize so much, style over substance?
There's nothing politically correct about what I said at all; in fact, the leftists, the authors of pcness, treasure superficiality above all else. I love beautiful young women as much as the next guy, but I also know that just as with someone who marries for money, a man who marries for appearance will "earn it."
Alex,
Well, then perhaps Bubbles plans on completing her Ph.D. when she's about fifty; then she can start talking about how she wants to win on the Champions Tour.
I'll tell you one thing, even if she does forge on ahead to a doctoral degree, don't expect it to be in physics or chemistry. I'm thinking more like social work or education, those "Mrs." degrees the eggheads invented to encourage women to spend more money on higher edumecation and to help the mediocre feel like intellectuals.
Did you watch any of the 2nd round coverage?
Or did any of the rest of you watch any of it?
The girl in the lead Shi Hyun Ahn. There is one beautiful woman, and she is also confident, calm, and very graceful in the way she moves about the course. It's as if nothing would upset her and her game.
Paula Creamer birdied the first hole in the third round to hit the front. Paula has picked the perfect time to hit form. The Grand Slam may well be on for Paula. Lorena is just an overhyped wannabe. Move over for The Pink Panther. Major number 1 on the way.
The grand slam is beckoning.
When will Chris Baldwin start a thread. Perhaps he will wait til after the Kraft. Yes that would be better, a celebration blog.
I predicted on another thread that Paula's 67 would bring you out of hiding, and you didn't disappoint.
I'm not sure who is more out of touch with reality, you or the Wie-wee's.
Lorena is an overhyped wannabe? Yes Ronnie, with ten LPGA victories.
Ronnie, was that part of the script?
There are several class players in contention. Lorena & Susan Pettersen are very good. Then there is Se Ri Pak who has lots of experience as well as game.
What about Nancy Lopez? Why doesn't Kathy Whitworth criticize Nancy Lopez for playing in the Ginn Open next week instead of on the Legends Tour where she might be expected to win?
Even though Nancy Lopez has no chance to win, and might be a longshot to make the cut at the Ginn, my guess is that there will be a lot more pressure on Nancy Lopez than there was on Kathy Whitworth in her recent Legends win. No one was saying that Kathy's reputation was at stake when she played the Legends--but there are some who say that Nancy's reputation is at stake with her LPGA comeback. And that is the type of pressure that Michelle Wie faces almost every time she plays.
You've posted some very disoriented and nonsensical things in the past, but even by your lofty standards,
your last post is a masterpiece of incomprehensibility and convolution.
One-Putt,
Alex gets impatient when Judge Smails doesn't reply to him straight away, hence the double posting.
Alex, I also doubt that Michelle will get a PHD. When has such a talented golfer bothered with that."
I take Michelle at her word, one of her dreams was to attend Stanford, the other was to earn a Ph.D like her father.
Everyone believes Michelle's world revolves around golf. That is everyone except Michelle who thinks of golf as just a game.
She is out of contention.
Paula is in the lead and still on to get the first part of the grand slam.
Right now Michelle Wie is coming off a few poor performances. The best thing she can do right now is to prepare as well as she can, and believe in herself and her ability to win--at least against the women. Suggesting that there is a mind set that a player needs to win, and that Michelle Wie does not have this mend set is very much the same thing that baseball fans do when they try to instill doubts in the minds of opposing players.
According to the announcer on the Golf Channel, Bubbles won't be teeing it up at the Ginn Open.
She just isn't ready yet.
One-Putt, it looks like golf isn't even a game to Bubbles anymore.
Try as I might, I can't make head nor tail of your last post.
It is even more disconnected than your previous one.
Exactly what us the gist of it? What are you attempting to prove?
To most sane people, mentioning winless Bubbles in the same breath with Kathy, Hall of Famer with 88 wins seems a bit incongruous
Stanley,
According to the announcer on the Golf Channel, Bubbles won't be teeing it up at the Ginn Open.
She just isn't ready yet.
One-Putt, it looks like golf isn't even a game to Bubbles anymore."
All and all she gets to finish up the year with her classmates.
cBS wrote that she was recovering from a "broken" wrist and would skip the Ginn. It makes me wonder if they were reading the NY Times or that Michelle's wrist was actually broken.
You are trying to turn that into some convoluted point, but it very confusing as to what you are incinuating. You earlier accused Jim of being disconnected in him posting. What does that make you then?
Wie will play when her wrist is fully recovered and ready to play tournament golf. It's not that complicated really.
Bubbles' wrist wasn't broken, and whatever the problem, it should have been healed by now.
The only things that Bubbles has that are "broken" are her desire to compete and her spirit
Will she get them back? We'll have to wait and see. But she is a teenage girl, and those of us who have raised three of these wonderful creatures know that being fickle is thie strong (or is it weak?) suit
You are quite correct when you say that Bubbles never intended to play in the Ginn Open.
By the way, the Ginn Open is being played April 12-15, 2007 at Reunion, Florida.
What benefit do you get from making things up?
The girl got an injury and didn't play some events due to the injury. The other things are just your overactive imagination.
Try to leave out the hallucinations and the conspiracy theories, and you might get out of that hospital sooner than you think. They need space in those centres badly, so they even let out some pretty f*d up freaks as long as there are others who are worse off. So please just try to feign sanity and you can get out before you know it.
Alex and sanity in the same post?
*gasp*
What was the nature of her injury?
When did it happen? How did it happen? Where did it happen?
These are simple questions, Big Stan.
Since you are in the "golf business" and are thereby privy to a lot of inside information, you SHOULD have the answers.
And Stanley, kindly dispense with the half-assed insults. You're not that clever, and besides, you wouldn't want to be subjected to any Irish jokes, now would ye?
Welcome back from your rehab!
I came across a blog by Stacy from April 19, 2006. You had a good number of post in it, all in adulation for Bubbles.
If you can find it, there is a lot of really entertaining fantasy put forth by you Wie-wee's
All this present Wie Warrior nonsense is just a tired rehashing .
Comment from: Alex [Visitor]
putt4par,
Welcome back from your rehab!
I came across a blog by Stacy from April 19, 2006. You had a good number of post in it, all in adulation for Bubbles.
If you can find it, there is a lot of really entertaining fantasy put forth by you Wie-wee's
All this present Wie Warrior nonsense is just a tired rehashing .
*******************************************
Post the adulation, Bud.
You are big on insinuation and short on fact as always, old spud.
You still come across as a hormonal 15 year old. The rehashing is mostly on your part. Same old tired bs, same old tired Alex?
Time for you to find something more comforting in your old age, ROFL.
By the way, Paula is making a move at the Kraft Nabisco. 3 bogeys in 5 holes is certainly making a move on that leaderboard.
Pak is probably well on her way to the title.
If Creamer could just hang in there, then she could fluke something. For example Wie could have easily fluked the chip in the 2006 Kraft and have been the outright winner.
Another example is where Creamer fluked a long putt at the SBS Open. But what happened for her to fluke that putt? She stayed in contention, that's the key. She could not have had that luck without staying in contention.
Creamer does contend sometimes in normal tour events, but as Judge said, she just hasn't stayed in contention at a major long enough to even give herself a chance of getting lucky.
Ochoa has proved to find it hard on the big stage as well. Her play at hole 17 in round 3 typlified that.
Majors are a different ball game. It's like there is normal golf tournaments and then there are majors. Se Ri Pak is a major performer.
Congratulations Morgan...now, let's see a Wie-Pressel matchup!
Suzann Pettersen, what were you at?
Se Ri Pak, 5 time major winner, what were you at?
Paula Creamer, what were you at?
Stacy Pramanasudh, recent winner, what were you at?
Catriona Matthew, 3 putts from there, what were you at?
Maybe Alex was right about the standard of play on the lpga tour. Lets call a spade a spade, that was just dreadful stuff.
In line with the title of this blog, Bubbles has a lot to learn about winning.
And now, she can respectfully ask for that information from Morgan Pressel, the youngest golfer to ever win a major on any tour.
The sound of Wie Warrior heads exploding has reached a deafening roar.
My advice to you Wie Warriors is to put down the cyanide capsules, drop the .357 Magnum, throw away that hangman's noose. It isn't worth it.
If you guys are the Wie-wee's you purport to be, you will learn to realize that this is only the beginning.
An old story goes that a certain sad sack had a pretty bad day. His buddy told him to cheer up, things could be worse. So he cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse.
Stanley,
Thamks for your epiphany and your support. Better late than never.
One slight correction. I know that you're upset, but one of the cardinal rules of grammar is never to end a sentence with a preposition.
It is awkward at times to avoid it, but you did it five times in your last post.
It took a lot, bit you've convinced me.
Majors are the true test of a golfer's determination.
And now, the much-maligned Morgan Pressel has don the mantel of greatness as the youngest golfer to win a major on any tour.
Wie-wee's, I challenge you to bestow upon Morgan your unqualified congratulations.
I don't believe you Wie Warriors got the moxie.
Young Tom Morris won the Open in 1868 at age 17.
I predict Wie will have to write refund checks to all her sponsors this year. And by next year, she will be out of golf all together.
Of course I my be wrong. If there is someone out there who believes a player in a slump should put more pressure on herself to win--please let us know, and if you can, explain why that would be a good idea.
The education of winning comes with managing pressure. So it is the best advice that can be given. The pressure of winning needs to come with participation in the right level of play - and that is the LPGA.
Expectations are what need to be managed with Wie. Stop the insanity with the PGA "make the cut" roadshow. focus on the LPGA, get yourself in the pressure situations of winning, learn to deal with the pressure, and learn to win.
As someone pointed out earlier, it took years for Kathy to learn how to win, and the only way she did it was by getting herself in the mix, feeling the pressure, and learning how to overcome it. Smart lady, that Kathy Whitworth...
Better than Wiener winning it anyway.
In Pressels case, it was like there was a major charity going on.
Since Alex mentioned how Wie missed a birdie putt to get in a playoff in 2006, maybe Alex might like to note, that Wie played against Lorena and Karrie who both eagled the last hole, to get one shot ahead of her.
In 2007, for whatever reason the leaders completely crumbled and handed the title to an undeserving Pressel. Pressel did not show that she knows what it takes to win. All she did was a post a score worthy of 2nd and then accepted a gift from a player who was 3 strokes ahead of Pressel when she posted that score.
Pressel is Little Miss Piggy.
Your take on the Kraft is that Morgan posted a round good for second, and that the rest of the field handed her the win .
Wrong! Morgan knew what it would take and swept to victory.
I'd like to thank the organisers for putting on such a great event.
Mostly though, I'd like to thank Catherina Matthew, Brittany Lincicome and Se Ri Pak for very great help along the way, and the biggest thank you goes to Suzann Pettersen, who had the trophy in her hands but decided she would give it to me instead. Many thanks to Suzann, and again thanks to the fans for the love.
You've got it right. Morgan KNEW what it would take and did it.
Herb Krickstein predicted it and it came rue.
This is the stuff of which greatness is made.
Johnny N, Morgan is performing the things that will re-write history. Sit back and enjoy it.
Did you guys learn anything from the other 74 posts? Want hits, just mention Michelle. You don't need to write about anything else, instruction, equipment, nothing, just start a a blog with Michelle.
Nothing else is needed... You'll be the number one site on the map...
Mr. Wonderful
She had to play well enough to put herself in position to win.
She can only ever play her own game, what others do is out of her control.
Don't try to take anything away from her, she WON!
Congratulations Morgan ! Damn fine display of keeping your cool, kid.
Kind of makes up for the flukey eagle Birdie Kim made 2 years ago.
Morgan played well to get herself in contention just as Michelle played well to get herself into contention at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco. There was a big difference though.
In 2006, Michelle's fellow competitors Webb and Ochoa eagled 18, and in 2007 Morgan's fellow competitors played very poorly down the stretch.
In 2005, Birdie Kim was holding the trophy after what many considered a huge lucky break.
Bottom line was still a picture of Birdie Kim holding the Trophy and the check.This time, Morgan was holding the winning combination.
What any other player failed to do means absolutely nothing. Michelle Wie had exactly the same chances of anyone crumbling on the final 9 holes in 2006, -the fact the no one did is immaterial. It's called luck or being in the right place at the right time or in this case, Morgan played better than anyone else on Sunday. End of story.
Wouldn't it make sense for Michelle Wie to join a tour like the LET where there will be events where she would be expected to win--with the bonus that there are not the restrictions that come with LPGA membership. She could play in events where she is really expected to win, and then mix in other events as well.
You got it right except for the part about it being luck.
Luck had nothing to do with it.
It took skill, tenacity and fortitude for Morgan to close the deal.
She is now a US Women's Amateur champion, and and the youngest winner of a major on the LPGA tour in history.
Wie Warriors, eat your hearts out.
Alex, Did you not understand what I wrote? Do you need glasses? Dyslexic maybe?
I believe I said "..in this case, Morgan played better than anyone else on Sunday. End of story. "
Also, old sock, there is always an element of luck in the game of golf. To say otherwise is to admit you are a fool.What are you admitting to, Alex?
Alex, you just have to show your prejudice and spin a story any way possible to mock Michelle Wie. Grow up man, you gain nothing with your continuous attacks on her. She hasn't played since early January and yet you keep attacking her. What do you gain?
Earlier you stated in a post that you raised 3 girls. I would be amazed if they are still talking to you with your attitude and prejudices against the opposite sex. Actually, I find it hard to believe that you are actually old enough to be a father.
Your verbal assaults on anyone and everyone in these blogs are very immature to say the least.
Sometimes you win and luck is not much of a factor. Sometimes you get lucky when you win. Sometimes you are unlucky when you lose--other times you're just not good enough. If you want to get a handle on how well a player is doing. it pays to look beyond just win or failing to win.
Your mention of Birdie Kim raises an interesting point. Will Morgan Pressel become another Birdie Kim? I would think not because in addition to her win this week, Morgan Pressel has several high finishes this year. That would suggest there will be more wins to follow--but there is still a question. Morgan Pressel had fallen below the radar before her strong start this year. Now the expectations on Morgan Pressel are likely to be higher and we will have to wait to see how she responds.
Plenty of people lost it, but nobody won it.
Actually, by inference I was suggesting there was some good luck/bad luck for Michelle last year.
I don't believe that you have heard the last of Morgan. She is very talented and will continue to win. Her continued presence in the top 10 or 20 says she isn't going away
As for this win by Morgan, yes Matthew she won that Title and no matter what your opinion, she managed to make a record that'll be hard to beat as well.
To suggest she didn't says you think you would have done better. Chances are pretty good that Pressel could kick your butt anytime in a game of golf. You have a bad case of Sour grapes my friend.
Morgan didn't put herself in a position to win. She just shot a score that would give her a decent top 5. Then the tournament was gifted to her by some very generous players.
No matter how Morgan won it, the only thing that matters is that she WON. There will be no asterick next to her name in the history book.
If Morgan is not a very intelligent person, then the win could be great for confidence.
What, you say? What do you mean?
Well Stacy, Paula Creamer choked away an event at the SBS Open, but she got a really lucky putt on hole 17 that pretty much gave her the title. People said that would give Creamer great confidence, but in an interview after, Paula was intelligent enough to admit that the putt was really lucky. If Paula had been less intelligent to realise the amount of luck involved in that putt, then maybe she would have been more confident at the Kraft Nabisco. Instead she recognised the luck and didn't gain the confidence she could have.
Morgan Pressel got even luckier at the Kraft Nabisco. When she posted that score, she probably let her mind wander and thought, if they really really mess up, that she just might, just might sneak into a playoff. Instead through a series of strange events Morgan won the title.
If Morgan is intelligent enough to realise that she just got lucky, then next time in contention and with a putt to win, she would still not know if she could make that putt knowing it was for the win.
However if Morgan is of little intelligence, then maybe she might be fooled into thinking that the Kraft was just pure skill on her part and indeed the +5 over 5 holes for Pettersen was just run of the mill stuff, then maybe Morgan can garner the lots of confidence from it.
It seems that the Wie-wee's have become unglued
When the courageous and tenacious Morgan Pressel stole the thunder from their darling Bubbles, it must have been too much for them to bear.
We should probably allow them to lick their wounds so as to prevent any slitting of wrists.
They'll just claim a wrist injury has prevented them from using the computer.
for four months...
How did Pressel steal Bubble's thunder? Bubbles was not even at the event. Just let Morgan bask in the spotlight, she earned it.
By keep using Wie as a benchmark, it just seems like the Wie-detractors are still being haunted by Wie.
You obviously don't know the meaning of the expression "to steal one's thunder."
Briefly, it means to take a goal or an idea thought to be the exclusive province of an individual, and turn it to the advantage of a rival.
When Tesla invented the alternating current. electric motor and thus revolutionized the electrical industry, he "stole Edison's thunder, which irritated TAE no end.
Similarly, Morgan has won a major, somethign that the Wie-wee's predicted longly and loudly would never happen. It sticks in their collective craw, which is evidenced by the sour grapes being spewed on these boards. Does Bubbles share these sour grapes? You can bet she does!
Finally, Oui, Bubbles is no longer the benchmark, if indeed she ever was. That significance belongs to Morgan, and to a lesser degree, Paula.
You were proved right, when you said Morgan will gain confidence from the win. From her press conference it was evident that she thought she masterminded the whole collapse of the other players. Somewhere between knocking in that putt, which was 3 shots off the lead and obviously very little threat to the lead, and then vatching a Van de Velde style collapse, she somehow instilled in her own mind that she knew this would happen.
Bad Joke stole my thunder, but, yes, there is cause for worry because Wiemen seem to be very wrist oriented.
If Morgan didn't KNOW she was going to win a MAJOR GOLF TOURNAMENT, she surely must have sensed it.
She started the final round FOUR strokes from the lead and swept to an easy win.
She probably figured that the rest of the field couldn't match her steady, inexorable play.
She didn't make a bogey in the final round when bogeys were all over the place.
The others didn't fold or choke. They just couldn't keep up with that miniature dynamo, Morgan "The Machine" Pressel.
She started the final round FOUR strokes from the lead and swept to an easy win.
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Lets just modify that line a little Alex.
She started the final round FOUR strokes from the lead and swept to being THREE strokes off the lead at the end of it.
Bad Joke stole my thunder, but, yes, there is cause for worry because Wiemen seem to be very wrist oriented.
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Judge, it is you and Matthew who appear to be obsessed with discussing the gluteus maximus of a certain Miss Creamer. Maybe it's the anti-Wie men who are interested in wrist activities.
But that Judge is your own private business.
I would appreciate your direct answers to a few very simple questions questions that require a minimum research.
Which female professional golfer finished first in the recently completed Kraft Nabisco Tournament?
Which female golfer finished the four rounds of the tournament in the fewest strokes?
Which female golfer had the best score in the final round?
Which female golfer now possesses the Kraft Nabisco Championship trophy?
And finally, which female golfer was presented with the winner's check of $300,000?
Stanley, please, no convolution, a brief answer will suffice.
And Stanley, I believe she might have felt that her mom was watching over her and that is what also gave her the confidence at the press conference. Remember, she is only 18...she's just a kid who recently lost her mom.
Who knows? This win might change her life forever...all we can do is watch.
Any news on that bet?
Are you willing to bet against Wie placing ahead of Pressel in the majority of events they both play in.
Angela Stanford.
One great score in a tournament doesn't necessarily make you the winner but it's a step towards becoming a great golfer.
When you can repeat those scores three or four days in a row, now that makes a champion.
That's the most difficult thing in golf to do...
Alex asked who had the best round, so I answered the question. Sorry I should have said that Alex asked that question, it wasn't made clear in the comment.
Angela Stanfor AND MORGAN PRESSEL. Did you just
accidentally forget to mention that or do you have
another agenda???
There is a persistent rumor that Bubbles won't return to competitive golf in the foreseeable future. Therefore, she may not play enough this year to make an appreciable difference.
I will say that Morgan wil finish ahead of Bubbles at least 60% of the time in common events in 2007.
In order for rumours to be called persistant, generally more than one person has to have mentioned those rumours. Okay.
What's the matter, Stash baby?
Why no answers to my simple questions?
The question that was asked by Alex was:
Which female golfer had the best score in the final round?
Note: He said which golfer, not golfers. Therefore he wanted one name, so in order to answer to question to his specification, naming one of the two who shot the best score was appropriate.
You can split hairs all you want, but Morgan still has the trophy and the check and the championship of the Kraft.
What's the matter, Stash? Why no answers to my simple questions?
are trying to justify your biased answer.
"Posted at 2:04 p.m., Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Wie won't play in next week's LPGA event
Advertiser Staff
A spokesman for Michelle Wie said she does not expect to play in the LPGA's Ginn Open next week.
There were reports that Wie would make her 2007 LPGA debut at the Ginn.
Wie, in her final semester at Punahou, has not played since Sony Open in January. She missed last week's Kraft Nabisco, a tournament in which she has played in the previous four years.
She is continuing to rehab her injured left wrist, hurt when she broke a fall the first week of February. Her recovery was initially expected to take four to six weeks.
She played the Sony Open with her right wrist wrapped after injuring it in October when she hit a shot off a cart path. "
-----------------
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Apr/04/br/br4632910758.html
in case anyone was wondering :)
What's the matter, Stash? Why no answers to my simple questions?
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Alex, you aren't in the courtroom where people have to answer your questions directly.
If that were the case I could ask you:
- Who was the youngest person to qualify for an lpga tour event?
- What player holds the best 4 round scores for amateurs at all 4 lpga majors?
- Who player was the first female to make qualify for an adult usga male adult event.
- Who was the first female player to get through local qualifying for the US Open?
There could be a serious of questions like those asked of you Alex if you want to play that game.
I thought you'd have trouble giving a direct answer to a simple question and now you've admitted it.
Would you like to answer the questions that I asked?
Michelle Wie, aka Bubbles, is the answer to all four of those trivia question.
But let's examine those "accomplishments."
So Bubbles is the first female to qualify for the US Amateur Public Links. Tell me, Stanley, who was the last female to attempt this monumental task? How many other females have ever tried to qualify for this second-tier event?
Similarly, how few females have ever attempted to qualify for the US Open, even from the waek Hawaiian sectional? Who was the female who tried to qualify for the Open just prior to Bubbles' failed attempt?
When these futile tries are measured against the actual triumphs of Morgan Pressel, Kraft Nabisco MAJOR winner, multiple junior championships, AND US Amateur champion, they pale by comparison.
Your turn, Stanley.
Alex sounds like a femminist now. The Kraft Nabisco is not simply an LPGA Major it is a Major like the Masters this week.
It is bubbles unique and ground breaking desire to compete with men that has captivated the imaginations of many fans.
Of course ambition alone wouldn't have been good enough, but the fact of the breakthroughs she has had, have made a big difference. Of course it hasn't been plain sailing, golf just doesn't work that way.
There have been setbacks and there have been achievements. As Tiger Woods said in his press conference before the Masters, the vast majority of golf is failure, even for someone like him. For other great players like Mickelson, Singh and Els the failure rate is much higher than that.
So for achievements so far, to be medalist in qualifying for the US ADULT PUBLINX was a big deal, the first female to do so. Of course some people would have mentioned the usual excuses like maybe she was in a weak qualifier, but they couldn't use that excuse with the way she performed. She got through stroke play which many though she wouldn't and she made it all the way through to the quarter finals before losing to the eventual winner.
Another example is the Asian Tour where she was the first woman to make a cut on one of the 6 main pga tours in more than 60 years. Her exciting performances in mens events which included some great scores are also worthy of mention. There are many other notable achievements but Alex, you should be starting to get the picture, and guess what Alex, here's the bit you love, all by someone by the age of 17 years old, with so much potential to do so much more.
Alex sounds like a femminist now. The Kraft Nabisco is not simply an LPGA Major it is a Major like the Masters this week.
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Well spotted Jim, the rumours of Alex becoming an lpga tour honourary member are sure to escalate after that.
What she is in the mens game is someone with potential. Unlike people on both sides of the argument, some pro Wie and some anti Wie, I don't pretent to know how it will turn out. I intend to enjoy finding out though.
Since this thread concerns Morgan Pressel, an LPGA member, and the Kraft Nabisco, an LPGA event, I assumed that even the Wie Warriors would know what I was talking about when I used the term "MAJOR." I rightly figured the repetition of LPGA would be redundant.
Bubbles absolutely DID NOT qualify for the US Open.
When, where, and how did Bubbles prove that she is one of the top players in women's golf?
And that one about Bubbles being someone with potential as concerns men's golf has got to be the best one yet.
Good Golly, Miss Molly, She's SIXTY strokes OVER PAR in her last eight rounds (four event) against male competition
Still no answers concerning Morgan? I din't think you'd have any
Of course Michelle is one of the top players in womens golf.
In 2006 only 2 players had top 5s in 3 major tournaments. Those 2 players were Michelle Wie and Tiger Woods.
Also with 6 top 5 places from 8 events, she showed that she is one of the top womens players.
If Bubbles is the only female with top five;s in 2006 in three majors (I notice that you didn't specify LPGA Majors), and winning anything is of no consequence, that Bubbles is not one of the best, she is the absolute best.
You didn't mention anything about Bubbles' potential in the men's game. What about her SIXTY over par in her last eight rounds against men?
Most of Bubbles' decent play was before her swoon at the Deere. Since then she has been going downhill rapidly.
I hope the rumor of her not playing the rest of the year isn't true. I can use a few more laughs from the Wie-wee's.
Bubbles was not the first broad to make the cut in a Korean Tour event; that Korean gal was (her name escapes me). Check your facts.
Stanley would never let facts get in the way of his adulation of Bubbles.
To Stanley and the rest of these birds, Bubbles deserves to be in the Hall of Fame because she finished something like 34th in a rain-shotened event on a third-rate tour that included one golfer in the top 200.
I believe Grace Park made a top 10 on the Korean Tour. Wie, however, played an event on the Asian Tour which was held in Korea.
You lost me there, son.
Would you care to CLARIFY your position?
Alex is an old stodgy English teacher that can put it out, but can't take it. I am sure you remember the teacher pet types in grade school. By the way Alexia, MW had a hairline fracture of her wrist when she fell while running backwards at Palo Alto, California.
You want us to lay off the Wie-wee's?
Not on your life! It's too much fun.
The sound of Wie Warrior heads exploding is music to my ears. :-)
Stanley,
Bubbles was not the first broad to make the cut in a Korean Tour event; that Korean gal was (her name escapes me). Check your facts.
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Se Ri Pak made the cut on the Korean Tour.
Michelle Wie made the cut on the Asian Tour.
The Korean Tour is a local tour with no ranking point available for even the winner.
The Asian Tour on which Michelle made the cut is a tour which is recognised for ranking purposes and the top 17 at that event are guaranteed ranking points.
There is a huge difference, so get your facts straight.
For all enternity it will be written that Morgan Pressel won before the chosen one and that must make Michelle's fans crazy.
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Guess what Ford,
Annika also won before Michelle, as did Karrie, Paula, Se Ri, Julieta.
Do you know what else?
Julieta won before Morgan, as did Paula, Annika, Karrie, Se Ri, Stacy. Another thing, Nancy Lopez won before Morgan Pressel. Isn't that just so interesting?
What is your point about a player winning before another player. That means nothing. The fact that Nancy Lopez won such a long time before Morgan Pressel means nothing.
It is relative ages of the first win that counts, and in my opinion, Wie will have the distinction of winning younger than Morgan Pressel did, and that's the important thing.
You are on the ball. It was nice the way you got in the little reference for Miss Piggy where you refered to her as "the short stocky girl".
There is the short stocky girl and there is also the overly tall girl.
Then there is a girl of 5 foot 9, neither short nor too tall, but rather the perfect example of femininity gone right, yes Paula Creamer, with 5 victories to her name already.
One fluky win for Pressel where she was handed the title does not put her in Paula Creamers league.
I think you're right, The humane thing to do would be to lay off the Wie-wee's.
From Stanley's last post, it is obvious that he is losing his grip.
These Wie Warriors could easily become a case study in group schizophenia. Notice how Stanley and the othe Wiebots arrive at a pre-concevd notion. They then adopt this notion as absolute fact. Then they work backwards, spinning a web of distortions, convolution, hyperbole, and soothsaying to arive back at that very same pre-conceived pseudo-doctrine.
And apparently it all makes sense to these poor saps.
So I realize that the Wie skeptics, out of a sense of compassion, should refrain from badgering these misguided souls.
Will we show the Wie-wee's any mercy?
Nah! As I said, it's too much fun! :-)
You made a good post apart from the fact that you were describing anti-Wie brigaders as opposed to Wie Warriers.
The things you said about them having pre-conceived notions and then sppining wb of distorions, convolution etc described the anti-Wie brigade perfectly.
It is the anti-Wie brigade who invent conspiracy theories about the truth of the injuries, and other things.
I've known people who have recovered from catastrophic automobile accidents in less time than it's taking Bubbles to recover from her suspicious "injury."
Obviously you know nothing about wrist injuries. Michelle only got the cast off about a week before the Kraft Nabisco. They had previously taken it off a couple of weeks before but were unhappy of the progress and kept it on for longer.
She was able to hit some putts and short game shots for the later part, but it wasn't until very close to the Kraft that she started full swing practice.
Even at that she has only been playing for limited time periods, in order to avoid taking any chances.
Her rehabilitation is going well, but what has she to rush back for?
The lpga championship starts June 7th. That is an important event for her. The most important thing in her preparations is that she is fit to play that event.
Rushing to play any event and to risk jeapordizing the lpga championship would be a reckless and stupid thing to do.
Hopefully Michelle is sensible enough to play tournament golf when she is ready to play tournament golf.
That's what I said. She has chosen not to plaA for an INDEFINITE period.
I stand corrected about Grace Park and the Bubbles. Of course, I still don't think much of the latter's "accomplishments."
Alex,
Given Bubbles' implosion, I think the Wie Warriors should now be referred to as the "Wie Worriers."
I'm not sure if Bubbles has imploded or fizzled out.
Wie did win her local(first round) qualifier for last years US Open ahead of the 3rd and final qualifier Tadd Fujikawa.
Since you insist on splitting hairs, the US Open was played last year at Winged Foot.
Bubbles did not tee it up at the US Open. Period. The reason she did not play at Winged Foot is that she didn't QUALIFY. If she had qualified, she would have started and you Wie Warriors would still be raving about it.
Now for the clincher. I didn't bring Tadd into the discussion, but since you saw fit to mention his name, Master Tadd DID QUALIFY and he DID PLAY last year's US Open. And he was only FIFTEEN years old at the time!
Master Fujikawa also qualified for that PGA Tour event (the Sony?) and finished about 20th, I believe. That is something Bubbles will never do.
By the way, as I said before, Bubbles matured early and reached her ultimate level when she was 14; Fujikawa, on the other hand, is following a more normal learning curve and is no doubt better now than when he was 15.
He is improving rapidly and is far superior to Bubbles. You know it and I know it.
I would bet that virtually all the Wie Warriors know down deep that Bubbles can never realize the lofty and unrealistic goals they have set for her in their dreams.
But to reluctantly admit as much would require that they abandon the Good Ship Wie, and the they just can't bring themselves to do it.
If Bubbles were to give up golf entirely, which is definitely possible, they would still reminisce about how great she could have been if this, that, or the other hadn't happened
These Wiebots remind me a lot of the backers of a certain Presidential candidate in 2000.
Six and one half years later, they still can't get over it. They're still moaning "We wuz robbed!"
On the lighter side, it is really entertaining the way Jim C twist himself into a pretzel in his attempts to rationalize Bubbles' flops. Anyway, keep it up Jimbo, we love ya!
Yes, and that presidential candidate just has to be the Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of the Dum-dums.
What do you think of Al Gore's film?
Algore gave several campaign speeches in 2000 in which he spoke of the fond memories he had of the years he spent attending one-room country schoolhouses in rural Tennessee.
In fact, Gore never went to school a single day in anything like that. His father was a US senator and Algore went to exclusive private schools in the Washington, DC area.
Several times, Gore has said that he played a major role in the invention and development of the internet. In fact, he never had a thing to do with it.
His film has the same amount of credibility as those two instances.
What Alex said is spot-on. I'll only add that Gore was a tobacco farmer who scored Dole for being pro-tobacco. Also, his fiction-mentary is what won him the title of Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of the Dum-dums.
Wouldn't bother me if Michelle sat out the entire Summer. Let 'em stew in their own vile juices.
Nice job by the Masters brass further Tiger-proofing the track... One-time PGA winner Zack Johnson flukes his way into the winner's circle... Next year they should just pick numbers out of a hat for the green jacket instead of wasting the viewers time wondering who will fluke their way into the Master's championship in '08.
Tiger-proofing agaist the greatest golfer of our age. What a pathetic joke. Ayn Rand had it right.
When did they let you out? Were you in jail, rehab, or the funny farm?
I see you're expecting Bubbles to milk her "injury" for the rest of summer(and presumably the rest of the year?)
Her game had pretty much tanked anyway so she might as well try to elicit some sympathy.
Are you another clown that expects Woods to win every time out? Jeepers creepers! He scored as well or better than every player in the tournament except Zach.
Ghet Lost, they didn't just make the course difficult for Tiger. The other guys play the same 18 holes in case you're interested.