Sorenstam, Ochoa and Michelle Wie have the leaderboard covered. Also, where to keep your eye on the ball and playing with better golfers to help your game

Monday May 12, 2008 | 12:00:02 453 words, 35742 views

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Annika Sorenstam has officially begun to chip away at Lorena Ochoa’s top Rolex Ranking. A win at the season-opening SBS Open led a “Tiger-esque” charge that has remained strong through her latest victory at the Michelob Ultra Opening this past weekend.

Sorenstam is back in the “feared-zone” once again!

Challengers are falling by the wayside. Even Lorena Ochoa could not keep up on Saturday, pushing herself out of a chance for a Sunday duel with a disappointing 74. It was the first time Ochoa has been out of a visible top-ten spot on the leaderboard since 2007.

Did Sorenstam’s charge give Ochoa the jitters?

With a wedding plan in the works and her increasing reliance in other golf interests, are we seeing Annika’s final push for glory or the beginning of a new commitment towards “untouchable” status?

I also found Michelle Wie’s name on the leaderboard. She was in her usual “cut” position, a spot which seems to be more comfortable a fit as times goes on. “I just feel really rusty” claimed Wie who needs to borrow more than an oil can from the Tin Man in order to elevate her game…maybe an infusion of Annika’s blood?

Where Wie’s game is stagnating, other LPGA rookies seem to be coming on strong. Na Yeon Choi is eyeing the Rolex Rookie of the Year Award loading up on points over her nearest competitor. Oh, I’m sorry…I thought Michelle Wie was in the race too but…that’s right…she never went to Q-School to qualify like the rest of the Tour!

This week Golf for Beginners discusses the challenges that Michelle Wie faces and wonders whether or not her constant disappointments as a professional golfer have helped her grow as a person.

We also offer up a few easy golf tips. One simple visual we offer is where to focus your eyes when hitting the ball for best contact. Another is the role a golf companion has on your game. Is it better for you to play with better golfers or those who play more on your level?

Click here for more easy golf drills.

Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

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9 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Nottageek [Visitor] · http://expectarant.blogspot.com/2008/05/wie-hate-michelle.html

Timely, well structured comments. Ms Wie back available at url above.

Permalink 2008-05-12 @ 13:53

Comment from: boo hoo wie wie [Visitor]

Here's a fun little read from a Hawaii newspaper:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/BREAKING02/80512029

Permalink 2008-05-12 @ 18:56

Comment from: Bill in Carmel [Visitor]

two quotes on the LPGA site from interviews at Kingsmill.
"you just have to keep on grinding. By the end of the day it's not about, you know, how you did it, it's about the score, what you finished."
(Annika after round 3)

"(shooting a high score is frustrating)especially wheb people see your score and not how you play and how I feel like I was hitting the ball solid."
(Wie after round 1)

These two statements perfectly display the difference between a champion and a practice range player. I am also sure that Annika's statement was pointed directly at Wie

Permalink 2008-05-14 @ 13:08

Comment from: jenn [Visitor] · http://www.kikogolf.com/content/

Annika has given us quite abit over the years, sad to see her go but happy for her new beginnings!

Permalink 2008-05-14 @ 16:51

Comment from: Stacy [Visitor] · http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/golf-for-beginners

Bill, In response to Wie's "frustrating" quote, "people see your score and not how you play and how I feel like I was hitting the ball solid", I (an amateur golfer) can see her point but agree that the mentality is different between a champion and a golfer who believes she should be a champion.

I played a round of golf yesterday and my group kept saying "Wow" after many of my strikes. Meanwhile, my score didn't reflect how well I felt after the round.

Of course, if I could get out more than once every few weeks, I guess my score WOULD reflect the way I played and I probably would regularly shoot in the 80's!

Permalink 2008-05-15 @ 11:52

Comment from: Harry Balls [Visitor]

Unfortunately, i feel that Michele Wie is on the way down, and she won't be able to get her game on track. It's all psychological, and sometimes the funk is just too great to get out of. Especially when the press is always covering it...

Permalink 2008-05-16 @ 15:07

Comment from: Steve Wozeniak PGA [Visitor] · http://www.stevewozeniak.com

It's sad how bad Michelle is and it's ONLY because of what she is working on!!!! When she first came out her swing was PERFECT.....
Just goes to show you how bad someone can get when they don't understand the true fundementals of the golf swing and her teacher is telling her to try this and try that.. She could be fixed over a weekend with someone that understands the golf swing. SHAME......

www.stevewozeniak.com

Permalink 2008-05-16 @ 19:53

Comment from: Chris [Visitor] · http://break100golftips.blogspot.com/2008/05/videos_25.html

Michelle Wie's beauty and grace on the golf course used to amplify her good playing. But now it seems that those first two elements are not helping her anymore. I hope she can find her game soon and return to the level she was before. But until then, we will just to have to watch her on Thursdays and Fridays.

Permalink 2008-05-26 @ 14:56

Comment from: Alex [Visitor]

Chris,

Beauty and grace are in the eye of the beholder. To my eye, Bubbles is neither beautiful or graceful. And her speech patterns are positively atrocious.

But getting back to golf, I think her fans will be able to watch her this weekend, provided that their passports are current and they can afford the air fare to Munich.

Unless Bubbles goes into the tank completely, she should be able to make the cut at the German LET event.

The field there is extremely weak; there are only about ten golfers ranked in the first TWO HUNDRED! Gwladys Nocera of France, hardly a household name is the top-ranked player at 91st. The course is 6204 yards long, with wide fairways and minimum rough. One 441 yard hole is a par five.

If Bubbles doesn't make the cut AND finish top thirty, she should seriously consider re-enrolling at Stanford, finishing her education if possible, and finding some other line of work.

I'll see you folks next Monday. We're off to Columbus for the Memorial

Alex USMC 1969-73

Permalink 2008-05-28 @ 09:56

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