Michelle Wie did not perform well in the Sony Open. Now, instead of being the big talk of the tour, it seems she has become the biggest disappointment in professional golf. Instead of seeing stories about her unbelievable physical skill and her uncanny distance, we will now hear that she is a failure who doesn’t perform well under pressure. In fact, lets skip the speculation. In light of last weekend, she may as well go ahead and accept the fact that the most she will achieve in her golfing life is becoming a long-drive hustler at some cheap driving range in Florida owned by a guy named “Mac.”
What most people seem to be forgetting is that she is 16 years old. Apparently most people in the world have either totally forgotten what it is like to be 16, or have not been around teenagers recently. After two years of teaching high school, I got more than enough exposure to the psyche of today’s teen. I’ll give a few examples of what typical teenagers are up to for those who seem to have forgotten.
Most 16-year-old kids are either sophomores or juniors in high school (and many are still in 7th or 8th grade). Instead of being faced with questions that adult professionals have a hard time answering, most are faced with questions like, “Andrew, where is your homework?” Instead of being criticized for missing a cut in a PGA Tour event, most are being criticized and punished for getting to class late.
Many 16-year-old kids are sleeping in class, plagiarizing their papers, cheating on their tests, talking to their friends instead of listening in school, eating blow-pops, reading Harry Potter, playing high school football, playing those mind-numbing video games, and most importantly, just being stupid. Michelle Wie is not a failure, she is not disappointment, and she is certainly not the 16-year-old to whom adults are referring when they ask, “What’s wrong with kids today?”
I personally wish Wie would have stayed in school, and I wish she had not been so vocal and noticeable in her first months as a pro. However, one other fact about ALL teenagers is that they think they are more mature than they are, and they have no way of understanding how great it is to be a kid. Think back to your high school years. Did you make any decisions you would change today?
Blame Wie’s father the most, blame David Leadbetter a lot, blame the media some, and blame Michelle Wie a little bit for some of her comments, but do not forget that she is still two years away from having the right to vote.
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I don't have a number but I doubt Michelle has ever played more tournaments per year than typical amateurs per year (say, Pressel, Creamer, In Bee Park, etc.)
Michelle has to play to improve her game and also to earn her living (since she is apro now and like she needs more money as of now?) and pro tournaments are her only option right now?
10-13 tournament per year is just right amount of exposure if you asked me.
Listen, people can talk all they want about her skills and distance -- which are, mind you, the best of any 16-year-old girl to come down the pike -- but if you think that she would have gotten these plum contracts at this juncture without doing the "Ali thing," I have some land in Normsville to sell you.
Where I have to part company with you, John, is when you scoff at the assertion that she likes to travel with her parents. While it certainly isn't the norm in our twisted culture, a well-adjusted kid would have that attitude. I can tell you this: among homeschooled teens that attitude would predominate. Why, I myself liked traveling with my parents when I was 16. Ideally, families should be close and should enjoy spending time with each other.
The only time that is not the case is when the "world" has seduced kids away from the family.
"Where I have to part company with you, John, is when you scoff at the assertion that she likes to travel with her parents. While it certainly isn't the norm in our twisted culture, a well-adjusted kid would have that attitude. I can tell you this: among homeschooled teens that attitude would predominate."
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Oh, God! One of those loons. Home-schooling: The last refuge of nut bags who are one angry letter to the editor away from erecting a compound and arming their followers.
You have just shown yourself to be an ignorant jerk. Homeschooled kids are VASTLY superior to other kids by ANY measure. They are many grades ahead of government-schooled kids in every subject and even, contrary to the myth that your ilk likes to perpetuate, are far better adjusted.
Have you every heard a homeschooled child call a radio show? I have on more than one occasion. They speak in complete sentences and can discuss complex issues maturely without uttering "likes," "yos" or street slang.
Also, Lester (what a name, "Lester" -- sounds like a nerd serial-killer), have you ever known any homeschooling families? Well, since I know the answer, I'll tell you that the group comprises all races, ethnicities and creeds -- some are even secular, believe it or not.
So, what unites them? It's simple: a reluctance to thrust their beloved children into a dangerous environment rife with negative influences, an environment in which the kids will be indoctrinated with lefist ideas such as feminism, multiculturalism and radical-environmentalism. Yeah, they're really bad people.
Lastly, Lesterer, since I'm thoroughly disgusted with you, I'll say the following. Not only can I trounce you in a debate, but I could also beat you like I was yo' daddy, you little liberal wuss you. And I'd enjoy it right about now.
Tiger Woods BIRTHDATE: December 30, 1975
3/01/92 Nissan Los Angeles Open CUT 72 75 -- -- -- 147 +5
2/28/93 Nissan Los Angeles Open CUT 74 78 -- -- -- 152 +10
3/14/93 Honda Classic CUT 72 78 -- -- -- 150 +6
5/16/93 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic CUT 77 72 -- -- -- 149 +9
3/20/94 Nestle Invitational CUT 80 77 -- -- -- 157 +13
6/12/94 Buick Classic CUT 75 70 -- -- -- 145 +3
7/03/94 Motorola Western Open CUT 74 75 -- -- -- 149 +5
Michelle Wie BIRTHDATE: October 11, 1989
1/18/04 Sony Open in Hawaii CUT 72 68 -- -- -- 140 E
1/16/05 Sony Open in Hawaii CUT 75 74 -- -- -- 149 +9
7/10/05 John Deere Classic CUT 70 71 -- -- -- 141 -1
1/15/06 Sony Open in Hawaii CUT 79 68 -- -- -- 147 +7
Blah blah blah. Just tired of people telling Wie to stop playing against the men. She only has a bunch of tournaments on the LPGA that she can accept and if she were to forget about the men's tournament she'd find herself not competing for a couple of months at a time. Remember she's only 16 and is a full time student.
Take a look a Tiger's numbers and tell me he didn't learn anything from playing against the best. He learned a lot about golf management -- when to take a chance and be aggressive or lay it up and cut down on mistakes. Michelle is learning the same things while competing. The more tournaments she has under her belt, the better a golfer she will be. By the time she's 18 or 20, she'd be well schooled, just like Tiger.
Homeschooled kids are VASTLY superior to other kids by ANY measure. They are many grades ahead of government-schooled kids in every subject and even, contrary to the myth that your ilk likes to perpetuate, are far better adjusted.
So, what unites them? It's simple: a reluctance to thrust their beloved children into a dangerous environment rife with negative influences, an environment in which the kids will be indoctrinated with lefist ideas such as feminism, multiculturalism and radical-environmentalism. Yeah, they're really bad people.
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Under Par, although we very often disagree, sometimes we completely agree.
What you said above is absolutely correct and you should be commended for it.
Here is the real shocker for some.
I am not a girl but a guy. It was some fun to watch a lot of people here assume that I am a girl> And I am guilty as charged for leeting the misconception went on like that.
I just spelled it J-U-N-E for the benifit of pronunciation since that's exactly how to say my name in my native tongue only to find out ocne I get here that June is a girl or I should say woman's name/
How should I know? I only find it out after I received tons of junk mail postmarked to Ms. June so and so.
So my big secret is OUT. And back to golf.
And sorry about alot of mispelling. I am a lousy typist and a lazy spellchecker. BAD combination for internet forum.
What are you talking about? Get real, bozo.
By the way, you must be in the process of getting a Ph.D; you seem just like the type.
All the immigrant (legal or illegal) you just collectively bash, what you think they want here?
Just a little better tomorrow than today. Just like your parents of parentof parents not so long ago.
Is that a crime?
Actually, by definition, coming here illegally IS a crime. You don't know even that? That's why it's called "ILLEGAL immigration."
And yes, everyone wants a better tomorrow, but does that mean we should just throw open our borders and allow anyone and everyone entry? Listen, if you're not interested in becoming American and protecting our country, please go back whence you came.
AS for your comment about illegal immigrants, I don't think anybody wouldn't agree with you. So what is your problem? ;)
My comment on paying a due part is obviously about legal immigrants. Do i have to spell it out that part, too? Use your soem of your briliant brain, Under par.
Tiger's record for 1995 (and it is fantastic for a 19 year old golfer)
04/09/1995 Masters Tournament T41 + 5 to par
06/18/1995 U.S. Open Championship WD +19 to par
(I believe he was either ill or injured in this match)
07/09/1995 Motorola Western Open T57 + 3 to par
07/23/1995 British Open Championship T68 + 7 to par.
Notice that three of those were Majors and the other perhaps the most prestigious of the non-majors.
For that year his driving distance was 298.5 yds and his putting average was 1.904.
For reference, Michelle so far is driving 286.0 and putting 1.762 and in her sole tournament so far she was +7 to par. A more accurate comparison of their fourth playing year in PGA Tournaments will have to wait until later in the year.
And the comparison to Tiger's breakout year will have to wait until the 2007 season is over.
Many of the pga tour rookies are older than 25. If Wie is like other golfers it could well take her that long to get her tour card.
Anyone who would predict a pga win sooner than that would be a little optimistic.
"All the immigrant (legal or illegal) you just collectively bash, what you think they want here?"
You mentioned illegal immigrants as well.
You also should know that our current immigration policy discriminates against white people, since it mandates that only 15% of immigrants can be from Europe.
So, yes, I have a huge problem with immigration, as it is being used to destroy my culture.
Hopefully we can conduct ourselves as golf fans and golfers. It's the only sport where etiquette is a part of the rules.
By the way, my ancestors came here and ASSIMILATED -- they didn't ask the country to accommodate them.
To everybody else, sorry about this sidetrack.
I just took it personal when Under Par stated that multiculturism in USA ia a bad thing. Maybe some of you agree with him. Maybe some of you don't.
For obvious reason, it's you guys' problem, not mine. I shouldn't start commented on it since I got no business in it.
So no more for that stuff from me. Now back to golf?
You don't even know what multiculturalism is -- you just think you do.
"Have you every heard a homeschooled child call a radio show? I have on more than one occasion."
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Gosh, now there's a surprise! Under Par listens to talk radio!
BTW, I howled when you wrote: "So, what unites them? It's simple: a reluctance to thrust their beloved children into a dangerous environment rife with negative influences, an environment in which the kids will be indoctrinated with lefist ideas such as feminism, multiculturalism and radical-environmentalism."
Up the meds, Under Par, up the meds.
I'm talking about asylum seekers. Hey, I'm not very pleased about black or Asian people being here in the first place (there are no black English people), but what really pisses me off is that they come here illegally, expect everything, get everything, try and destroy our country, often succeed, then have the cheak to treat us like shit in 'THEIR' country.
If I went to Bangladesh tomorrow, I might well be kidnapped or shot down in the street. Here, just look at an Asian/black funny and you'll be branded a 'racist.' Of course I'm racist, because they are racist, too; and are really taking the piss and in many ways ruining OUR culture.
Then they come out with a sob story; 'we're just trying to build a better life, yada yada yada.'
Thing is, though, blacks and Asians are often corrupt even in their own continent. The amount of corrupt Asian and African countries is laughable.
Oh my jesus. Some of them just don't play fair (if we let them in, they should at least follow our rules). A Paki my dad knows got a friend to take his driving test for him, and went the moron got himself into a crash, he had about 10 driving licenses in 'his' car, and didn't know which one to show the cops.
The only ignorant jerk here is Under Par-- he needs to get a life and take his boyfriend David with him.
Homeschooled people are just a bunch of clueless sheep like Underpar.
They get out in the real world and they have no idea how to function. That's why they end up living in the back woods thinking of ways to blow up the "gov'ment"
It's a disease that bedevils all of the Western World. As I said, these liberals deserve Mussolini's fate.
As far as June goes, I'm sure he's a decent guy. However, what really frosted me about what he said was the implication that we don't have a right to retain our culture. In other words, every other country has a right to its culture, but we are the exception.
Of course, I can't place too much of the onus on him. he came here and was brainwashed by scum-of-the-Earth white liberals who indoctrinated him with this malevolent ideology. As I said, they deserve Mussolini's fate . . . then again, maybe it's too good for them.
The BIGGEST compliment anyone has ever bestowed upon Michelle Wie is that Underpar is NOT a fan of hers.
Thank the good Lord--I would think differently of her if I knew such a pathetic sad human being liked her.
I put an idiot Ph.D to shame in Toronto last year at a certain annual symposium they conduct there. Believe me, I'd have you for lunch.
Wow- Underpar-
You sound just like the KKK-no wonder you hate Michelle Wie so much.
You know you're embarassing yourself right ?
I don't think so Under par- unlike you I actually have some education.
From the intelligence you've displayed here , a 4th grader would mop the floor with you.
Don't be bitter because I didn't spend my childhood sodomizing sheep like you did.
Underpar--
You think you'd have George for lunch??
Now that's laughable--you don't even have the balls to write under your real name.
Newsflash:
According to Underpar-there's secret terrorist messages hidden in the new Pizza Hut commercials.
Also, Thomas the Train relays secret messages to Al Queda in the U.S.
He was getting heightened frequencies from his
aluminum tiin foil hat i.e. terrorist tracker...
I think its time to close this blog-at least this particular thread.
You can always count on Under Par to ruin a good debate.
I would ban "David" as well --what a loser.
Modesty obviously isn't one of your strong points.
You all can flap your lips, but you have yet to refute anything I've said substantively.
You won't be laughing when you see what's going to befall you in the future. I will be, though, because I take a measure of satisfaction in the fact that those who are sinking the ship will be squealing the loudest as it goes under.
You folks think you know what's going on in our society, but you haven't a clue. And you'll ultimately find that ignorance isn't all that blissful after all.
RonMon
Wasn't she taking exams this week? I made the mistake of the "staying in school" denial. Did she drop out yesterday?
Glad you caught that. Blame Wie's father, blame Leadbetter -- for what! Michelle's doing just fine.
The only reason home schoolers dominate those competitions is because THAT IS ALL THEY DO.
You take any kid with average intelligence and make him do spelling and geography drills for 6-8 hours a day and they will dominate competition.
Anyone can memorize a bunch of facts since it requires zero analytical thinking skills.
Get those same kids and put them through a battery of tests covering a wide range of subjects and they will most likely fail .
You sure could understand it if you are a fan of certain athlete or team. If your team is down, are you stop cheering for them or keep cheering on?
(FYI: I am a die hard Bulls fan and in the middle of another miserable season for the last 7 years since certain guy retired, but not one time I stopped cheering for them.)
So, certainly I can see where Norman came from. Like I said, lovers will love and haters will hate no matter what.
John is right: you do sound like a government school teacher -- a card-carrying NEA member -- trying to justify a flawed system and dismal results.
First of all, you're so immersed in your ideology that you can't see the forest for the trees. Homeschoolers would not "fail" at your battery of "tests" unless those tests happen to be the phony self-esteem exams that the pinhead psycho-babblers conjured up.
Secondly, Todd, it is true that most all the kids who dominate those competitions, be they homeschooled, in private school OR government school, spend all those hours every day preparing for the competition -- that's what people gearing up for an event do. However, the fact is that homeschooled children are many grades ahead of other kids in EVERY category, like it or not.
Lastly and most significantly, I can say with complete sincerity that your attitude is illustrative of what's wrong with education today (whether or not you're a teacher). You say that "anyone can memorize a bunch of facts"; well, that must not be true since government school kids don't know too many. But that's not even the main point. NEWSFLASH, Todd, that's what education is: memorizing facts! Duh!
And this gets at the problem with liberal modern education "philosophy." The educational establishment NEA scum have failed abjectly at educating students -- in other words, they've been unable to teach them "facts" -- but they don't want to be labeled failures. So, they've sought to avoid being branded as such by redefining what constitutes education. Thus, they say, "Oh, just memorizing facts isn't education!" So, they manufacture all these new teaching models and schemes and place emphasis on dubious qualities, such as what they fancy to be "analytical thinking." Of course, this serves their ends beautifully because these things are often impossible to quantify, rendering a provable assessment of the establishment's effectiveness virtually impossible. In other words, the measures are so subjective that they can easily spin whatever they do as a success. Of course, though, even if they did succeed, it would only be at teaching nonsense. But they don't even succeed at that.
The problem with many teachers is that they've been brainwashed into thinking that their mandate is to be social-engineers and that to accept the position of someone who merely teaches "facts" is beneath people as erudite and important as themselves. Moreover, there is no "analytical thought" -- or any other kind of thought, for that matter -- taught in school because the emphasis is on emotions.
Education has always consisted mainly of teaching facts. If you could do that, American parents from sea to shining sea would be forever grateful. The government school system needs to be pulled up by the rotten roots.
Okay, I think you're done. I doubt we'll be hearing from you again.
"Government schools." Lord how fitting that you would describe the nation's public schools as "government schools." Per-nounced "guhment schools," no doubt.
Better double the amount of aluminum foil you line your hat with Under Par, the guhment really is monitoring your thoughts via satellite.
And it's better to have aluminum on your head than iron in your head. Your noggin sets off airport metal detectors.
By the way,those young Nazi twin singers (groomed to look like a blonde Mary Kate and Ashley) were home-schooled as well.
Under Par--I think now we all know the REAL reason you hate Michelle Wie...
You and John Z are the biggest girlie men on this board--why else would you guys get your panties in a bunch over a girl trying to compete with men.
Get some balls, and stop being so insecure.
Its not Michelle's fault you two have been beat up by women your whole life.
Poor John Z--Forgot to take your medication today ??
You must have dropped it while you were scouting for animals to molest.
John Z-- Just come out of the closet already-that's probably why you're so angry with life. You sound just like that closet homosexual guy in American Beauty.
Or maybe you hate women since your mother used to beat on you everyday .
Don't get John Z mad-- he might bomb a "guh-ment" building next...
Just kidding...
But didn't you say you were in your 70's already ??
Man you must have lived a miserable life.
You are literally rotting on the inside with all that anger.
Can we get back to golf please ??
The sooner we get back on topic-the sooner Under par and John Z will stop posting their B.S.
Guess what? The two boys responsible for the Columbine massacre were both government schooled. So, do you want to keep tossing anecdotal evidence back and forth?
Again, the evidence is irrefutable: homeschooled kids exhibit far lower degrees of every social ill than other children. I guess you have a problem with facts.
As for you ladies: you're a good example of what's wrong with this world. I posted a highly intellectual refutation of someone who was impugning a practice that is nothing but good, and you act as if the people who have offered nothing but cheap rhetoric are somehow in the right.
You're no different than the people who crucified Christ.
What the hell are you people on???
John Z
You and Underpar aren't talking about golf-you're talking about home-schooled kids for goodness sakes!!
Who cares ??!!
Underpar,
Since you and John Z are such proud Nazi's --you two actually have a lot in common with the two Columbine shooters. They chose Hitler's birthday to commit the massacre.
Can everyone just please put John Z and Underpar on their IGNORE list ---
This is getting ridiculous, they're trying to ruin this site for everyone so DON'T LET THEM.
Let them keep on posting their crap, and just don't acknowledge it. They're getting a sick high out of everyone responding to their crazy rants.
They will go away once you don't feed their pathetic hunger for attention.
Alright-- I will ignore the two trolls !
But not until I say that
there's absolutely NOTHING "highly intellectual" about Underpar or John Z for that matter....
Alright-that's it for me---I will not feed the trolls.
It takes two to tango. I wasn't the one who made a highly controversial, pejorative statement about homeschoolers, which is what ignited this debate.
Jim,
Hitler was actually a liberal of sorts, just like you. Remember, "Nazi" stands for: National SOCIALIST Workers Party.
Read it and weep, liberal sissy.
This is saying nothing to what I believe, but spewing forth insults and ideology instead of trying to find cracks in their points kind of reinforces the claim of 'brainwashed' they're trying to make against you.
Hey Jackson
Blah blah blah. Just tired of people telling Wie to stop playing against the menShe only has a bunch of tournaments on the LPGA that she can accept and if she were to forget about the men's tournament she'd find herself not competing for a couple of months at a time.....................
That's rubbish and you know it...she thinks she is too good to compete against other women on slightly shorter courses (ever heard of an iron off the tee Michelle, it's quite simple really, and you might find the fairway a bit more) and her 'marketing team' (dad, nike, whoever) know they will make some serious dosh out of it.
My issue with it all is that yes, she could be taking the place of a tour pro who is struggling to keep their card, and also, WIN A WOMENS EVENT FIRST. Someone like Annika, with a phenomenal record, could be forgiven for looking for another challenge -surely it would do her more good to win a lpga event than simply make the cut (althought it appears to be not as simple as Michelle thinks) in a pga one.
and all of you going on about immigrants? get over youselves, you make yourselves sound spiteful, inarticulate and narrow minded. although that probably isn't far off.