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.
WorldGolf.com blogger Spencer Hux writes about PGA Tour and LPGA Tour stars such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Michelle Wie. He also follows the latest developments with some of the South’s best golf courses, plus balls and clubs.
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