Michelle Wie

The annual John Deere Classic golf tournament begins today at the TPC at Deere Run course in Silvis, IL (see map).  The tournament has always been a second-tiered event on the PGA tour and is always just before the British Open so they don't get a lot of the high ranking golfers to come here to play.  In fact, the highest ranked player on the PGA circuit to play here this year is Chris DiMarco, ranked 22th in the world. 

In order to get some press and build up some excitement, John Deere Classic tournament officials have extended Michelle Wie, the Hawaiian-born, 16 year old golfing phenom, a sponsor's exemption to come play the tournament again this year. 

Last year, she played for the first time, but didn't make the cut, shooting a one under par 141 and missing the cut by two strokes.  (The TPC at Deere Run is a pretty easy course by TPC standards.  Sean O'Hair, last year's winner, shot a 16 under 268 to win by a stroke.)

Now, from all indications, Michelle Wie is as grounded of an individual as one can be.  She seems humble, she's not outlandish in behavior, she doesn't say the wrong things or is boastful in her interviews.  And she can't be - she hasn't won anything on the LPGA tour.  Oh, she came close in the recent Women's United States Open.  She contended for the lead through the final round, but faltered at the end and settled for a three-way tie for 3rd.

Which brings me to my point - why in the hell is she playing a men's event when she hasn't won anything on her own tour?  She hasn't earned or accomplished anything other than being a 16 year old girl who can hit it 280 yards out of the box. 

Annika Soremstam was given a sponsor's exemption to play The Colonial tournament in 2003, the first woman to play a PGA event since Babe Didrikson-Zaharias played the 1945 Los Angeles (now Nissan) Open.  At least she'd won 35 to 40 LPGA tournaments up to that time.  Michelle Wie's best finish in a tournament is 2nd in the 2005 LPGA championship (when she was still an amateur).  And she's only accomplished that high of a finish one time.

Now, Wie cannot become a member of the LPGA until she turns 18 (which will happen in October of 2007), so she has to apply for and get exemptions in many of the events she plays in.  She can only play in six fully sanctioned LPGA events a year.  Still, she's nothing more than a circus act, taking away a lot of press from more deserving players who are trying to hammer out a living on the PGA circuit.

And the local papers are playing Wie up.  Yesterday's Quad Cities Times splashed a headline banner that read, "Youngsters Rally Around Wie".  (I have a problem with a lot of the QC Times headlines.)  The accompanying story focused on Wie being somewhat of a "pied-piper" for the kids who came out to see her play in an exhibition Tuesday.

The Quad City Times is always big on promoting things for kids to do, which keeping them off the streets and out of trouble I'm all for, as well.  They're taking the Wie appearance and running with it - right into the ground.  I think there are more appealing and energizing stories to look into.  However, it's all Michelle Wie and all the time. 

But Wie said something that struck me as interesting - and probably horrified the officials at the John Deere Classic (and the editors at the Times). 

She said that kids shouldn't take golf too seriously.  And even though she downplays the notion that she's a role model (something the Times tried to play up), she did say that she was happy that more girls were taking up the game of golf.  But in the next breath she cautioned the young players about being "obsessed" with the game. 

Her hidden message?  "Not everyone has my talent and size (she's 6'1" - an Amazon of a girl) and don't take it too seriously or it will torment you the rest of your life." 

I like Michelle Wie and I hope that she eventually becomes one of the all-time leading winners on the LPGA circuit.  But until she does, she has no business playing in a men's tournament - not even a two-bit event like the John Deere Open. 

Comments

[Steve Muller]

Hi, Will. I may be wrong (usually am), but I think, since I don't believe Michelle can become a member of the LPGA at age 16, she is limited to 6 tour events per year. I'd be taking advantage of any additional sponsor's exemptions on the men's tour, too.

[Will Veber]

Steve, as I said in my post, Michelle Wie won't be able to play in more than 6 LPGA events annually until she's 18. I guess I'm wondering why she's getting the sponsor's exemptions for men's tournaments and not women's tournaments? Is there not such a thing as sponsor exemptions on the women's golf tour?

She did not fare well here in the Quad's this weekend. She pulled out after playing nine on Friday due to heat exhaustion. But after an opening round 77, she would have had to shoot something like a 63 on Friday to make the cut.