If you took a glance at the bottom of the PGA TOUR leaderboard after the first round of play at the Sony Open in Hawaii, you would have seen a recognizable name scrambled in with mostly TOUR no-names. Michelle Wie, a native of Honolulu, was tied for 142nd after shooting a 9-over 79. With no shot at making the cut, the 16-year-old showed flashes of brilliance in round two recording seven birdies on her way to a 2-under 68. For the fourth time in three years playing in a TOUR event, The Big Wiesy did not qualify for the weekend. One has to wonder how playing against the men is helping Michelle progress to be an elite golfer.This June will mark three years since Wie’s last victory which came in 2003 at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. Winning breeds confidence and youngsters tend to lose confidence when they are not succeeding.
In the last three years, Wie has played in LPGA majors eight times and finished in the top 10 on four occasions, including a second place finish at the LPGA Championship and a third at the Women’s British Open last season. This goes to show Wie has the game to compete week in, week out with the top female golfers and would create greater interest in general for women’s golf.
At the U.S. Women’s Open last June, Wie was tied for the lead heading into the final round. NBC earned a 3.2 rating for the Sunday finish, 68 percent higher than the previous year and the event’s highest since 1997. Wie shot a final round 82 to drop down to 23rd, but it got the attention of viewers across the country.
Several other young faces have stepped up to challenge established veteran Annika Sorenstam, who, with 66 career wins, is arguably the greatest female golfer ever. Paula Creamer, 19, Natalie Gulbis, 23, and Morgan Pressel, 17, have all surged onto the scene of women’s golf over the last couple of years. Wie joining them would only add more excitement to a sport already rising in fan interest.
The PGA has its so-called “Big Five” in Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, and Ernie Els. Every time there is a tournament when at least three of the “Big Five” tee it up, there is an extra buzz surrounding the event. The LPGA could easily benefit from that same kind of rivalry with Sorenstam, Creamer, Gulbis, Pressel, and Wie. Sorenstam and Creamer might have jumped out to a head start in November when tensions flared and the two had an argument over a drop.
Less than a week before her 16th birthday in October, Wie turned professional. She has her marquee endorsements with Nike and Sony and will now rake in cash won in tournaments. Hopefully, in the short-term future at least, it will be playing in LPGA tournaments.
2 replies on “The Big Wiesy Could Give LPGA its Own "Big Five"”
I think it’s fine I think it’s fine for Michelle Wie to play an occasional PGA event. As long as it’s 3 or 4 a year I don’t think it hurts her development and maturation as a golfer. When I hear critics saying she should just play with the women until she learns how to win, I wonder why they don’t make that argument for the male golfers who don’t make the cut week in and week out. Why don’t they go play smaller tours until they learn how to win?
If Wie had a Tour card and was playing every week and not making the cut, I could understand protestations about playing the women until she learned how to win. But 3 tournaments a year?!! The criticisms are much ado about nothing.
Wiesy You make a good point. I just think she has her career accelerating too fast for her own good. She has come within a stroke of making a PGA TOUR cut. It would be a remarkable accomplishment for her to make the cut at such a young age, no less. I don’t think she realizes the possibilities of her competing regularly against Annika and Co.