Morgan Pressel becomes youngest to win Kraft Nabisco, Women’s Major

Make no mistake – if Michelle Wie had won the Kraft Nabisco this week, we would never have heard the end of it. All the talk about “Lady Tiger” and “making history” and “one of the 100 most important people who shape our world” would have been resurrected and we’d be swimming in hullabaloo, hyperbole and ham-fisted hero worship. But spunky, affable, respectful Morgan Pressel wins and instead we have sanity. In fact, Morgan is getting alot LESS press and respect than she deserves.

Here’s a woman who was the victim of highway robbery at the 2005 Women’s U.S. Open. You could give Birdie Kim 500 balls and she’d never knock that bunker shot in again. You could let Birdie Kim play four consecutive days at Cherry Hills every week for ten years and she’d never post an aggregate like she did that one week. I still see Morgan out there in the fairway with that look of utter incredulity and both hands on the top of her head to keep it from splitting open from the force of that “You gotta be kidding me” that blindsided her. As for Birdie Kim, she’s in the “Where are they now?” file with Michael Campbell, Lou Graham, Hubert Green and Scott Simpson.

After that and other harrowing defeats as an amateur, what did Morgan do? She “cowboyed up” and won the 2005 Women’s Amateur – something Michelle Wie never did…and never will because she ran and hid from that competition to chase the fast buck and the will-o-the-wisp. After all, her “legend” would take a hit – as would her drawing power at men’s events – if she were beaten by some no name. By the way, a fourteen year old won last year and we didn’t hear word one about “youngest ever.” Why? She isn’t on some gender bender, that’s why.

***News flash, people*** Everyone LOVES Pressel. Serious golf writers love her game and her attitude. Fans love her fire. Between her and Paula Creamer, the LPGA has enough lightning to last a generation…and they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Women’s golf is poised to EXPLODE with spunky,players with gem-hard game that will resonate with the men. Who needs women vs. men when the Ladies’ Tour is this compelling?

Moreover, when Pressel loses, she loses like a true competitor…she hates it and goes and does something about it. She doesn’t make excuses. Michelle? It’s the dew point, her hair spray, locusts, orange golf balls, sun in her eyes, homework, mean people, flat soda, overly tight scrunchies, her caddy, her daddy, girls that are catty, St. Paddy, anything but her. You’ll never hear Morgan Pressel say “it didn’t feel like I shot 78.”

You know what? The LPGA is doing just fine without Michelle Wie. People LOVE watching gritty competitors like Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Nat Gulbis. Annika is still a major factor and a great draw. They have all the star power they need without a disconnected prima donna and her entourage running around a golf course like they’re VIPs backstage at a Fall Out Boy concert.

But all the media – who don’t really know as much about golf as they think they do – care about is being “socially progressive.” They’ll only support the girl who wants to break down barriers and hard-sell her- no, STUFF her down our throats and be damned the reality of the situation.

Golf is NOT about social progress. You want social progress? Go abroad and help some impoverished nation. That’s social progress. When you equate social progress with a woman playing golf as well as a man, you make a mockery of all the terrible struggles of people less fortunate than ourselves. Go to some Banana Republic in South America where people are dying for freedom of speech and wondering how they’ll feed their kids or get vaccines for disease and show them Michelle Wie for a role model and see how far that gets you!

Golf is a sport…a pastime..one that promotes comradery, not placing one group above another. You think anyone is buying that Michelle is soooooooooo socially important because of how “resolutely” she lines up three foot putts? You think Michelle is some sort of savior of women’s rights because she “boldly” plays a sport? Go sell crazy somewhere else, we’re not in the market and it doesn’t sell at all.

But the media will continue to ignore that. Morgan doesn’t have to worry, though. The media may tout Wie, but Morgan’s trophies say something different.
So there it is. Michelle talks the talk but Morgan walks the walk. So media, you know what? You can have Michelle. I’ll take Morgan every time. As one of my curmudgeonly colleagues says, you keep your cottage cheese, cause I like pudding.

Rant over, as you were.