Wie at the LPGA Championship, round one

The first nine holes are in the books. She’s +2 after the first nine, tied for 75th. She started on the back and happily for her, the front is significantly easier. According to my sources on site, she did not hit driver at all on the front nine. According to people on site, David Leadbetter has her swinging at 80% because she really is hurt and more than that, driver makes it worse. I will give Wie the benefit of the doubt that she’s trying to be a gamer. I know I play hurt, then ice the hell out of my injury, so I’ll respect Wie wanting to play. And think about this…an 80% Michelle Wie is still pretty good, so think how compatitive she’d be on the LPGA tour when she’s 100%. It’s where she needs to be to make her mark.  But as for her interactions with people…

I agree with most of the pundits.
Hiding behind the airhead, valley girl double speak about “having fun,” and being defiant does not work when faced with hard questions. It’s time for Michelle to do two things: first apologize to the tour and to Annika and to everyone else about the way her entourage has allowed her to walk around like a disconnected prima donna. She’s benefited from the star system, but has not shone like a star in the winner’s circle. Too much, to fast, too free and especially too young is a recipe for a burnout. She sure reminds me of Paris Hilton’s ditziness and Lindsay Lohan’s defiance, and most definitely reminds me of both girls’ propensity to not take responsibility for their actions…or even poor scores…”its didn’t feel like I shot 78,” “I think I’ll play better tomorrow” and “but I’m having fun” are not a career or even considering reality.

The PGA Tour and the LPGA tour are not about “having fun” they are a place for professionals to earn a living. She earned the life for free…without having to accomplish anything but the vaunted publinx and a lucky 68 in the first sony. There is RIGHTFUL outrage by those who say she gets everything handed to her and breaks all the rules that bind actual tour members. She gets to play the course before the tournament as often as she likes while the entire tour cannot, she doesn’t have to grind out a spot in the field – just accept a social invite like shes a deb going to friday night high society bash – and she never has to worry that her 74-74-MC will mean the kids eat but the parents don’t for a week…or the house payment gets met, but the car payment doesn’t.
And never forget…for every star out there, there are 100 families struggling to pay creditors, scrape enough to get to the next tour stop, repay investors, and keep the family afloat. She flaunts their struggle with every bromide of “but I’m having fun” she callously belches.
Much of this is directly the fault of the media and the corporate sponsors and her parents, but when they drum entitlement into her and convince her the ridiculous press clippings are true, they infect her with the contagion. They shoved this girl down our throats with the hardest kids prodigy sports story in history and it collapsed. You know what? Wie’ve been had.
“We’re working our butts off, and it’s just handed to her” groused one tour player, but many feel the same way. The LPGA makes a huge deal of how “we have to support our membership” but then they give special favors to an unproven non-member who is famous for being famous and has given nothing back but controversy. Instead she has fomented dissent and polarized the tour. That’s what happens when you cowtow to an unproven but pandered star. Did you not see what happened with Terrell Owens? Keyshawn Johnson? They were disruptive to the point of detraction.

Maybe this is what’s wrong with anointing unproven child stars. She’s Danny Almonte. She’s Freddy Adu. The media ran to force a politically charged gender bender at us and oops…now they have egg all over their faces and the same people who told us “she’ll change the face of golf forever” and “she’s one of the 100 most influential people to shape our world” are eating crow because she’s just another good young golfer…and a rather banal and conceited one at that. They called the people who said “wait and see” sexist and masogynistic for not jumping in and playing tuba in their loud brassy band and now the Brennans and NYTs of the world fall allover themselves to condemn her.

Second, Michelle, it’s time to make a choice…playing all tours while being responsible or governed by none is bad for the athlete’s game and social behavior. The media conveniently hide their head whenever rank and file Americans express outrage at such privilege. Pick one goal and strive for it. With future sponsor exemptions looking much more scarce than in years past…I think wisdom here would be apologize and embrace the LPGA. Build your life back up, earn some accolades and understand your limitations. Michelle, you are not the second coming of Tiger or the fist coming of Michelle Wie…but you are a gifted female golfer. Enjoy that. bask in that. Play hard, play to win, work like a champion, but understand humility and giving to others lie at the core of greatness, not a complimentary Wikipedia entry full of impossible dreams.