Wie Misses Chance for US Open
Tuesday, June 6th, 2006In what seems like a predictable pattern, Michelle Wie crumbled in the final holes of the US open qualifier to miss her chance at making golf history. She bogeyed three late holes and missed two easy putts to ink the deal. Was it the pressure? Inexperience? Or was it just a fluke?
Whatever the case, this scenario seems to be happening quite a bit these days. She shot a 68 in the first round putting her in 11th place, with more than enough cushion to win the qualification. Then, as we have seen in a number of past tournaments she starts to falter. Bogeys, missed putts, everything needed to put oneself out of contention.
This is just one more feather in the cap for those who say that Michelle should concentrate playing in the LPGA to hone her skills - especially the skills needed to close with a strong finish, à la Tiger Woods. You’ve got to admit, for someone who is never won a tournament she sure gets a lot of press and the pressure for any 16-year-old to perform must be very intense. The worst thing that could happen is for these meltdowns to take a toll on her long-term mental game of golf. Let’s face it, the game can be brutal especially mentally. By attempting these lofty goals that such a young age, Michelle may run the risk of having these moments of "folding" permanently embedded in her brain, only to resurface when the pressure is on again.
Tiger Woods honed his skills throughout his teen years by playing junior tournaments, not trying to qualify for US opens. Michelle will probably just shrug it off, as she probably should. But there is a fine line between confidence and letting past thoughts of "choking" cloud your game. Only time will tell, but if this pattern continues, Michelle and Sasha Cohen can always start a therapy group for the rest of us that choke under pressure.