Michelle Wie Blog

Here we go again. The 84 Lumber Classic will be held this weekend in Farmington Pennsylvania where Michelle Wie will attempt to compete with the men of the PGA. She is 0-5 in doing so this year. Rumor has it that there is a large billboard inside the main entrance to the resort containing pictures of just two of the contestants-Michelle Wie and John Daly. This is in a field that contains five Ryder Cup golfers and even past major winners.

Now correct me if I’m wrong, but where do they get off featuring the mugs of two golfers who haven’t won much of anything this year? It seems the world of golf has fallen into the same trap that all media has succumbed to these days, and that is pushing hype and sensationalism over quality. If I were last year’s winner of this tournament, I would be pretty pissed off. To be overshadowed by a 16-year-old who has never won a tournament and a somewhat washed up compulsive gambler who has had less than a stellar year, if not career, is pretty brutal.

But golf is entertainment right? People are not concerned so much with top-quality golfers so much as they are with the spectacle of watching a 16 year old girl try to compete with men, or John Daly snacking 325 yard drives with a cigarette in his mouth. Michelle brings the unusual to the table, and John Daly brings spectators the “good ole boy” factor to golf.

Thank goodness we have Tiger Woods to keep the bar high, and to keep us coming out to the golf course to strive for perfection. Either way you look at it, the ones who ultimately benefit are the golfers themselves in the form of higher purses and more endorsements. It should be an interesting weekend.

It will be interesting to look back on these interviews when Michelle first turned pro. What will be more interesting is if she can achieve the things she mentions in this interview on 60 minutes.

Michelle Wie had a rough day on Friday, posting a second round 79 to put her in last place at the men’s European Masters. Those of us who routinely chalk up bogey after bogey should not feel so bad now. Needless to say she did not make the cut. Michelle has made one cut playing against the men and that is the SK Telecom Open.

Michelle seemed to take it all in stride as she usually does. “I’m still in shock, I tried my hardest but at times I even wondered what sport am I playing?” Wie told reporters. She has no intentions however of giving up the quest for playing regularly with the men.

It seems however that with each event, the pressure will get stronger. It has to. Michelle will really have to have her head in the game to continue to try to compete against the men. How many times will she miss cuts before they simply tell her they are not interested and that she can take her clubs and go home. Then again, if she sells tickets, will it really matter to the tour promoters if she ever makes the cut? Probably not, but it will really begin to piss off some of the men.