(Michelle) Wie to play PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic (15 yrs old)

[RamboLiberal]

I don't even like golf that much - but would watch her - wonder if she'll be challenging Tiger some day.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7466929/

Michelle Wie accepted a sponsor’s exemption Monday to play in the John Deere Classic, the second time this year the 15-year-old from Hawaii will take her promising game to the PGA Tour.

Wie played the Sony Open in Honolulu the second week of the year and had rounds of 75-74 in blustery conditions to miss the cut by seven shots. A year ago, she shot 68 in the second round of the Sony Open — the lowest score ever by a female competing against men — to miss the cut by one shot.

That got the attention of the John Deere Classic, which tried to lure the teenager last year.

This time, Wie accepted.

[SW FL Dem]

1. She's awesome!

You have to love a 15 yr old girl competing with the men.

[jakefrep]

2. Has she ever actually WON anything?

Or is she just an enormously gifted circus act?

[ThorsHammer]

3. Very talented player; she has won a lot of amateur events

I still don't think she should be in PGA events until she wins on the LPGA tour, as there are many talented players like Sorenstam, Ochoa, Kerr, and all the Koreans who have proven themselves there. I'd rather see her play more LPGA events where she has a chance to win, rather than play a PGA event where her only goal is to make the cut. She's obviously very talented, and should become a very good pro down the road, but playing in a PGA event seems like a bit much.

[KamaAina]

4. She won the Publinx a couple of years ago

and I'll never forget the name of her DiMarco-esque final round victim: Nirapathpongporn! (she's a Thai who was attending Duke at the time)

So if my college friend's roommate, Nira, was riding a train from N.J. into Manhattan, while playing an old video game and reading Playgirl, she'd be Nira PATH Pong porn! :-)

[MemphisTiger]

7. Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner.

[Kingofalldems]

5. When she wins 20 times

on the LPGA tour she might think about trying a PGA tourney. Until then, no way. This is a joke and a travesty.

[GOPisEvil]

6. She should be proving she can beat all the women first.

Annika proved she could beat all the women before she tried playing with the men.

Michelle Wie should win more than one major amateur event before making the jump to the PGA. That said, she's an incredible talent, and the crappy John Deere tournament needs to sell tickets.

[MemphisTiger]

8. What happened when Annika, the best women's player ever

to touch a club, tried to tee it up with the men? It was an embarrassment to womens golf. It just proved their best can't compete with the men's average on and easy course. I don't understand why this little girl thinks she is so good, she hasn't won a tournament yet. She needs to put her self back into high school then go to college like the others. I guess the stage parents aren't only for acting.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Astutely Observed

Michelle's not good enough to play with the big boys. She didn't even make the cut at her last two women's events. She is a mile from being among the elite women players. If Annika tried and decided SHE doesn't belong, then neither does Michelle.

When Michelle has Annika's tournament record, then i'll reconsider. Annika is far and away the best woman golfer i've ever seen. (I went to the LPGA event here in Chicago a couple years ago.) She is so precise and focused. Incredible. If she got waxed at Houston, then Michelle ought to just go back to High School and wait until she's old enough to go LPGA full time.

Maybe with the week to week grind, her game will rise to a level where she can try in the future. But, not now.
The Professor

[jakefrep]

10. What I don't get...

...is what's the rush to get her into professional golf?

Is the LPGA that hard-up for star power?

It seems as if her parents/handlers/promoters are whistling past the graveyard of teenage sports phenoms.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. The Answer To Your Question Is Yes!

That's part of the problem. The LPGA is sucking air in some markets. They need the attractive, young, superstar golfer to breathe some life. Right now, they only have Annika, and she's so dominant that the women's game is too predictable.

I concur about the ignoring of burnout. I don't know enough about her dad, however, to suggest he's a "stage father" of the Capriati ilk. Her parents might just be really good parents nurturing a unique talent. But, it's definitely a risk.
The Professor