golfrewind.com

I was actually responding to this:
so I was just pointing out that the difference in her two rounds had more to do with the conditions than anything else. After her 79 in the conditions described below, there might have been more pressure on her in round two, given those poised to pounce on her.

"The course is playing very tough out there," Sabbatini told reporters. "It was blowing from the get-go and just continued to get harder. The gusts made conditions tough for clubbing, and for putting too."

By the way, what is it about putting in heavy winds? I am otherwise a darn good putter!

Anyway, that is not to say that she isn't immune to pressure, especially when she's on the verge of a milestone such as making a cut in a men's tournament (see her John Deere and Japan Casio finishes). Using last weekend to make that case just doesn't work.

And I see many posts that I think are a small and bitter person's errand. They usually start with something like "now I'm all for Wie getting a sponsor's exemption..... " (like the clearing of the one's throat) followed by a bunch of negative soundbites and emoticons. Stuff that was never said or thought about the legions of sponsor's exemptions that came before her, which usually made me think:

Admitedly, that is probably a narrow mindset. People are indeed concerned about the intentions of Michelle's father and "handlers". Being a father myself though and from what I've seen, I definitely have to give BJ the benefit of the doubt.

Well, I think she's already beaten a fair number of golfers in the tournaments she's entered that have Monday qualified and gotten through Q-School, so to give her zero chance is a bit negative in my estimation.....

I will never confuse negativity with criticism. I think League said it best though

Wie's PGA TOUR ambitions and experiences are what they are..... only we won't know what they are for some time to come. At this point I can see her PGA Tour ambitions being:

1. A passing fancy that is dropped due to lack of commitment/desire to work that hard, especially when there are other less difficult, and lucrative options (LPGA Tour)

2. A real desire may ultimately be unreachable as anything more than an occasional exhibitionary indulgence

3. A goal (playing the PGA TOUR full time) she reaches

It's tough for me to put odds on those possible outcomes but I expect she follows her heart wherever that may lead. It's what I've always taught my daughter to do..... and man, that statement has cost me some serious tuition!! My hat is off to BJ so far. The proof will be in Michelle's growth into a young lady, not her scoring average..... which by the way, is ahead of Tiger's was at this point.

I think Vijay is having more success for one very simple reason.
He is a far better player than he was a few years ago.
The other guys are occasional winners, but not in Vijay's class.
I think the tour has more strength in depth these days, I think the players ranked say 100, are better than before, but that's just a personal opinion.

Tiger did know all about fitness. In fact he actually took it to a new level, and was the benchmark. Other's then had to respond to his level of fitness and recognise how this could help their games too.
When Tiger grew up, it didn't take much training to be as fit as an average tour pro, but for Michelle it took lots of fitness to be average.

I think that Tiger took the game to a new level, how much this has to do with his "fitness" is being greatly exagerrated, IMO. Fitness is important in all sports, golf included, but one hardly needs to be an exercize junkie to be successful on the tour. Regardless, Gary Player set the standard for fitness over 40 years ago that has yet to be equaled.

Fitness on the PGA TOUR? I think it's a rage and I don't think that occurred until about the last 10-15 years, hence the fitness trailers that are common-place now but weren't before the 90's.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/aug...12/shaping_up/

http://www.southlandgolfmagazine.com...8_02/cover.asp

http://www.triadgolf.com/july2000/instruction_back.htm

I wasn't arguing so much with the renewed emphasis on fitness as much as the perception that it has much of an impact on the quality of play, with the exception some of the older guys staying in better shape and being competitive as they move into middle age (late 30s-50). As far as the younger guys go , I don't think it makes a dimes worth of difference. J1MO.