Obviously she's good, but to win (especially at the pace some predict) she will need to improve in the areas mentioned. Her shortcomings aren't so bad that they prevent her from placing high against the women but her current mediocre short game and putting woes won't "cut" it against the men.
Hmm, I think there is a softening in your attitude of her against the men. It's as if you are saying she isn't good enough yet.
On the rate of her winning, my prediction before the season was only that she would win this season or next. Since the season started, I've been more hopeful that, that would come this season. The reason is because she has been in the hunt on the back 9 of the last round of each of her first 3 tournaments.
In 2005, she was only in the hunt on the back 9 at the SBS, if I remember correctly.
She drives the ball well, and her ball striking is good but not the best of the ladies. I would think her long game could use a bit of work as well, because you would think she has the distance to dominate the par 5's on the LPGA Tour.
Her long game is one area we defintely agree on. I think maybe she puts too much pressure on herself when she gets to a par 5 and expects a birdie or something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr3856a
Of everything she needs to work on the most, it's putting and short game, just like the rest of us. Fancy that
I'd agree on putting, I do think her short game is pretty good though, although I'd bet even Tiger wants to improve his short game.
Wie has proven she is one of the best women players in the world and I've never said she wouldn't be. Let's keep this discussion focused on the women, where you at least have some chance.
Don't forget that she'll have the John Deere, and the Lumber coming up. So then we'll find out some more.
How do you think she'll do in the Lumber Classic? I think it is just too long for her at 7,500+ yards, but it should still be interesting.
Once I see the field at the Lumber Classic I'll let you know. My preliminary report is she'll play well for one day and then play her way out of the cut line on the back nine.
Okay, how do you think she is long enough to get that close?
You Wie fantatic you. Do you know how long that course is.
You're the one that keeps telling us she's the only woman long enough to play on the PGA Tour. Am I getting bad information?
Sorry if I mislead.
She isn't the only woman long enough. She is the only woman long enough who is good enough. Karin Sjodin is long enough, but she misses many lpga cuts.
I'm not sure she's ready for a 7,500 yard course. Then again, many of the male pros will probably think it is too long for them as well.
Sorry if I mislead.
She isn't the only woman long enough. She is the only woman long enough who is good enough. Karin Sjodin is long enough, but she misses many lpga cuts.
I'm not sure she's ready for a 7,500 yard course. Then again, many of the male pros will probably think it is too long for them as well.
They said she boomed one 340 yards this past Sunday, so if she can keep that up 7500 won't be too bad!
As for her putting, I'm sure it will improve, and when she starts regularly sinking anything within 10 feet, watch out!
Right now, I think her PGA experiences help and hurt her play on LPGA setups. As someone else mentioned, hitting from the heavier PGA rough must make the LPGA rough feel like nothing. But the faster, harder greens of the PGA make adjusting back to the soft, receptive LPGA greens difficult. I think she was expecting more roll from several of her approach shots this past week, leaving herself longer putts. I bet it's tough playing a PGA style US Open qulaifier on Monday and then having to adjust a couple of days later to an LPGA setup. But she did an admirable job of it, and by Sunday any diferences should have been worked out and adjusted to.
I believe once she's allowed to play as many LPGA events as she likes, she'll really start getting a more consistent feel for the greens. I also think she needs a caddy who can help her read the greens, as several of her near misses were from bad reads, not from an errant stroke. Not sure why her current caddy isn't helping - did she tell him not to, or is he not much help around the greens? From what I see, all the good putters, on any tour, usually get some kind of read from their caddy. Usually it's just for confirmation, but it never hurts to have a second set of eyeballs that you trust look things over for you.
I don't think she has the best ballstriking ability on the LPGA Tour right now, and I don't see how her putting could not improve. It's not very good at all, nor is her short game.
If I were her I'd take some of that $10 mil and give Dave Pelz or Stan Utley a call.
Apparently Johnny Miller disagrees with you quite a bit. Here is a quote that was posted on another site.
Johnny Miller, the 1973 U.S. Open winner and now NBC golf analyst, looks beyond the PGA Tour to a rising young talent who patterned herself after Woods and who currently might be the game's most versatile player: Michelle Wie, 16.
"Michelle Wie plays more shots than anybody, including Tiger. She's hitting cuts, she's hitting hooks, she's hitting punches, she's hitting stingers," Miller says.
He says Michelle Wie, 16, had every right to (unsuccessfully) try to qualify for the U.S. Open — "If you're good enough to get in, I don't care if you're an orangutan." And, he says, she's quite evolved: "Wie (along with Adam Scott) has one of the two best swings in golf. With hot putting, she could win on the men's tour — no doubt."
Too bad he doesn't know enough about golf to be able to determine who is a good striker of the ball and who is not. Someone needs to point him to these boards so he can learn something.
It would be hard for her to NOT improve her putting. I probably can putt as good as her. Okay, well...on my better days putting. I think if she goes to Mr. Pelz for some help she could probably cut a stroke off her average putts per round (or better).
I don't know if anyone caught Johnny Miller's comment about this today while watching Sergio miss an 8 footer. They were talking about Sergio being first in GIR last year in 192nd in putting on the PGA Tour, and Johnny said "Hopefully for Michelle Wie she doesn't have the same kind of career as Sergio."
I'm not sure she's ready for a 7,500 yard course. Then again, many of the male pros will probably think it is too long for them as well.
Scoring was reasonable there last year...also, having been on the course, it doesn't really play to its full length. There are quite a few holes with pretty significant downslopes in the landing areas and carries across what are essentially ravines despite being all fairway (#11 comes to mind). Throw in late summer/early fall conditions in western Pennsylvania (typically pretty dry unless we get caught up in some tropical system), and she won't have any problem with the length of that course, IMO.
It was still windy on Sunday (on Saturday the wind was brutal).
I watched her hit one about 250 into the wind on one par 5. If she hit it 340 it was with the wind at her back.
I watched her hit it 250 on a par 5 with a 3 wood. Perhaps you are thinking of the same hole.
That is one of the things that annoys me sometimes. She may have extra length but on that same par 5, she hit the ball about 5-10 yards further than her playing partner, Michelle using 3 wood, Ahn using driver.
If her length is to be an advantage, she needs to actually use her driver more than 5 times in a round.
And another thing, she uses her 3 wood for placement, but she missed some fairways with it throughout the lpga championship.
It was still windy on Sunday (on Saturday the wind was brutal).
I watched her hit one about 250 into the wind on one par 5. If she hit it 340 it was with the wind at her back.
I forget which hole it was on - one of the back nine. The announcers commented that her drive on that hole on Saturday was 320 yards, and they wondered if she would try to hit driver again. She did - 20 yards past where she'd hit it on Saturday!
June 14th, 2006, 11:49 AM
I think if she goes to Mr. Pelz for some help she could probably cut a stroke off her average putts per round (or better).
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