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'Cause they probably weren't hitting driver - or do you really think Jason Gore averages 265 off the tee?

Agreed and agreed. However...Michelle's 2006 PGA Tour stats:

http://www.pgatour.com/players/stats/476953/2006

Driving distance: 161st
Driving accuracy: 191th
Total driving: 199th.

Where does that put her?

What would be dead last in total driving.

http://www.pgatour.com/stats/leaders/r/2006/129

There ain't much arguin' that

Drive for show...putt for dough (and wins) is the old cliche. Too bad for M. Wie that there isn't a NASCAR scoring bonus for being top driver...lol.

sorry if im being ignorant here, but doesnt the LPGA play on women's tees?, that would give Michelle a decent advantage when being compared to men?

One more attempt:

If Sean O'Hair's only event was the AT&T: 273.7 yards, would you declare him as the shortest hitter on tour.
If Sean O'Hair's only event was the BellSouth Classic: 301.8 yards, would you declare him as one of the longest hitters on tour.

The only stat that matters as regards driving is how a player does against their fellow competitors in that tournament.
When Sean O'Hair averaged 273 at the AT&T, do you think he was worrying that Tiger's season average was over 300 yards.

Nope, if he thought about his driving, it would only be in relation to his fellow competitors in that tournament.

When Michelle enters a tournament it doesn't matter to her what the season averages of the other guys are. What matters is how are they driving it at that tournament and how her driving compares.

doesn't matter what tees they play from , distance off the tee is the same if its a 600 yard par 5 or a 500 yard par 5 you still have 300 yards and your 300 yards away on the 600 and 200 away on the 500. Unless I read your quesiton wrong

maybe I missed something, but why does it even matter about her driving distance? She can't win on the mens or ladies tour so it doesn't matter what place she is in! I see this compared to say me hititng 300 yards off the tee, ok I can hit 300 but I can't win on a pga event. Of course it doesn't matter to you............see what I am saying

Very true. Nathan Green's driving averages at the Sony were less than Michelle's, yet he got 5th place.

You are correct that driving distance is not the b all and end all.
The only issue I take is with those who claim she cannot compete on the pga tour due to not being long enough.
Nathan Green hit it shorter than her and got 5th place so it can be done.

It's the other parts of her game that need work for her to be able to compete on the pga tour.
Increasing driving would be an advantage but it's isn't stopping her from competing as so many people claimed.

It compares dead last:

Michelle's 2006 PGA Tour stats:

http://www.pgatour.com/players/stats/476953/2006

Driving distance: 161st
Driving accuracy: 191th
Total driving: 199th.

Where does that put her?

What would be dead last in total driving.

http://www.pgatour.com/stats/leaders/r/2006/129

Rodney, she would be dead last in total driving on Tour this year. If that ain't "stopping her from competing," what is?

(Oops - I just answered my own question. The answer is all the other statistical categories she would be dead last in: scoring average, GIR percentage, ball striking, scrambling, par 5 performance, 3-putt avoidance... http://www.pgatour.com/players/stats/476953/2006)

I actually think her putting is what holds her back both against women and against men. She is worse than Sergio or Vijay, and that's an accomplishment to be honest. I think Tiger is proof that you can lay back off the tee and still be successful (granted, he does have ridiculous ability from 200+ yards out to get it within 30 feet almost every time and typically within 20 feet). Fred Funk and Corey Pavin are probably both shorter hitters than Wei, but they have pretty good driving accuracy, iron play, and short games. Once Michelle improves her putting, I think her scores will go down quite a bit. She's like us (amateurs) in that matter.

By those stats:
- She is the 23rd best putter on the pga tour.
- The 8th best at getting birdies on par 3 holes.
- The 12th best par 3 performer.
- The 14th best par 4 performer.
- The 34th best at approach shots from over 200 yards.
- The 3rd best at converting birdies when she hit greens in regulation.

All those things prove that your method of comparing one tournament stats against season stats does not work.

Uh, try 20th from the cellar...

And don't be disingenuous - I've compared her driving statistics over her entire career, over 1 tournament, over 1 season, etc., etc., etc. It doesn't seem to matter which parameters we set, you always disregard what the statistics say anyway.

And incidentally, it was you who tried to compare stats from one tournament to the entire year in saying that she was "better than 40 players" or whatever it was in driving distance. I merely showed that it was at one tournament, and it was a tournament with hugely inflated driving statistics to boot.

Are you actually being serious?
Did you not read what was posted at all?
I did not compare her stats in one tournament to the entire year.
I compared her stats in one tournament to the other guys in the same tournament.
She was longer than 40+ guys in THE SONY TOURNAMENT of 2006, where she played with those players in THE SAME TOURNAMENT, using stats FROM THAT TOURNAMENT ONLY.

Lucky for alot of players that there driving distances were inflated so much. Without the huge increase in driving what would the stats have been like for:
104 Ryan Moore 285.25
115 Justin Rose 281.25
118 Arron Oberholser 279.50
126 Jim Furyk 274.00
127 Mike Weir 273.50
128 Peter Lonard 273.00
134 Jason Gore 269.50
140 Charles Howell III 264.50

Lucky for those guys that it was such an easy driving course, or they would have struggled to make it 260 yards even.