golfrewind.com

"It's tough to accept. We're out here working our butts off to get a spot in that tournament and it's just handed to her." -- Brittany Lincicome, as told to The Star-Ledger, in response to Wie being giving the invitation to the Samsung.

what do you think? i just posted in the john deere thread stating that i don't really want to see her play against the men but i totally understand exemptions on the lpga tour.

she brings crowds, make the sponsors happy and ultimately, may line the pockets of other lpga golfers with more money. including lincicome.

I for one would like to see the freebies end in her case and have her actually *gasp* earn her own way.

People will always say "Oh, well this person got one and that person got one." She is the only person alive who has made an entire career out of basically nothing but sponsor's exemptions.

Either way she had better start putting up, because I think the majority of the LPGA Tour rank-and-file resent the out of her, and rightfully so.

If she doesn't play well this year, it may be the last you see of this stuff. The hype she had, has gotten old as her play is just horrible. People come to see a young talent play good, not just hack it up on the course. We'll see what happens shortly but if she doesn't perform I think her time will be over.

Bill3508

Over? At the age of 17? Or 18 by the end of this year's golf season.

I agree with what you say when it comes to exemptions on the mens tournaments but not when it comes to the LPGA Tour. She's played extremely well on the LPGA Tour. While she hasn't won, you can almost always bet she'll finish in the top 10. If it weren't for her, I might not watch a single LPGA Tour event.

I think when she turns 18 and is able to get her LPGA Tour card, she won't need the exemptions anyway. I can understand the resent in regards to PGA Tour exemptions but I don't really see what the fuss is in regards to LPGA Tour exemptions.

I think in relation to the LPGA Tour exemptions, just look at Brittney Lincicome:

In 2007, she has a win, a T2 at a major championship and she's 3rd on the LPGA money list... and even she hasn't gotten an invite into the Samsung World Championship? What???

It's an invitation-only, 20-woman official money event, and a player who hasn't even tee'd it up this year gets a free ride, and a player with Lincicome's record this year has to earn her way in?

I'm sorry, but that's horse manure. If it was Annika getting the exemption coming off an injury, fine, but last I checked Michelle has won exactly nothing on the LPGA Tour.

Well, life isn't always fair. Golf is a business and I'm guessing Samsung wants as many televisions viewers, spectators and coverage they can get. In that sense, maybe Michelle has "earned" her way in? I'm guessing she will bring more attention to the tournament than Lincicome would.

Also, if Lincicome continues to play as well as she has, shouldn't she be able to earn her way in anyway?

Talking about her PGA tour ventures. People won't show up to see someone play bad.

Bill3508

It goes to the integrity of the game, the integrity of the LPGA Tour. You could probably invite Miss June to play, too, and more people would tune in than to watch Laura Davies. That's hardly the point.

If I wanted "entertainment," I'd go to the movies or a theme park. I want competitive golf. It's like saying the Red Sox are better, but the Yankees get in the playoffs because they have more fans.

If we don't have fair in competitive sports, what do we have?

Coming from a Nike supporter... of course you wouldn't watch.

Maybe it's not fair, but it's not that far out there. I mean, didn't she have 3 top five finishes last year? If you ask me, Daly is a bigger stretch. But player's just better get over it; it's all about viewer's and money. The more viewer's, the more money there is for everyone.

Your analogies just don't work. "Miss June" probably doesn't have numerous top 10 finishes on the LPGA Tour like Michelle does. Michelle attracts attention and usually does really well to go with it. Is she the top female golfer in the World? No, but you can't exactly compare her to "Miss June."

The Yankees analogy doesn't work for me either. Let's say, the top 7 teams went to the MLB playoffs and FOX had the choice of choosing whichever team they wanted to be the 8th, then the analogy would work.

You tell me - you're the one who said she should get in because of her effect on viewership, not because of her playing record:

In addition to that, what you did last year should have no bearing on you getting into an invite-only tournament this year.

That's exactly what they're doing with this sponsor's exemption. The analogy is spot-on.

I don't think Daly is in any way, shape or form a bigger stretch. He's a two-time major champion, a multiple winner on tour, and contrary to popular belief, wasn't playing on sponsor's invites alone last year, but rather on a major medical exemption.

The last year JD was uninjured - 2005 - he lost in a playoff to Tiger in a WGC event that he earned his way into, and lost to (if I'm not mistaken) then-world no. 1 Vijay Singh in one of the other biggest events on Tour.

JD has well and beyond earned any sponsor's invites he gets.

Well, if you took my comment to mean that she can't golf a lick and is getting in only due to increased viewership, then you took my comment the wrong way. It's a combination of being able to compete and bringing in more viewers as I alluded to in my previous post.

You state that you would be fine with Annika receiving an exemption. Wouldn't that be based on what she has accomplished in past years in the event she doesn't qualify based on what she does this year?

No, the analogy isn't spot on because in baseball, they don't have sponsors exemptions. That's why you can't compare baseball to golf in the manner you did.

Then you a) aren't a fan of the LPGA Tour, and b) admit to not being impartial regarding this discussion.