if michelle wins the u.s. amateur or the amateur public links, she gets an automatic exemption to the masters. since she received an exemption to the u.s. women's open and didn't have to qualify, she can play in the u.s. amateur public links. i'll definitely be keeping my eye on that.
Michelle Wie is a good golfer and all but let's face it, she'll never make the Masters. People are giving her too much credit for the Sony Open but the truth is, she played like 40 practice rounds there in the two months before the tournament. She should know that course inside out. Imagine if she went to a tournament and played a practice round or two. Do you think she would do as well without all of that course knowledge and confidence? Think about why her dad didn't accept all those other PGA Tour sponsors exemptions. It's because he's smart enough to know that she wouldn't do well.
i agree. michelle wie in the masters may be a stretch. i'd say she has her best shot as an amateur. she'll still be one in 3 years and imagine how much she can develop as a player in that amount of time. it seems like she wants to split time between the lpga and the pga tour when she turns pro and it would be pretty difficult for her to qualify for the masters if she isn't playing a full pga tour schedule. she COULD win a major, though. i mean, if ben curtis can do it, why can't she?
i do agree that part of the reason for her success is because she had so much familiarity with the course the sony open was played at. but you know, she is a really talented golfer with loads of potential. give her a break. she's only 14. she isn't even finished with her freshman year of high school yet.
Wie, or any other woman, will never play on the PGA Tour on a regular basis, because there's no money in it for them. Making an occasional cut would be a major accomplishment and the curiosity factor would fade quickly with most golf fans. I have no problem with women playing golf in men's tournaments, I just don't think they'll be very successful in the long run. Wie is a phenom, but what has she won? Yes, she's only 14 and she will get better, but will she be good enough to consistantly beat the men on 7200+ yard PGA courses? I very much doubt it. As for playing in the Master's.....it's not the Woman's US Open and there will be no "free pass". She needs to win something that will qualify her to play there and that's a very difficult task.
I can't see the chairman of Augusta ever sending out an invite to a woman to play in the Masters. Michelle would have to qualify by winning one of the men's events that gets you in.
That's why I thought if she would ever play in the Masters, her best chance would be as an amateur. She could qualify throught he U.S. Amateur or the U.S. Amateur Public Links. Still extremely difficult to do but I think it's easier than winning a PGA tournament (maybe in the future, they'll ammend the rules so any PGA tournament automatically qualifies).
Michelle Wie is a good golfer and all but let's face it, she'll never make the Masters. People are giving her too much credit for the Sony Open but the truth is, she played like 40 practice rounds there in the two months before the tournament. She should know that course inside out. Imagine if she went to a tournament and played a practice round or two. Do you think she would do as well without all of that course knowledge and confidence? Think about why her dad didn't accept all those other PGA Tour sponsors exemptions. It's because he's smart enough to know that she wouldn't do well.
That isn't the issue. For a 14 year old to go out and compete in a mens event under that kind of pressure is phenomenal, and while she may not be good enough at the minute, if she progresses well enough, she certainly will be in the future.
Expectations, from everybody. Media, the crowd. Other golfers. I know that when i was 14 i wouldnt have handled that the way she did, she didnt seem to care, but she was trying her hardest.
Expectations, from everybody. Media, the crowd. Other golfers. I know that when i was 14 i wouldnt have handled that the way she did, she didnt seem to care, but she was trying her hardest.
All these things you mention fall into the "nervous" catagory for me. Pressure is trying to make a living with your clubs or when failure to make the cut means you may lose your PGA Tour card. Right now, Wie has nothing to feel pressure about. She's playing on sponsors exemptions and special invitations (Woman's US Open). No one expects her to win, and if she plays poorly she moves on to the next tournament on her schedule. Pressure enters the picture when she is expected to win, or must play well to earn a living. Until then, she doesn't know pressure.
Wie, or any other woman, will never play on the PGA Tour on a regular basis, because there's no money in it for them.
The money that they would win in tourney golf would be small, but imagine if a woman was to qualify for the tour the amount of sponsors that would come her way. It would open the league up to new sponsors, many that wouldn't normally sponsor a golfer. I think it is just a matter of not if but when a woman qualifies for the PGA tour.
The money that they would win in tourney golf would be small, but imagine if a woman was to qualify for the tour the amount of sponsors that would come her way. It would open the league up to new sponsors, many that wouldn't normally sponsor a golfer. I think it is just a matter of not if but when a woman qualifies for the PGA tour.
This is definitely a good point. If any woman ever got her tour card, she would probably be one of the best, if not the best woman golfer. She might not win much prize money but would definitely make a whole lot in endorsements.
but imagine if a woman was to qualify for the tour the amount of sponsors that would come her way.
Initially, probably, but sponsors want results. Missed cuts mean no week-end exposure. No exposure...no sponsors. Curious fans will soon lose interest in "barely made the cut" performances and that's assuming any woman can earn and keep a PGA Tour card. Sponsors and golf fans want to see winners and those in contention to win, not the players way down the leader board. As good as Wie is now, she's still not beating the best women players in the world (winning on the LPGA Tour). She's a phenom that will beat some of the men some of the time, but it's highly improbable she will ever win, or contend, on the PGA Tour. Let's see how she fairs at the PGA Tour Qualifying School before you hand her the sponsor's millions for playing on the mens tour.
May 26th, 2004, 02:03 AM
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