ADN

This is a fact...

Men in general are bigger, stronger, and faster than women....IN GENERAL, not all cases, I'm sure Coral could kick the ass of every man here, so I am not saying this to be offensive or sexist...

It should also be of note to mention that maybe nobody here can asnwer this question...

But why is Michelle Wie competing in the men's golf tournament..? Now, I could see she dominated the women's tour, and was like, "OK, let me see how I fare against the guys," but to my knowledge she hasn't done either...

Mens competition, for physical reasons alone, is just that next level...The toughest bitch in the world would probably not survive a football game...

And I'm not knocking Wie either, she can play, and is DEFINITELY a changeup from those hardlegs...I will watch a golf highlight if she's in it...So, given the above, I'm thinking that maybe the PGA is asking her to play as a marketing tool...She's a young, cute, talented phenom, and that is always good marketing...

Kinda like Danica, who defies all conventional laws of women by actually being able to drive...



So, what gives..? Anybody want to shed some light on this for me..?

You have got to be kidding me? You think "Big Wiezy" (a name she got before the media, from her coach) is A MEDIA HYPE??? PGA never asked her to play, they LET her play, after formal request from many professionals (some on the tour) and her mayor; along with evidence of coporate sponsorship in seven other events, and two GOLF LIFETIME sponsorships. But she did finish high enough in the sony open to make the cut for the PGA open, if she has considerable sponsored exemption (which she does), and that was closely considered; along with the fact that she is 14!!!

:shock:

Also don't get it twisted, the Men's open is not just a men's event; it is traditionally a male-dominated event; but women have played. 14 year olds have not, though. That's the hype, and for good reason. There is no specific age limit in golf, but rarely are there almost 6 foot tall korean-hawaiian girls who can drive a ball from one goal of a football field to the other when they are teeing off for the first time at the age of 12.

btw:

Golf had been a co-ed event since the 1800's. Since then, Golf is not explicitly a man's game, and she is not the first woman to play an open. she's the first kid to play an open. Most women couldn't compete with men in Golf, so they opened their own sport, basically: "Women's Golf", but there are co-ed opens which reward you with a spot in the PGA open.

Do you think Suzy Whaley was a media baby, when, she beat out 88 men and women for the win at the Greater Hartford Open in 2002; seven under par, whihc is STILL a world record that Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus has considered intimidating?

-Ch

As I was saying, it's not that I care that she is a girl...

I am saying she has never won majorly on any level...What good does it do for her to compete in an enviorment where she won't win, and not only that, won't come close to it..?

because you don't have to win amateur competitions to compete in the Masters - That doesn't even guarantee you get to play. Less than half of the people in the Open "win" their way in, they are sponsored or pay their own way in... that's the way golf works. In reality, she got a spot that a guy would be paying for, prolly on a corporate expense account. No one is getting shut out of the Masters who "earned" their spot.

...and she has actually placed high enough to compete in the masters since she was 12. Over a hundred golfers qualified but didn't take the shot, though they "earned" it, cause if they perform too badly, they will have to try that much harder to get sponsorship if they EVER QUALIFY AGAIN. It was her COACH advised her to not play the first two years. It was a sign of her developing maturity to not do so. He advised this so she could get a handle on the force he saw her inevitably struggling with as she grew. He was afraid that a bad run of the Masters would cost her sponsorship in the future; now she has GOLF LIFE-TIME sponsorship from a major corporation. No fear she will lose her meal-ticket.

She's golfing better than Tiger Woods at 16, who needed eight or nine years on the PGA tour before he missed two cuts, and dominated when he went to the masters. He refined his game and he has consistently dominated the green by having the courage to lose. Ready to play, yes. Ready to win, no.

And i am not sure if you know, but she won several "Moral Victories" which were the considerable evidence that she would perform admirably in the Masters - which is what really matters.

She qualified, in July at the Wendy's open, for a sponsored exemption. Michelle Wie continued her march to golf immortality on Friday with a 5-4 loss to Clay Ogden in the quarter final round of the U.S. Amateur Public Links tournament, men's division. Although technically Ogden went on to *win* the tournament by 1, Wie she emerged the clear moral victor once again by crushing all but seven of the 156 men against whom she competed for the tourney.

Ogden, currently in his junior year attending Brigham Young, isn't even one of the top players on his college team, and considers his own performance nothing short of "miraculous".

She is one of the ten best female golfers in the game, at the age of 14, and has beaten two of the best five on difficult courses. She needs short game, cause she drive 300+ yards.

And you said this wasn't about a female, but it certainly is - you put it in the subject line, man.

-Ch

QUOTE(AYHJA)I'm thinking that maybe the PGA is asking her to play as a marketing tool...

Like I said, I give her big time props...Its not about her being female, as much as I think it is her being female, young, cute, and Asian...

Tiger Woods = Best In the Game = Had an extensive amateur career...

There is no other sport in the world that I can think of, where competing at the top level, the best of the best, means that you go straight to the pros because you are talented...You don't have a mean right hook, and think you can fight the heavyweight champion of the world...Your jumpshot ain't that nice in the 9th grade to be considered NBA material...

Even Young Noel Divine here, a high school sophomore than benches 315 and looks unstoppable on the field is not a threat to skip college...
http://www.sunshinepreps.net/content/view/56/1/ - (Peep the vid if you can..!)

So, I am not impressed that much by potential...Like I said, Idig her, and watch her if she's on...But I'd like to see her compete and win, and if she's constantly being ushered to play w/the big boys, she may never hit her high point...The consolation "could beat most at her age" will not mean as much as "did beat most at her age" any way you slice it...

You just forget one thing; the PGA is not asking her to play. John Deere is PAYING HER TO PLAY FOR AS LONG AS SHE DOES, and willing to back her fees into the tourney if PGA allows it - after veterans and elected officials have endorsed her. The vouchers and endorsement were the only reason they considered it, even though by placing under Ogden, she already more-than-qualified for an exemption invite.

Have you once EVER looked at if every other MAN on the PGA Masters is READY or ACCOMPLISHED enough?

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Look at Nick O'Hern - He has never won, never finished second (Like Wie did at the McDonalds invitational this year), and didn't even play to qualify THIS year! He was invited to play, prolly cause he finishes top ten close enough to go.

Look at Luke List - Runner-up on US amateur, Softmore at Vanderbilt. Daddie's money bought him on the Masters, after he COMPLETELY missed the cut. He's not even a professional golfer, or a accomplished amateur.

Bo Van Pelt has done well enough to validate his invitation. but not as well as Michelle Wie.

Stuart Wilson hasn't won anything since 2004, and officially qualified last for the British Open in 2001, and never EVER qualified for the Masters.

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Compared to Michelle Wie, who in June 2003, became the youngest champion (13 years old) in the 108-year history of United States Golf Association adult championships when she won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.

In 2002, at age 12, set the LPGA record for youngest player to qualify for an LPGA tournament, when she shot an 83 to qualify for the LPGA Takefuji Classic, qualifying for an invite. In fact, during Y2k -2000 A.D., at age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify in the USGA amateur tournaments at the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. She has been a golfer ever since, and a damn good one.

Golf is not a sport, it is a skill.

-Ch

I never said she wasn't good...I can't stress enough that she got skills...The fact that I even know who she is is a testament that I dig the girl...

That's not the point of the thread...

If it is cool for her to play on somebody elses dime, then that's on them...But there was one woman a little while ago that dominated the LPGA, played a couple mens tourney's, and hasn't been heard from since...Has Wie ever faced her in a competition..? I think her name was Anna...She's an accomplished golfer, and not getting the sponsors...Wie is not AS accomplished, and getting sponsors...Hmmm....

Maybe I am seeing too much into that...But I know what it is like to be treated and handled like a prodigy, and just cause I was on a 12th grade ACT level when I hit middle school, don't mean I up and start hanging with high school seniors...The varying levels of competition are there for a reason...

Anna Sorenstam is the name, and she still dominates the LPGA, and has turned down repeated invites to the Masters after qualifying for an invite in 2002 and being issued one that she rescended. She seems to be favoring the opens she knows she can win, and performing in her desired class. She has corporate sponsorship, and Michelle Wie has beat her off the Opens Anna favors.

But Anna Sorenstam has been golfing since she was four, and played for two decades before she came close to what Michelle was bringing at 12. That is as much a testament to Anna's persistence as Michelle's skill.

Anna plays her game on her terms, on the courses she memorizes, and that is her key to domination.

Michelle Wie plays just about any game they let her (she is still ranked amatuer) and is better performing than most rank amatuers fiver years her senior in the green, no matter what their age, many of whom have bought their way into the masters.

Initially, you said:

QUOTEMens competition, for physical reasons alone, is just that next level...The toughest bitch in the world would probably not survive a football game...

That has NOTHING to do with why their is a PGA and LPGA. PGA and LPGA are both co-ed, but women rarely feel welcome in the PGA, which is what the real basis of of the LPGA is for, people who need to develop long game to even stand a chance of holding form for the first three holes. Hell, Michelle hardly feels welcome anywhere... and certainly not in the LPGA, but she plays the game like she loves it. And golf which is a no-contact individual skill, has little to do with football, which is a brutal team sport.

I still feel what she needs is getting used to being watched, and drolled over the likes of which no one else on the PGa is, and something that the people in the LPGA use to their advantage alot.

And for the record, if you can just agree that she might not be ready to dominate the masters, but she played circles round some of the "men" who are also going.,.. we can let this go. less someone else got something to say.

I'm just excited to hear someone else I know likes Golf.

LMAO...

Well, I don't really like golf, but I like the Wie girl...I'm a fan...But I was just beginning to wonder what exactly was up w/that...Also, the comment about being bigger and better...I meant in the typical sports fashion...A course that is competitive for women might not be so competitive come men, for the simple fact as I said, men are generally taller and stronger than women...The average male golfer dude hits the ball harder than the average female golfer gal, no need to leave that out...

But I ain't never heard of a man competing on the girls tour, if I am not mistaken they have rules about that....I'll stop being lazy in a minute...Anyway... /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

So, Wie hitting the ball a mile is freakish, but lets not pretend that when she's 21, she'll be htting the ball 500 yards..She has natural size, and has developed quickly...Coupled with skill and a knack for the game, and we have ourselves a media sensation...And I know all too well what happens to young, talented, media sensations...

Like Jennifer Capriati...