PING: WrongWay

[Butter]

Oh, that's right... you got banned, stupid fucker.

Wie tied for 17th after two rounds on Asian Tour

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->INCHEON, South Korea -- Michelle Wie (http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/players/profile?playerId=1187) made her first cut in a professional men's tournament Friday after shooting a 3-under-par 69 in the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open.
Wie finished at 5-under 139 after two rounds and was tied for 17th at the Sky 72 Golf Club course, six strokes behind co-leaders Iain Steel (http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/players/profile?playerId=943) of Malaysia (66) and Prom Meesawat of Thailand (64). The cut was set at even-par 144.
"It's just wonderful. Great. I feel really, really happy," Wie said. "Now I want play well tomorrow. It's not over yet."
The Hawiian-born teenager becomes the second woman to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea; LPGA star Se Ri Pak finished tied for 10th in the lower-tier KPGA Tour SBS Pro-Golf Championship in 2003.
Wie improved on her opening round of 70 with a near flawless display Friday, dropping just one bogey on the 16th against four birdies.
"My putting was good," she said. "Yesterday was pretty good, but today was better. I was more confident today."
The SK Telecom Open is Wie's eighth start in a men's professional event.
She played in four PGA Tour events and has also competed on the Japan, Nationwide and Canadian tours, missing the 36-hole cut in all seven tournaments.
Since turning professional last year when she turned 16, Wie has missed the cut in the PGA's Casio World Open and Sony Open.
"In the future, I still want to challenge the PGA Tour and make the top ten," Wie said.
Annika Sorenstam (http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/players/profile?playerId=1029), the top women's player in the world, became the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour when she missed the cut at the 2003 Colonial, shooting rounds of 71 and 74. She has played in men's Skins Games the last two years.
No woman has made the cut on the PGA Tour since Babe Zaharias at the 1945 Tucson Open.
Two years ago, Britain's Laura Davies was given a sponsor's exemption to the ANZ Championship, jointly sponsored by the men's European Tour and Australasian PGA, the first woman to get one on either tour. In the modified Stableford system of scoring, Davies missed the cut with a two-day total of minus-13 points -- 40 points behind the second-round leader.
Both of Wie's parents were born in South Korea, and her visit has generated intense media coverage and large galleries following her on the course.
"I'm really happy to make the cut in Korea, and I had such big galleries," she said. "Plus I really love children and there were lots of young fans here today."
Galleries of at least a thousand people gathered around each hole she played and police had to control traffic clogging a nearby expressway that passes the Sky 72 course as onlookers cheered her bunker shot over the bluff on the 16th.
"I really enjoy that kind of thing," Wie said. "Police officers came to the people who stopped their cars and told them to move. The gallery was crowded and they made so much noise. It made me laugh a bit."
When she fired her fairway shot on the 220-yard 3rd, a toddler in a flowery dress shouted "on-ni [big sister] fighting!" as Wie strode by.

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[Huckleberry]

He was indeed ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure he referenced making a PGA Tour cut.

I mean Ila Borders pitched in AA ball for a while. You wouldn't call that making a major league roster.

[IwasHere]

LOL... you have to love the leaders Steel and Prom.

[BrianD]

I must admit that I'm slightly underwhelmed by this accomplishment. Se Ri Pak finished 10th in this tournament. If Wie doesn't finish above 10th, there will be nothing groundbreaking about this story. It is a minor tournament in a minor tour.

I really wish Wie would just stick to one area and really dominate there before doing all this gimick stuff.

[kcchief19]

I must admit that I'm slightly underwhelmed by this accomplishment. Se Ri Pak finished 10th in this tournament. If Wie doesn't finish above 10th, there will be nothing groundbreaking about this story. It is a minor tournament in a minor tour.
The Hawiian-born teenager becomes the second woman to make the cut at a men's tournament in South Korea; LPGA star Se Ri Pak finished tied for 10th in the lower-tier KPGA Tour SBS Pro-Golf Championship in 2003.
No, Se Ri Pak finished 10th in the minor Korean tour, not the major tour. Wie is playing in a tourney akin to the the PGA Tour while Pak was playing in the equivalent of the Nationwide/Nike/InsertSponsorHere Tour.

Again, why does this matter to anyone? What skin is off anyone's nose if Wie is playing in men's tournaments? I grew up thinking that sports was supposed to be about challenging yourself and competing against the best. Why do some people seem to believe that is fine so long as the guys compete against guys and women compete against women?

To each his own, I suppose. I still continue to believe that if Wie's playing men's events bothers you, the problem isn't with her.

[stevew]

I gots a fever, and the only thing that can cure me is more Elmo.

[MikeVick7]

Again, why does this matter to anyone? What skin is off anyone's nose if Wie is playing in men's tournaments? I grew up thinking that sports was supposed to be about challenging yourself and competing against the best. Why do some people seem to believe that is fine so long as the guys compete against guys and women compete against women?

To each his own, I suppose. I still continue to believe that if Wie's playing men's events bothers you, the problem isn't with her.
It's in response to these super threads...

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=44766
http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=46289

[Franklinnoble]

1. This is a minor, who-gives-a-damn tournament. If you're trying to pwn WrongWay, I'd wait until Wie does something a little bigger.
2. WrongWay hasn't caused any trouble over at SportsDigs.com since he's been there... and he hasn't been around here for months. Why do you feel like antagonizing him where he can't respond is necessary?

[Passacaglia]

cuz it's still funny?

[Butter]

I was going to go with "because I was bored". But that's good too.

[BrianD]

No, Se Ri Pak finished 10th in the minor Korean tour, not the major tour. Wie is playing in a tourney akin to the the PGA Tour while Pak was playing in the equivalent of the Nationwide/Nike/InsertSponsorHere Tour.

Again, why does this matter to anyone? What skin is off anyone's nose if Wie is playing in men's tournaments? I grew up thinking that sports was supposed to be about challenging yourself and competing against the best. Why do some people seem to believe that is fine so long as the guys compete against guys and women compete against women?

To each his own, I suppose. I still continue to believe that if Wie's playing men's events bothers you, the problem isn't with her.

I guess I read that wrong, I thought they were in the same tournament. I'm not sure how the Korean tour compares with the PGA tour talent-wise.

Wie playing in men's events doesn't bother me. I do think she is getting more press than she deserves, and I worry that all of these silly games are going to have a negative impact on her career. If she starts living up to her press, I'll become her biggest fan.

[TroyF]

I guess I read that wrong, I thought they were in the same tournament. I'm not sure how the Korean tour compares with the PGA tour talent-wise.

Wie playing in men's events doesn't bother me. I do think she is getting more press than she deserves, and I worry that all of these silly games are going to have a negative impact on her career. If she starts living up to her press, I'll become her biggest fan.


This is the part I've never understood.

She IS living up to the hype. She entered 8 LPGA tournments last year at the age of 15. She finished in the top 3 in four of those tournaments. Her worst finish was 23rd.

She has entered 2 LPGA events this year and finished 3rd both times. A 16 year old has entered two tournaments and won over $180k, with two top fives in a major. Think about that.

She still has a lot to learn, but she deserves all the hype she's getting.

[BrianD]

This is the part I've never understood.

She IS living up to the hype. She entered 8 LPGA tournments last year at the age of 15. She finished in the top 3 in four of those tournaments. Her worst finish was 23rd.

She has entered 2 LPGA events this year and finished 3rd both times. A 16 year old has entered two tournaments and won over $180k, with two top fives in a major. Think about that.

She still has a lot to learn, but she deserves all the hype she's getting.

She is playing well. So are a number of women on the tour.

This is the same frustration I get when all of the news stories talk about Tiger being down four strokes in whatever tournament he is in rather than talk about the player that is actually leading. I know most fans want to read about Tiger or about Wie, but I'd rather read about the person that is winning. A second place Wie should be a footnote in the story about the winner. The winner shouldn't be a footnote in a story about Wie finishing second.

[Huckleberry]

This is the part I've never understood.

She IS living up to the hype. She entered 8 LPGA tournments last year at the age of 15. She finished in the top 3 in four of those tournaments. Her worst finish was 23rd.

She has entered 2 LPGA events this year and finished 3rd both times. A 16 year old has entered two tournaments and won over $180k, with two top fives in a major. Think about that.

She still has a lot to learn, but she deserves all the hype she's getting.

Girls/women reach their peak earlier. It's impressive but not that crazy.

Martina Hingis won a Wimbledon title at 15 years old (doubles). A 14-year-old girl has won a match at Wimbledon before. Tracy Austin won a Grand Slam title at 16 and won a pro tournament at 14. Two other 14-year-olds have won WTA tournaments.

So I think she's accomplishing some fantastic things. But I will always be ready to pounce on those that imply it's the same thing as a 15-year-old boy accomplishing these things. Wie is much closer to her peak ability than a 15-year-old boy would be. That being said, golf skill obviously peaks later than other sports based on game management. But on pure athletic ability, she may have already peaked. Can't say for sure, of course. But it's possible.

[Crapshoot]

This is the part I've never understood.

She IS living up to the hype. She entered 8 LPGA tournments last year at the age of 15. She finished in the top 3 in four of those tournaments. Her worst finish was 23rd.

She has entered 2 LPGA events this year and finished 3rd both times. A 16 year old has entered two tournaments and won over $180k, with two top fives in a major. Think about that.

She still has a lot to learn, but she deserves all the hype she's getting.

Seriously. At 17, what the hell have most atheletes outside of gymnastics ever achieved ? Now the golf!=sport comparisons may have validity, but this is still amazing stuff.

[BrianD]

Seriously. At 17, what the hell have most atheletes outside of gymnastics ever achieved ? Now the golf!=sport comparisons may have validity, but this is still amazing stuff.

It is amazing and totally worthy of the occasional special interest story.

[TroyF]

This can really go to both Huck and Brian:

Yeah, I understand all of those things. One the other hand, golf isn't like tennis or gymnastics. it's NOT a young persons game, for women or men. Se Ri Pak was 21 when she won 2 majors and 19 when she made her debut. (she won her first major she entered, so she wasn't even playing them at age 17, much less competing for wins) Wie has 4 years to do that and is already contending for major championships. Annika was 21 when she made her first LPGA cut and was 24 before she won an event. Webb was 21 when she made her debut and had her first win.

Pressell (who should get a bit more press) and Wie (who maybe should get just a smidge less) are doing things that aren't normally seen in their sport. That deserves attention and recognition.

[BrianD]

That deserves attention and recognition.

I agree. My only argument is on the amount that is deserved.