Take a mulligan: Morgan, stop crying, dear
I caught the final round of the 2006 Fields Open in Hawaii, won by Meena Lee over Seon Hwa Lee in a playoff. It was an exciting back 9, with many of the talented young guns in contention. Michelle Wie, who was tied momentarily for the lead on the 17th, missed the playoff by 1-stroke, shooting an impressive 66 in her final round. Michelle had a makeable 8 footer on the final hole, but completely misread it. Still, an impressive debut.
Natalie Gulbis never could get it going in her final round and tied for 4th with a final round 72. I blame it on Douglas, who gave Gulbis The Golf Blog jinx by asking this question, Is Natalie ready to break through and win? Doug, man, that’s the kiss of death. Sorry, Nat.
Then, there’s Morgan Pressel, who was playing with Michelle Wie, but shot a 71 in her final round to finish tied for 11th. After her round, Morgan started crying uncontrollably during her interview with The Golf Channel because she felt that she failed to meet her high expectations and needed to go back and work on “everything” — all aspects of her game, especially her putting.
I like Morgan Pressel. How can you not root for a 17-year-old who lost her mother to breast cancer only two years ago (here)? Contrary to her own harsh assessment of her game, I think Pressel has a lot of game right now. Finishing close to the Top 10 this week and 5th last week in her first 2 tournaments as a pro — well, that ain’t bad. Sure, Morgan probably wanted a better head-to-head showing against Michelle Wie, who had an impressive 66. But Michelle had home court advantage and half the state of Hawaii rooting for her. Morgan showed the grace and sportsmanship in giving Michelle a hug after the round. Morgan, you have nothing to cry about. We know you played your heart out.
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