Take a mulligan: let’s not get chippy
I have finally recovered from yesterday’s thrilling finish to the Kraft Nabisco. It was a fantastic finish, with what proved to be an intriguing group of young guns — Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, and Natalie Gulbis — and then Karrie Webb vying for the championship. Karrie Webb’s eagle from 116 yards on 18 will probably go down as the most memorable shot on the 18th hole of an LPGA major. If you get a chance to watch the replay, her ball flight immediately went straight along the flag post. That’s why her caddie said, “Be right … be right” as soon as it left her club.
Too bad, though, that some critics are now second-guessing Michelle Wie’s decision to chip the ball on the 18th instead of putting it (see here). It was a judgment call. The ball was about 5 feet off the green on a slight downslope. Even if Michelle putted it, there’s no guarantee that the ball wouldn’t have gotten caught up in the rough, or, that Michelle wouldn’t have blown the ball past the hole trying to power it through the rough. Michelle could also have tried a hybrid or 3-wood to chip the ball instead of the more conventional chip. But all these “what ifs” show that it wasn’t an automatic putting situation, by any means. I probably would have putted it myself, but that’s because I wouldn’t trust my chipping in that situation. But a professional of the caliber of Michelle Wie has to go with the shot she trusts. In the end, it may not have mattered what club Michelle used because it appears, based on what she said afterwards, that she simply misjudged the speed. A great debut as a pro in her first major, nonetheless.
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