Take a mulligan: Wie will be back
Michelle Wie tied for 35th against the men in South Korea, after making her first cut against the men. “I was really, really happy I’ve passed the first stage,” Michelle said. “Now I want to make the next step.” She plans on trying to qualify for the men’s U.S. Open and play in 2 PGA events this summer.
Some have said that Michelle should be playing more LPGA events. Why, that’s silly . . . Michelle is only allowed to play 8 LPGA events, and she’s already maxed out on those events. Playing in Korea this week was much more than playing against the men. It was obviously tied to returning to her parents’ homeland — Tiger Woods did the same thing early in his career, playing in Thailand as a promise to his mother. By all accounts, the Korean people adore Michelle — and will even stop on the side of the highway (kinda reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson chase?), just to get a glimpse of her. So you can’t fault Michelle for agreeing to play a tourney in Korea.
Others were a bit underwhelmed by Michelle’s making the cut on the Asian Tour. Fair enough. It all depends on your expectations. Apparently, Michelle, a 16-year-old in high school, has already raised the expectations of many spectators to a very high level. What other high school girl in America would have the same expectations placed on her?
But therein lies the Catch-22 for Michelle: some criticize her for trying to compete with the men, while others won’t be impressed until she makes a cut on the PGA tour. Some want her to win against the women, but others wouldn’t even see that accomplishment as a really big deal. Apparently, Michelle won’t please these critics until she wins on the LPGA tour and makes a cut on the PGA tour. Well, she’s going to try: 8 LPGA tourneys and 2 more PGA events this year (in addition to Sony). Get ready for the ride — it should be one exciting summer. Wie will be back. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: ESPN’s Eric Addleson has this report on how “ridiculously good” Michelle Wie is.
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