Sounds like Japan Casio Open turned down Michelle Wie, not other way around
The mainstream golf press has managed to miss an important development in Michelle Wie’s career saga.
While it’s been widely reported that Wie will not be playing in Japan’s Casio Open this year, the strong words of the tournament sponsor spokesman seemingly indicating that it’s Casio and not the Wies who decided she wouldn’t be playing have been all but completely ignored.
“It has been decided that she won’t play this year,” Casio Computers spokesman Yuichi Miyakawa told AFP. “Basically, we have determined that she cannot play fully to her potential because she has yet to recover from hand injuries suffered early in the season.”
That sure doesn’t sound like Michelle Wie determined she wouldn’t play. When’s Wie ever not pulled out of a tournament through her own spokesman? More tellingly, when have you ever known Wie to turn down a guaranteed no-performance-necessary big paycheck voluntarily either? And Casio reportedly paid Wie a million dollar appearance fee to play at this tournament in 2005 and almost $900,000 to play in 2006.
Apparently, Casio is the first sponsor to grow sick of paying Wie to show up and do nothing in competition. Casio’s man wasn’t finished taking veiled shots (or slinging backhanded compliments) at Wie either. He noted that she followed missing the cut by one shot in 2005 by finishing second to last and missing the cut by 17 shots in 2006.
“What we had really hoped in the beginning was that Wie would make the cut and battle neck-to-neck with the men,” Miyakawa told AFP. “We have not achieved results in that sense.
“But her presence drew attention from various people inside and outside the golf world. That was an achievement in itself.”
It doesn’t sound like it was enough for an achievement for Casio to let her play in its men’s event this year though. Maybe Casio doesn’t want to see Wie embarrass herself under their corporate logo. Oh well, at least Wie always has that “sparkly” Omega watch she loves so much.
Will Casio invite Wie back for another cool million if she rediscovers her ability to just do enough not to ever win in 2008? Certainly. But it’s still very significant that Wie finally appears to have been called on her play by someone.
Maybe, that sounds a wake up call in a Team Wie World that often seems completely disconnected from reality.
Of course, Wie’s vaunted PR team does not want anyone in the golf press to tell you about that.
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18 comments
After her Samsung result, there was no way that Wie was going to play the Casio.
As she showed by pulling out of the JD, she has gained the maturity to know when to not play certain events.
Had she performed better at the Samsung, maybe a couple of rounds in the sixties, then of course she may have played, but it just wasn't an option in 2007 for her.
And Chris, I don't think she will play the Sony Open either.
She will play her next mens events, having performed well in women's events before it.
Have you looked up the definition of 'beating a dead horse' lately?
You might see Wie's picture next to it.
If you listened to Leadbetter, he explained clearly how Michelle made the mistake of not rehabbing properly.
She should have healed and then went through the rehabbing process and building strength, then the more intensive practice and then started playing competitively again.
She came back too soon, and that just lengthened the injury and how long it would affect her.
It was a silly mistake and not the first mistake that Team Wie have made.
But Leadbetter has said that she has been working with some top people for her rehabbing and is much stronger, so it is just a case of practice.
If you break your wrist and aren't doing your usual golf practice and other general work, the muscles in your arm and shoulder etc will get weaker, and it does take time to build them up again, and that is crucial to the golf swing.
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Mike, after she turned pro, she was top 5 in her first three majors.
You'll never be ab le to convince Stanley that Bubbles' injury was anything but serious, even career-threatening.
Stanley sure wears a lot of hats.
First, he told us about all the inside knowledge he was privy to, since he is in the "golf business."
He professes to know all the inner workingf of the Wie cabal.
Now he would have people believe he is a top-notch orthopedic surgeon.
1. Her changing of her golf swing (which was poetry in motion) in order to try and add distance and so have a better chance in the PGA tournaments.
2. Her unorthodox way of rehabing from her injury.
3. Her mental state of mind due to both her unique way of becoming a pro and her recent struggles after years of success.
4. getting condemnation rather than adulation from the media
Hopefully she will have the strength of will to work through this, send her folks home to hawaii (who takes mom and dad to college?) and return to comptetive golf
Since your area of expertise is in that field, perhaps you can answer this question:
What precisely was the nature of Miss Wie's injury? Also, where did the injury occur? I've asked these questons several times, but I've never received a satisfactory reply.
The last paragraph of your post presented what I consider an dismal omen on the furure golf career of Miss Wie. You said you had hopes that she would have the "strength of will" to work through her troubles.
For what it's worth, I've never known any teenage girl who had the "strength of will" to overcome any sort of tribulations. If they develope any emotional stability at all, it is when they enter their mid-twenties. Steel will is not a trait possessed by teenage girls.
I find it interesting that the media can report "top secret" documents that have been "leaked" and can not get the real story behind Michelle's broken wrist. Evidently, the Wie Camp must run a tight ship with regard to Bubbles. I think MW had read too many times that she was a "golfing phenom" and she started to believe it.
You know as well as I do that the Wies were motivated by money. And to be honest, I don't blame them. After all, you never know what can happen in a few years; your stock could fall (as hers has), or you could get injured.
What I do blame them for is being complete phonies and allowing their daughter to behave like a conceited, callow brat.
Miss Wie declared as a professional just prior to her sixteenth birthday.
It was reported that this declaration came rather abruptly since her amateur standing had come into question because it appeared that she had breached several rules in her acceptance of travel expenses and other gratuities from tournament promoters. There is little doubt in my mind that her parents made the decision for her to turn pro, thereby making any questions moot concerning amateur status.
And thus far, her professional status has been an eminent success, with the single exception of her golf career. She has racked up millions in endorsements and appearance fees without accomplishing anything of note.
On another thread, I mentioned that a colleague of mine had seen her picture emblazoned on several billboards in Malaysia trumpeting her as a "champion golfer from Korea." So it looks like the William Morris agency and BJ and Bo will ride this one-trick pony to the finish line.
As far as Bubbles starting her college career after turning pro, I think it was more a matter of expediency than necessity. It got them the pot of gold and deflected any further investigation into the many questionable freebies that Bubbles was receiving at the behest of BJ and BO.
Joe, thanks for referring to some of my comments as intelligent. That makes at least two of us with the same opinion. :-)
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