Hale Irwin versus Michelle Wie...Which is the better sideshow bet?

Maybe if you put a short skirt on Hale, I would be interested.

It's called a kilt, not a skirt.

Lol, side show? My vote goes for Nancy Lopez, 10 over par at the Jamie Farr Classic.

So Nancy left The Villages to long enough to compete...that one is not quite as interesting to me, as she played the LPGA tour for a while. When will we see the first woman on the Champions Tour...will we have to wait for Wie? That's a good 34 years, for goodness' sake! Candice, who wants to see Hale's legs? and Jim, Funk wore a skirt, not a kilt, so it's all right for Hale.

Hale Irwin is a pleasure to watch when he's playing well. So is Michelle Wie.

Ron Mon, you really gave me cause for thought when you mentioned Michelle Wie on the Champions Tour. ;-)

How about the senior women's tour? I mean, how interesting is THAT to watch! When are they changing THEIR name to "Champions"?

Is there really a Senior Women's Tour? To me watching that must be the fifth ring of hell. I can sit out on my deck on Tuesday mornings if I want to watch old women barely nudgeing the ball forward, with their mighty 60 mph clubhead speeds.

What I still don't get is: let's say M.Wie finally makes a cut in the very ordinary John Deere Classic. She finishes T-49th or something like that. What then ? She cannot earn a living on the PGA tour (could not make her card), she cannot make the cut in a real event. And she sure has not increased her capacity to win or to build her confidence for a real golf career. What don't I understand in the advice she is (or is not getting) from her entourage ?

jaypee--I could not agree with you're assertion more. I have been echoing these same sentiments for what seems like years now and until recently have felt like I've been banging my head against the wall. More people seem to be skeptical everyday. The response you will get from the Wie fans will range from the optimistic, some day she might make some cuts via the old standby sponser's exemptions and maybe she will even try to get her card through Q-school; to the capatalistic, it's all about moneyh, who cares if she never wins, she's rich and you're just jealous; to the hopeful, she is actually learning to compete against the best and while she is taking her lumps she is actually growing stronger as a person and a player; to the zen, she has chosen another path in life, her choice to concentrate on losing is a far better career choice then actually learning how to win; finally, the just plain insane(see Jim C.) She will not only dominate the LPGA tour with the lessons learned on the PGA tour, but she will someday not only makes cuts, but win on the PGA tour, and play in not only the U.S. Open, but also the Master's and contend eventually in both. All you can do is document you're opinion and have it handy when her career implodes and she's posing on the cover of Maxim magazine.

JAYPEE

In 4 stroke play events on the LPGA(15 rounds) Wie was a total of 6 shots out of the lead. That amounts to 0.4 strokes per round. Pretty good for a 16 year old. If her focus had been entirely on the women's game she might have had several wins this year. She might already have proved herself to be the DOMINANT woman golfer.

But Wie also competes against the men, and against the men she still has a long way to go.

I think I can answer your question by replacing your word "confidence" with "confidence/complacency". Quite frankly I think it is very good for a 16 year old to have a lower level of confidence/complacency than what Michelle Wie would have right now if she competed only against the women.
Now just think what it will be like for the women in the future if Wie dominates in her play against them, but always plays some golf against the men that cuts her down to size. She beats up the women, gets beaten up by the men, and goes back to train harder.

Jim,

If "DOMINANT" [your caps, not mine] means never winning, then yeah, Wie may have "proved herself to be the DOMINANT woman golfer".

Your hyperbolic statements used to be bordering on the childlike in their naivete. Now they're bordering on the completely delusional.

She's very very good. And so far, it looks like she doesn't have the faintest idea how to deal with the pressure of winning against women or making the cut against men.

Todd

Do you always have this much diffiuclty with your reading comprehension?

If her focus had been entirely on the women's game, she might have had several wins this year. She might already have proved herself to be the DOMINANT woman golfer.

You are calling me DELUSIONAL for suggesting that her LPGA performance this year might have been better IF she had followed YOUR ADIVCE. As it is, her performance has been at such a level that even a slight improvement MIGHT have put her in a position where she would have 3 Maors this year and be going for the Grand Slam. If that had been the case it would not seem unreasonable to call her the DOMINANT woman golfer.

Of course it is possible that you do not believe that Wie could have done any better on the LPGA if she had followed your advice. Perhaps your advice for Michelle Wie was never intended to help her with her game, but intended to serve some other purpose.

It's very simple, Ron Mon, Hale Irwin is considerably better than Bubbles and probably will continue to be until he loses his distance. Irwin is a great player and a fierce competitor.

But what I want to know is why Irwin is playing in the Scottish Open and not in the senior major that is being contested this week.

"As it is, her performance has been at such a level that even a slight improvement MIGHT have put her in a position where she would have 3 Maors this year and be going for the Grand Slam. If that had been the case it would not seem unreasonable to call her the DOMINANT woman golfer."

And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.

Your caps on "MIGHT" also, indicating that your own enthusiasm may be diminishing with each failure. Check out your posts from last year (hell, check them out from the beginning of this year) and you'll see that your grandiose projections about Ms. Wie have become laden with qualifiers and maybes and mights. At the beginning of the year, Wie warriors were projecting multiple LPGA wins, multiple PGA cuts, and leaving Annika in her rear-view mirror.

In a way, it's sad to see the bandwagon slowing to a funereal pace.

I agree, Todd, furthermore, just speaking for myself, I have never questioned Bubbles' golfing ability within the context of being a WOMAN golfer. I have only taken issue with her comportment, have pointed out that she seems to to a choker and absolutely, positively do not believe that she belongs anywhere near the PGA.

A question and answer for hizzoner...Hale is playing in the Scottish Open because they are paying him to play and because Royal Liverpool is the only remaining Open course on which he can contend.

Where did you ever come up with the nickname Bubbles for Michelle Wie?

Read what Dave Marrandette says about Wie. It is enlightening and simple.

Ron Mon said:
"Read what Dave Marrandette says about Wie. It is enlightening and simple."

If it's simple you may be able to understand it, but I still doubt you could be enlightened.

Ahh, Smails. You are wise, indeed. Truly enlightenment is beyond my aspirations. Since I learned the definition of the word "simple," I have strived to makes its definition my own. One day, I hope to be able to spell and define it in the same breath. When that glorious occasion arrives, you will be the first to know.

That's commendable, Ron Mon. To thine own self be true.

However, please note that such humility can disqualify you from Alan Cup consideration.

What exactly is the Alan Cup??

Kudos for the great article. I am glad I have taken the time to learn this.