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Hawaii, Wie, Fujikawa, PGA Tour: Ruminations on a theme

Saturday January 13, 2007 | 09:05:00 384 words, 3060 views
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The floodgates have opened, the scribes have sharpened their pencils and keyboards, and the rain continues to fall in Binghamton. Not more than ten miles from what I considered 2006’s “unkindest cut of all,” with deference to my colleague, I ruminate, ponder, meditate, cogitate, and deliberate on what Tadd Fujikawa and Michelle Wie’s performances over the last two days and four years, respectively, represent to the golf world.

Tadd Fujikawa suceeded at age 16 where Michelle Wie failed at age 14 (I may be wrong). When he needed an extremely clutch performance, he came through. Although he had two bogeys on his final nine, he countered with two birds and that glorious eagle. Pair that with two birdies on the front, and you recognize a recipe for success. Michelle Wie’s injury must be greater than anticipated, as she was done in by 14 bogeys and two doubles over her two days at Waialae. That or her mental stability is so, well, unstable, that she cannot summon much of anything when the chips are even or down. No, she wasn’t going to make the cut after that 78, but a 68 in round two, identical to 2006, seemed reasonable when she birdie hole number one on Friday. She also closed with a birdie, but had even bogeys and pars for the other 16 holes.

Is it time for “Sideshow Wie” to take a break from the PGA Tour? Yes. Is it time for Michelle Wie to recuperate from injury, return to a semblance of a teenaged life? Yes. Is it time for Tadd Fujikawa to bask in the glow of a fortunate performance? Yes.

Michelle Wie has given us a great deal to write about these last four years. Perhaps she will do so again, for the right reasons. Perhaps we will write about her performances at the Women’s Open, the Women’s British, the LPGA and the Nabisco. We will not cover her at the US Women’s Am, the Curtis Cup, nor these last few US Junior Ams.

Imagine if she had tried to qualify for the Boys Junior Am last year, or the year before, prior to turning pro, and gone deep into the match play rounds. I think that she might have done it. Now that would have been something to build on. As always, hindsight is better than foresight.


Comments:

Comment from: JR [Visitor] Email
just one thing... MW did not open with or
close with a birdie. She played the back
9 first. She was 4 over after 7 and after back to back birdies (18 & 1), she
followed that up with 4 more bogies. She
was never in danger of shooting a 68.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 10:23
Comment from: Judge [Visitor] Email
Uh, Fujikawa succeeded at 16 where Bubbles failed at 14, 15, 16 AND 17, my liberal blogger.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 15:55
Comment from: Alex [Visitor]
Ron Mon,

Did you say that you wanted to be ob jective, to tell it like it is?

I don't think so.

In just this one blog, you give away your bias.

Bubbles' "injury" must be worse than anticipated.

And Tadd had a "fortunate" performance.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 16:53
Comment from: Judge [Visitor] Email
Alex,

The funny thing is that Tadd had a "fortunate" performance two days in a row. Bubbles hasn't been "fortunate" in about ten tries.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 17:31
Comment from: JR [Visitor] Email
I agree with Alex... your praise of
Fujikawa does seem like a second hand
compliment.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 17:33
Comment from: Judge [Visitor] Email
Hey, Fujikawa is three under through ten and sits in eighth place. What a fortunate boy.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 17:53
Comment from: Judge [Visitor] Email
My, each of this fortunate boy's last two rounds has been better than Bubbles' all time best round at the Sony. I guess it really is true that it's better to be lucky than good.

Or, maybe it's that it's better to be good than hyped.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:01
Comment from: John D [Visitor]
Fortunate? This kid had to actually QUALLIFY, in order to compete. THEN he goes out and kicks ass!!

Did you hear his interview? He said he is going to continue to play some amateur events...He did not mention he was planning to turn pro tomorrow, just because he did good (so far) in ONE event.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:03
Comment from: tommy [Visitor] Email
judge:

it's much better to be hyped and worth $30mil. just my personal opinon.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:07
Comment from: Halster [Visitor] Email
MW is the fortunate one to rake in the $ millions. Tadd is the real thing. While watching his exploits late in round two and then today's round three, I never felt so much excitement for the guy. No corporate hype. No private school mention. No thousands of dollars a day Leadbetter coaching. We all witnessed and felt the emotion of Tadd's accomplishments without the handlers' spin or the Wiesel's excuses. Go Tadd!

Waipahu, Hawaii
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:16
Comment from: Judge [Visitor] Email
Yes, Halster, Fujikawa is someone for whom I can really root; I hope he wins the whole thing. It's nice to see a youngster competing without pretense; it's great when the skills exceed the hype, as opposed to the other way around.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:23
Comment from: NYC [Visitor] Email
Tommy--Humility, accomplishment and a geuine sense of pride are things which Michelle currently does not possess; all the money in the world won't change this.
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 20:50
Comment from: tommy [Visitor] Email
nyc - i hold no favor for MW. just read some of my other posts on different blogs. i was just merely stating that i would rather be worth 30mil than be tadd fujikawa. that's all. it may be shallow but i am a realist (pessimist?).
Permalink 01/13/07 @ 22:12
Comment from: Judge Smails [Visitor] Email
I'd rather be Judge Smails than be worth 30 million.
Permalink 01/14/07 @ 00:12
Comment from: RonMon [Visitor] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon
I've missed you guys! Where were you as I was writing less-controversial blogs? Hope you had a nice Kwanzaa.

Now, on to the moment...could you not expand your respective pithy understandings of the adjective 'fortunate' to include hard work? Fujikawa is 'fortunate' that he has the guts and perseverance to go after and grind for what he wants. Wie is 'fortunate' that there have been so many suckers in the world (her parents included) that she can bankroll the next two or three generations of family on a smoke-and-mirrors performance. How's that for some truth in advertising?
Permalink 01/14/07 @ 10:17
Comment from: Oliver Sudden [Visitor] Email
I hardly think Michelle Wie's parants are suckers. They took the corporate morons looking for the next Tiger Woods to the cleaners big time. How's that for the truth !
Permalink 01/14/07 @ 23:39
Comment from: Mike [Visitor] Email
And the soap "As the Golf World Turns" continues
Permalink 01/15/07 @ 04:36
Comment from: jamie [Visitor] Email
The young lady from Hawaii keeps saying in her interviews that she is "learning alot" playing the PGA events. She is not making any progress.
Permalink 01/15/07 @ 15:33
Comment from: Mr. Wonderful [Visitor] Email
Hey Guys...

Wrote on another blog and we need to consider the Big Three for the year; Wie, The Fed Ex Cup and The Win Zone...

Voting is open for the biggest croc of crap you don't want to hear anything else about the rest of the year...and it only January...

God Bless Tadd!!!

Mr. W.
Permalink 01/15/07 @ 22:14
Comment from: RonMon [Visitor] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon
What the heck is the win zone? Is it from the golf channel? if so, being amish, i don't have cable, so we don't get the golf channel.
Permalink 01/16/07 @ 00:36
Comment from: Shanks [Visitor] Email
Ron Monster, if cable isn't available, you gotta get a dish, my man! Win Zone is some computer concoction from TGC that calculates up-to-the-moment percentages on a given golfer's chance of winning. Somewhat entertaining. Goydos didn't have a double-digit chance until he had a 1-shot lead playing the 18th ahead of Donald & Howell. But not having TGC means you missed the most fun story in quite a while: T-Fooj!
Permalink 01/16/07 @ 07:49
Comment from: RonMon [Visitor] Email · http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon
Hey, best quote of the week from Tadd: If I didn't work so hard on my putting, I wouldn't have made... Is everyone reading and retaining?
Permalink 01/16/07 @ 08:44

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