by Kenny
I am almost 100% sure that there are more than 2 individuals playing golf in professional tournaments. You would never know that by tuning in to the latest coverage by the golf media. Tiger is greaaaaat!! We all know this by now, and Wie is not. What do you say about covering the couple of hundred pros in between once and awhile. I for one, am tired of hearing about both. Thank God it's college football season again....

by Sam Thompson
Thank you Kenny, that about sums it up. I know lots of other people who agree 100%.

by garry
I agree with you entirely and I am somewhat surprised to see so many fans who share the same point of view.I do believe that Michele will never live up to the media's expectations,but then again who could.I also have found that tournament coverage is becoming very uninteresting and I find myself not watching these events to conclusion, on a regular basis.This would have never happen a few years ago.

by Denny Everest
Maybe we should be mad at the men's golf tour for allowing her to play. The tour is just letting the sponsers of her dictate to them that she should play. The problem golf has today is the money that is made by the tour and what sponsers are spending on some players on the tour. Want to get some money back from TV let Wie play and get people to watch.

by Stew Merdian
To Denny & others who are critical of the PGA Tour and the sponsors for allowing Michelle to play or inviting her to play in their events.
Let's look at the issue from their perspective.
1.Where would the PGA Tour be WITHOUT sponsors? Think about it. We would have the Masters, the PGA Championship, the Player's Championship & what else?
The U.S. Open is run by the USGA, the British Open by the R&A. Would you be satisfied with only a handful of golf tournaments a year? Fans across America would be very upset, not to mention the tour players themselves if every sponsor decided to follow Joe Hardy's lead & withdraw from supporting the PGA Tour. In short, without sponsors, there would be NO PGA Tour!
2. Let's suppose that YOU have been invited to play in a PGA Tour event. Let's say the AT&T @ Pebble Beach or the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Would YOU turn down the chance to play with other tour professionals & amateurs like Bill Murray, Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner, etc? We are not talking about just a pro-am event now, but the entire tournament...assuming you make the cut. Clearly the fans love to see these celebrities, so why not join the fun for an experience of a lifetime! Michelle Wie is far more talented than any of the entertainment stars that shine in these events.
3. Michelle Wie is 16 years old. She is an incredibly talented teenager who plays professional golf PART-TIME no less! She has big dreams & has already made over $10 MILLION DOLLARS this year in endorsements & tournament winnings around the world. What were YOU doing when you were 16?
4. Suppose you are a multimillionaire or a CEO of a billion dollar corporation & are considering sponsorship of a PGA Tour event. When you inquire about the ground rules from the PGA, you are told that all sponsorship exemptions have been abolished or that they are restricted to PGA Tour players only. Do you think such restrictions would have a chilling effect on your decision whether or not to proceed?
5. Finally, for all critics of Michelle Wie, whether they are in the media or just golf fans like the rest of us, remember Teddy Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena."
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust & sweat & blood, who strives valiantly, who errs & comes up short again & again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who always knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, & who, at the worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold & timid souls who knew neither victory or defeat."
Fast forward a 100 years, change the gender to "person" & you get the idea. Michelle Wie is "in the arena." She has the courage to reach out for fulfillment of her dreams in full view of public scrutiny. You and I are in the gallery, with the rest of the cold & timid souls, who lack the courage to ever attempt anything like Michelle Wie does...as a 16 year-old no less! Instead, we content ourselves at pontificating on what others have actually done or may do in the future. We are nothing but spectators, watching those with jealous eyes who actually go out & make history by their deeds, not their mouth.
Hey, this is America, the land of the free because of the brave. We enjoy freedom of speech, so have at it with all the gusto you can muster. Just remember, when you're calling shots from the sidelines of history, don't ever forget where you're standing.
Aloha & mahalo,
Stew Merdian
Honolulu, HI

by BJ
Whoa! Looks like you're writing an article on Wie in our local newspaper.
I use to watch Michele practice day in and day out at Ko'Olau and Olomana. She looked, at times, so dragged out, but her parents kept pushing her on. As she grew, there was so much "hype" of how far this 6' teenager can drive a golf ball that and the media JUMPED on that and...wha la....Michele Wie was created! I feel she has missed a good part of her life by turning pro at such a young age not experiencing college play and the feeling of being a "team member" and have that rush in winning when you know you were a part of it. She was asked to enter pro tourney's only because they knew $$ will come in to see the "hype" media created. Michele has not proven herself in the LPGA and in all her golf endeavors she has participated in. Her parents jumped on the money they can make because of her, and Michele is paying for it now.
Poor little rich girl?

by Stew Merdian
Aloha BJ!
I'm not a newspaper columnist or a sports writer, but mahalo just the same.
How can you say that Michelle has not proven herself on the LPGA when her current winnings would rank her in 14th place on the LPGA Tour? (if she were old enough to be a member & play a full schedule) That's not bad for someone who is a full-time high school student & a part-time professional golfer. She averages about $100k per event. She has finished in the top 5 in 5 out of 6 LPGA events this year, including 3 majors. Not bad for 16 years old!
As far as missing out on her childhood or team events, you have a point there. While her contemporaries are hanging out at the mall or Zippy's, poor Michelle is making over $10 million a year in winnings & endorsements, traveling the world, playing practice rounds with Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, & competing head-to-head against Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Christie Kerr, Paula Creamer, etc., not to mention the guys on the PGA Tour. If turning pro means she will miss playing team events at good old Punahou or Stanford, perhaps representing the USA in the Solheim Cup will somehow make up for that!
My wife & I have seen Michelle playing golf at Ko Olina & she looked happy to us-especially when she was beating Parker McLaughlin from UCLA when she was only 14!
Michelle has struggled against the men, but she has time, talent & tenacity on her side. No woman has made a PGA cut in 60 years, but look for Michelle to do it as soon as she gets the putter squared away. Even Tiger struggles with the flat stick from time to time.
Great things are in store for this young lady, & we are all fortunate to be there to witness it when it happens.
Stew Merdian
Honolulu, HI

by bj
Money talks for you too?

by Stew Merdian
Money talks & BS walks!

by Sam Thompson
I applaud this decision. Wait until she does something worthy of attention and then write and talk about it. The media seems to feel the need to run everything into the ground. This could apply to the men's tour as well. When I watch golf,(women or men)I like to see a variety of players, hear about a variety of players and see a variety of players win. All we hear about are the W's. I used to never miss golf on TV..........now I seldom watch.

by Bob S In NJ
I wish your colleagues in the media would follow your lead. It is not the fans, at least, those with whom I am familiar that have created this media blitz. However, she is surely a willig victim so I have little sypathy for her. I do not watch LPGA events because she is playing, I watch them because their game most resembles that of most golfers, male and female, who are playing today.
As a noted golf writer recently stated, let her learn to dominate the amateur and LPGA ranks, then if she wishes graduate to the occasional PGA event. Her presence does increase the gate but at the expense of in all probability forever diminishing what should be and can become a great talent. Let her win under presssure - didn't she lose the California Publinks - and then have her proclaimed the next great woman golfer.

by JERRY ANDERSON
Enough of this young girl on the PGA tour. Her family and close advisors are making HUGE profits from her failed endeavors while the girl struggles. She CAN play well against the women, but the money and TV time isn't there! Frankly, it is now getting old and most times I opt to watch anything other than televised golf if she is part of the program (PGA tour). It is a shame for I look forward to watching the 84 Lumber Classic, not this year! PLEASE ENOUGH WIEing already!

by PAUL BROMBERG
I AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS. I ALSO THINK THAT THE PGA SHOULD PUT A STOP TO THESE SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS. IF MICHELE WANTS TO PLAY MENS EVENTS THEN LET HER MONDAY QUALIFY. I ALSO AGREE THAT MICHELE'S PARENTS AND ADVISORS ARE DOING HER MORE HARM THEN GOOD. WHEN SHE MISSES CUT AFTER CUT IF HAS TO START WEIGHING ON HER CONFIDENCE.

by FREDSO
FORGET THE FANS AND MEDIA SOMEBODY SHOULD GIVE HER FATHER A SWIFT KICK IN THE BUTT AND TELL HIM TO LET HER BE A KID. SHE'S ALREADY BLOWN THE CHANCE TO PLAY IN COLLEGE. THIS CREEP IS JUST TRYING TOO FATTEN UP HIS BANK ACOUNT AT HER EXPENSE.

by Vicki Mott
I agree, let the burros carry the clubs, though they must wear diapers, and write about Michelle when she actually does something with her golf.