A Wie question...

Clever, huh :-)

Anyway, thought i'd stick two pence in on the subject of Michelle Wie who is currently languishing in last place after round one of the Casio World Open in Japan.

Firstly, i'd have to say i'm a fan. She's clearly talented at golf and has the potential to create a lot of interest in the game which can have a number of benefits across the world of golf.

However, I don't believe that anyone, least of all her, is really gaining from an ever increasing series of missed cuts in men's events (making one in the south korean one armed men's open notwithstanding). The argument that she's taking the place of someone more deserving (and male) is very lightweight. What I do think is that it is increasingly looking like a gimmick as she is not demonstrating an ability to compete at that level and it is a gimmick that is beginning to wear thin.

Her appearances are Marketing driven and not golf driven which is why i think they will continue until someone either says enough is enough or she improves to a standard where she is worthy of a place in the field of a men's event.

The risk of course is that she goes all Andrea Jaeger or Jennifer Capriati in being a young, female sports prodigy with the world at her feet but external pressures take their toll. Look at Tiger! The guy was bred to be the best golfer in the world but he still played the US College circuit, set a 'bunch' of records, won a bunch of amateur titles (cracks me up when he says he's having a 'bunch of fun'), but - crucially - was all grown up when he turned pro.

Michelle Wie is doing none of that. She's 17 and is now owned by big sports management, marketing and equipment manufacturers. There are no titles of real note, no track record of winning and from her schedule how is it going to come about?

The signs I see are a series of near misses. The number of second places, the poor third or final rounds or poor first rounds followed by excellent second rounds. It all looks to me like she hasn't learned to close out the win yet. I think also with the emergence of Lorena Ochoa this year and some other strong LPGA golfers Michelle Wie has no automatic right to the mantle of best female golfer when it isn't Annika Sorenstam. She still has a lot to prove at all levels, so why not start like her peers and show us some stuff on the LPGA tour (and the LET).

It doesn't take a genius to see though that, apart from the Women's British Open her appearances outside the US will be heavily tied to appearance money and corporate influence.

I'm sure her parents have been telling her since she entered her teens to stay away from boys and focus on her golf. I think that's probably good advice for the next couple of years too.