[Previous entry: "The Ocean is Unforgiving"] [Next entry: "Queasy Wiesy"]
06/05/2006: "Michelle Wie is Not a Man"
As I write this, Michelle Wie is on a golf course in New Jersey, trying to qualify to play in next week's US Open golf tournament. While it would make a compelling story, I'm hoping she fails.
Now don't assume this is some misogynistic rant akin to Hootie Johnson and the Masters. It ain't. It's about earning respect, and the opportunities that come with it.
I make my arguement after the jump ...
There's no question that Wie has the game to play with the men, and she has done so before on sponsor's exemptions. She's six feet of photogenic prowess, driving the ball further than many men and all the women. But she has yet to prove herself, and that's my gripe.
Why, exactly, are the sponsors tripping over themselves to get her to play in their Men's Tour events? Because where she goes, the money follows. Does it matter that she's seldom played with the women and never won? Does it matter that she has a single tournament win (USGA Junior Women's Amateur)? Apparently not.
After all, if she was just another golfer, would we know that she was wearing olive capris and a coral sweater with a lime-striped shirt underneath, as has been reported this morning?
Michelle is often compared to Tiger Woods, for her skill, her precociousness, and her sponsorships. When Tiger turned pro in 1996, there was just as many people looking to see what he would do. But he had won six consecutive USGA titles prior to turning pro. He had earned the right to see what he could do.
It is true that the US Open is just that - open to anyone - and if Wie qualifies, she will have earned the opportunity to tee it up next weekend. But you might want to think twice before you consider this a good thing. If you consider the men's tour to simply be the best challenge - as Wie does - then where does that leave the women's tour. Is it relegated to second-class status, played only by those women unable to play on the "big tour". Worse, if women play the men's tour, then it's just a matter of time until they demand the same - albeit ridiculous - right to play the LPGA events. You really don't want to go there.
Michelle, you have the poise, the skill, and the power to revolutionize the women's game. Take the time to do that before you ask for the opportunity to move to the next level.
