Why Michelle Win Just Can’t Win
Professional golfer Michelle Wie is the perfect example of the negative impact of the burden of overzealous promoters. Between her parents, writers, observers, and sponsors, Wie was expected to be the be-all and end-all of the LPGA Tour and catapult the organization into a mainstream level of popularity, as well as become the equivalent of the female Tiger Woods, her favourite player.
Unfortunately for her career, Wie decided to turn pro much too quickly (as she turned pro when she was just 16 years old) and was not able to handle the unrealistic expectations placed on her at such a young age. The Hawaiian native’s story can be told like a classic tale of too much, too soon.
Currently ranked as one of the top ten golfers in the Rolex Rankings, Wie is participating in the women’s US Open tournament. She started the tournament at the Oakmont golf course with a round of 11-over-par 82 and only managed to find four fairways, as well as four three-putt greens on her front nine. Those stats have become pretty much become a trend for her.
Yet the question that most seem to be asking themselves when the watch her play and check her rankings at tournaments is, what happened to that child golf prodigy? What happened to all of the talent that she was supposed to have? Because if we look strictly at numbers and rankings, if Michelle Wie was any another player, then she wouldn’t even be on anyone’s radar. Yet she still is, because most still have the hope that she will pull out of her slump (if it can even still be considered that at this point) and rise to the top.
At the moment Wie is very far from the goal that she set for herself to beat Tiger Woods at the age of 20. And the only titles that Wie has to show for the past four years that she has spent as a professional is to lead the United States to a Solheim Cup victory (the women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup) and a title on the LPGA tour at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, a win that took place way back in 2008.
However despite her lack of titles, she somehow still manages to earn more than any other American female golfer earns anything close to, with off-course earnings totaling over US$10 million in endorsement deals. And when you combine that with the fact that she's a golfer only six months out of the year, she may not be earning titles, but she must be doing something right.
Although Wie has been told since she was 10 that she would be one of the greatest female golfers, she has yet to get there. The former golf prodigy has yet to become anything even closely resembling a consistent performer, particularly when you consider that she finished in the top 10 at the LPGA major Kraft-Nabisco at the age of 13. Currently Wie hasn't finished in the top 10 at a major in four years, and she's ranked 16th on the LPGA even though she first played in a tour event eight years ago.
"I want to win a major, so I better be ready. You know, I'm just working on my game and having fun at it. I'm trying my hardest. You know, you never know, " said Wie.
At the moment she still has time to meet the expectations placed on her, since at the same age, Woods hadn’t won a major title either. However Wie shouldn’t take too much time, as the players in the women's field are much younger than golfers on the men's tour.
Alexis Thompson, the latest up and coming player, just turned pro at age 15, and there are just over 20 teenage golfers in the U.S. Open field who are younger than Wie. Already, the next generation is nipping at her heels even before Wie herself has been able to cement her position in women’s golf. Let’s hope that she’s able to at least keep her position in the top ten spot.
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