MICHELLE WIE will be one of the main attractions at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass., and there better not be a single gripe from a single LPGA player about how she got there.
The USGA screws up enough things while conducting some of its championships, evidenced by the way it mishandled some of the holes at Shinnecock in the U.S. Men’s Open a week ago. But its decision to give Wie a special exemption into the Women’s Open can do nothing but enhance the popularity of women’s professional golf, which should be the goal here.
When it was announced Wie would be given the exemption, there were some lukewarm reactions from some LPGA members, which is absurd when you realize a lot of people who’ll follow the Women’s Open because of Wie’s presence wouldn’t even know about the event had she not been invited.
“Everybody should earn their way to the Open,” said Juli Inkster, an LPGA veteran who’s a two-time Open champion. “It’s an experience everybody should go through. You’ve got to learn how to qualify for things.”
Nonsense.
Wie, who competed in the U.S. Women’s Public Links event last week, doesn’t owe Inkster or anyone else an apology.
Her credentials, even at age 14, are legitimate.
Wie has played in 10 LPGA Tour events in her career, missing one cut. In three LPGA events this year, she finished fourth in the Kraft Nabisco Championship – a major – and her worst finish is a tie for 19th in Atlanta.
If she were a pro, Wie would have earned $131,130, enough money to be 28th on the LPGA money list at the time of qualification, and that would have earned her a spot in the Open because the top 30 on the list automatically qualify.
“It’s totally performance-based,” USGA director David Fay said of the decision to invite Wie. “It has nothing to do with whether she’s 14 or 41. It’s acknowledging that an amateur can play against the very best, and we’re rewarding her for that.”
Said Wie, “I feel I did kind of deserve it. It’s not like I missed every cut on the LPGA and then I got this exemption because I’m 14 years old. I did get in the top 40 on the money list.”
Wie shot the lowest score (68) by a woman competing in a men’s event in January when she missed the cut by a shot at the Sony Open in January.
She not only won the Women’s Public Links last summer at age 13, becoming the youngest person to win a USGA national championship, but at the Sony in Hawaii, she shot 68-72, tying Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Stuart Appleby, British Open champion Ben Curtis and Darren Clarke.
You can make the argument that her performance at the Sony was more impressive than Annika Sorenstam’s at the 2003 Colonial.
Wie is not a sideshow. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she’s going to be a significant part of the LPGA Tour for a long time. Some believe she’ll have the same impact on the women’s game that Tiger Woods had on the men’s game.
Wie’s support team is strong, with her father, B.J., a college professor, and mother, Bo, traveling with her on the mainland. Her instructor is David Leadbetter, with his academy director of golf, Gary Gilchrist, spending day-to-to-day time with her. Mike “Fluff” Cowan has caddied for her when his schedule permitted.
The Wies estimate it cost them about $70,000 last year to fund their daughter’s golf-related expenses, such as equipment, clothes, travel, hotel, food and rental cars. That could increase in the next year along with the demands for her presence.
Some estimates say when Wie turns pro, she could earn $25 million in the first year. Still, she wants to remain an amateur, with no end to that in sight.
“If someone gives you like $50 million, it’s kind of hard to say no,” Wie said. “But I don’t want to accept that money right now and feel really burdened and just, like, drop out of golf. I think that should wait.”
Still, her presence at any women’s golf event beings automatic star power and attention to the event, something the LPGA hasn’t had since the prime days of Nancy Lopez.
The presence of Wie with Sorenstam and the rest of a strong field at a women’s major can do nothing but bring more attention the women’s golf, and there’s no down side to that.
Money talks
A survey by Golf World magazine showed 23 out of 30 players asked were opposed to the exemption that will allow 14-year-old amateur Michelle Wie to play in this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.
However, if Wie were not an amateur, the money she would have won at three tournaments would be enough to qualify for the Open.
Here’s a look at Wie’s finishes this year, and an estimate of prize money:
Tournament Finish Likely prize money
Safeway International T-19th $14,087
Kraft Nabisco 4th $80,090
Michelob Ultra Open $36,153