George White | |
Golf with George
January 14th, 2006
George has been a journalist for close to 40 years. He wrote sports for the Houton Chronicle for 19 years and the Orlando Sentinel for 7 years. In 1994 he was one of the first people hired at the Golf Channel, were he started a career as a on-air talent, then moved over as one of the first writers of Golf Central and then their website. White retired from the Golf Channel after 12 years at the end of 2006. He will be writing a weekly column for GolfObserver.
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GolfObserver editors
Tale of two Hawaiian teen-agers
Marco Garcia/WireImage |
| Tadd Fujikawa and Michelle Wie |
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This is a tale of two Haiwaiian teen-agers who passed each other going in different directions last week. One, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa, was headed up as he played into the weekend and actually contended briefly for the Sony title. The other, 17-year-old Michelle Wie, wasn't quite so fortunate. She continued a mystifying tailspin that began in July, missing another cut in a men's tournament, once again sinking near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Tadd's story is a wonderful tale of a baby born 3 and a half months prematurely and given only a 50-50 chance to live, of a youngster who grew to only 5-feet-l, and yet who shocked everyone by belting a 340-yard drive last week. He in fact was only four shots off the lead at one point in the back nine Saturday as he joyfully toured the Wailaie course before his hometown fans.
He readily agrees that it was Michelle Wie who inspired him - inspired a lot of Haiwaiian youngsters - to pick up the game when she burst so spectacularly on the scene at the age of 14.
Photo: © Stan Badz/WireImage |
| Tadd Fujikawa after making a putt on his final hole on Friday to make the cut. |
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"You know," he said, "when she first started playing this tournament, she was doing really well. At age 14, she almost made the cut. I think that really gave the Hawaii juniors a really big - I think it gave them something to strive for. I think it kind of told them, you know, 'You can do it, too.' If she can do it, then you can do it, and gave them kind of an inspiration to do better."
Tadd is the youngest amateur in 50 years to make a cut on the PGA Tour, even though he's a foot shorter and almost two years younger than Michelle. He began whacking around a golf ball at the age of 8, and didn't have his first golf lesson until he was 12. He has been in the field before in a men's professional tournament, and it was a big one. He made the field for last year's U.S. Open, though he didn't survive the cut.
Photo: © Marco Garcia/WireImage |
| Michelle Wie didn't look happy after missing another cut. |
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Then there's Michelle. Four years ago she did indeed barely miss the cut at the Sony, shooting 1-under-par while making birdies on two of the final three holes. This year, though, she was 15 shots higher, scoring 14-over-par while hitting just five fairways in two days.
Wie has been an exceptional talent when she has challenged the women. And, until recently, she has been somewhat competitive when she has challenged the men. She came very close to making the field for the U.S. Open last year playing against the stiffest of competition in the final qualifier. And, she missed making the cut by only a single stroke in a PGA Tour tournament when she was only 14 years of age.
Obviously, she has regressed since then. Why?
Maybe it's because, as Charles Howell III suggested, her body is changing rapidly as she grows taller and heavier. Maybe her swing - or her instruction - has gotten too mechanical. Maybe she's overconfident. Of course, maybe it's none of the above - maybe she really just isn't good enough to play at this level. That seems to be what a lot of people are wishing.
Photo: © Scott Halleran & Donald Miralle/Getty Images |
| Photo on the left was Michelle Wie in March, 2003, the photo on the right in 2007. |
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I have never understood why such an overwhelming majority of people have such negative opinions of this young woman. Many are downright rabid in their personal attacks on her.
Why? Blame her father if you want. Blame her sponsors if you want. If you feel so disposed, blame the tournaments which have issued her invitations. Blame the media which reports her scores. Blame the talent agency which helps her set up her golf schedule.
But don't blame the girl. She's only doing what you or I would love to do, which is play golf on the world's most prominent stages. Eight times a year, she does it is against women - the maximum she is allowed while she is still a non-member of the LPGA Tour. The remainder must be against men. And, admittedly, she has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Wie made $20 million, give or take a few bucks, in her first year as a professional in 2006. Ninety-five percent of that came from off-the-course sources, either corporations she endorses or tournament sponsors. But don't forget, someone had to offer the money - she didn't just boldly steal it.
Photo: © Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images |
| Michelle Wie off the course. |
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She hasn't asked for it. But she'll take the money - she isn't THAT stupid - leaving millions of golf fans stewing about the fortune she's making. Is she any more guilty of being opportunistic than Joe Schmoe would be, if Joe Schmoe had the chance? I hardly think so.
Wie is only guilty of being wildly optimistic. No, she isn't anywhere near being ready for the PGA Tour. Neither, incidentally, was Tiger Woods at the age of 17. To further complicate the scenario, Wie isn't even a fulltime golfer. She's a fulltime student, part-time athlete. And believe me when I say this - no one who goes at this craft only part-time has ever been a consistent success in golf.
Vijay Singh, who doesn't have a reputation of being exactly a liberal thinker about such things, was totally in agreement that Wie had a right to be at Sony.
"It doesn't bother me," Singh said at the beginning of the week. "I think at the end of the day she has to decide what is good for her and what is not. Her team has to decide what is good and what is not.
"It would be nice if she gets her goal and she makes the cut (she, of course, didn't). If she does that, then maybe she can get on and play some golf. I'd like to see her win, go out there and make a real name for herself, that she can really do that. She's a great player, and will be a great player on the ladies tour."
Vijay believes, though, that Wie will never reach her full potential until she can throw herself completely into golf. She can't possibly exhibit her true talent when she plays only when she has a break from her academic studies.
Photo: © Stan Badz/Wire Image |
| Fujikawa had all the fun this week as he even got to be interviewed by Kelly and Nick. |
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"You can't get a rhythm," Singh explained. "You have to feel a rhythm about your swing, but how can you, planning to play the tour? You cannot just jump on one tour, especially if you're a (17)-year-old girl. I wouldn't want my boy to do that and he's 16."
If you are one of the people who believe that Wie is wrong simply because she is competing against men, then you and I have a serious problem. But if you believe that she has simply bitten off a much bigger chunk than she can gnaw on, that she ought to now concentrate on competing against the ladies, then I believe you have hit the nail squarely on the head.
For young Fujikawa, however, it's a pleasant stroll in the park. And, quite simply, Tadd is just loving the life.
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