Should Michelle Wie Play With the Guys?

Teenager Michelle Wie, who has been out of the spotlight with a wrist injury, created a stir this week by once again accepting a sponsor invitation to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic. The announcement comes on the heels of negative feedback from LPGA players, who disagreed with her inclusion into the lucrative Samsung World Championship at season’s end.

The argument from most critics: Michelle Wie should prove herself on the LPGA Tour before getting the benefits of super-stardom.

Yet, here she is, once again playing with the guys – even after her coach David Leadbetter said she wouldn’t. So, I ask you — should Michelle Wie be allowed to play the PGA Tour, even when her credentials do not merit such an invitation?

First, let me say this about Michelle Wie. I believe she’s a tremendous talent, who over the next few years will bring the LPGA Tour to unprecedented heights.

Michelle Wie reminds me a lot of Bobby Jones, who also played with an effortless style and grace…who also won an important amateur tournament at age 13…who also became an instant celebrity. However, golf fans watched with bated breath as the boy wonder kept finding ways to lose and disappoint. Still, even when losing, Bobby Jones was the biggest draw in golf. He was the golfer fans wanted to most see. Then, at age 21, Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open and didn’t stop winning until he retired at age 28. I see the same type of scenario happening for Michelle Wie. Here is a girl who plays golf like no other female in history. A girl who won the U.S. Women’s Public Links at age 13 – but since has not lived up to extremely high expectations. Yet, she is still the girl everyone talks about. Still the girl everyone wants to watch play. And still the girl who gets special exemptions to men’s events and women’s invitationals. The question is — will her career end up like Bobby Jones? Will she win a bunch of majors and change the way the women’s game is played?

I say yes!

So what’s stopping her?

I think Michelle Wie’s biggest problem thus far has been scheduling. Whoever’s decision it was for her to play 6 straight weeks on three continents last summer should be fired. Not even Tiger Woods — let alone a teenager — should ever attempt a schedule like that. The reason — every time Michelle Wie plays a golf tournament — it’s an event. She is hounded like a rock star. Whether it’s an LPGA event, a Japanese tournament or trying to qualify for the men’s U.S. Open – every tournament has a major championship feel. And no one can handle that much stress that many weeks in a row. And undoubtedly, she lost her confidence. And with that lack of confidence, came a run of bad play, which brought out the naysayers. Critics were saying — “See, she should be playing junior golf and learning how to win.”

I have never heard such ridiculous comments. Any person who believes Michelle Wie would gain more experience playing and winning high school tournaments in Hawaii than she would playing practice rounds with Ernie Els knows nothing about golf. Besides, by then, Pandora’s Box had been open. You can’t close it. You cannot go from almost winning the Women’s U.S. Open to playing junior golf. Just doesn’t work that way.

So, let’s address my initial question. Should Michelle get special invites to the PGA Tour? My simple answer is no. I don’t think she deserves it. That said, if a sponsor, who are in the business of selling tickets, want to use one of their four exemptions on Michelle Wie — it’s their prerogative. And I personally think Michelle would be crazy to turn it down.

One of the hardest things I face as an instructor to aspiring professionals is simulation. You can spend as much time on the range and playing local events as possible, but it will never prepare you for the moment on the first tee of a major tournament. The only thing that will do that is playing in major tournaments. So the more Michelle can play in pressure events, the more comfortable she will get. And when she gets completely comfortable — Tiger comfortable — look out! She will win in bunches. Still, let me reiterate what I said earlier — she has to pay better attention to her schedule. She cannot play too many in a row.

As for the LPGA girls who don’t think she deserves an exemption into the Samsung — I say wake up. Michelle Wie is one of the top 5 women golfers in the world — hands down. She has a number of top 5 finishes in LPGA Majors over the last 3 years and almost always is in contention to win against the girls. She may very well win the Samsung this year if she gets healthy.

I think the wrist injury is the best thing to happen to Michelle. It took her out of the spotlight for a while and allowed her to get her bearings. Like I said, Michelle Wie will eventually change the women’s game. The one thing that might hold her back? She needs to putt a little better.

What do you think? Should Michelle play with the Guys?