# Congratulations Michelle Wie **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 17, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875 "2009-11-17T03:09:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/61 "2009-11-20T22:48:47Z")
There is a new women’s pro soccer league in the US but it’s smaller than the WUSA from a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/62 "2009-11-21T02:26:49Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I never said it was you. You just jumped on with a bunch of off-topic rhetoric about AK that had nothing to do with the thread. I don’t give a flying crap about her tennis game. That also was not my doing. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/63 "2009-11-21T18:06:34Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > That also was not my doing. Yes it was. The idiotic question in post #50 was your doing. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/64 "2009-11-21T18:16:18Z")
I kept trying to stay on Wie. That doesn’t sound quite right does it? But when someone says Kournakova was not a good tennis player, I take exception. I tried to stay on topic. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/65 "2009-11-21T19:36:49Z")
Of course, the real point of comparison I was making (in response to someone else who brought Kournikova up) was that it was fallacious to liken a tennis pro who is pretty much retired, to a golfer who just recently turned 20 years old, and then say that, since neither had ever won a singles title, that the hype surrounding Wie was equally as unwarranted as the hype surrounding Kournikova. Wie has had the most stellar golf career as a teen as anyone in the history of the game\*, male or female, thus the Kournikova comparison was invalid (since the performances of teenage tennis wunderkinds like Tracy Austin, Monica Seles, or even Gaby Sabatina et al. completely blow away what Kournikova did (or didn’t do)-and golfers peak much later than tennis players in any event). \*Tiger might have an argument, as might Jack, if we include males. Michelle likely would have won some US Female Amateurs if she hadn’t turned pro. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/66 "2009-11-21T20:00:15Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I kept trying to stay on Wie. That doesn’t sound quite right does it? But when someone says Kournakova was not a good tennis player, I take exception. I tried to stay on topic. Who said that? Answer: Nobody in this thread. Next time, try harder. ETA:John DiFool is on target with his post. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/67 "2009-11-21T21:49:39Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Driving distance for Tiger Woods this year: 298.4 yds., which places him 21st on the Tour in that statistic. > > Do you really think Tiger is only 21st on the Tour when it comes to how long he can hit the ball if he wants? :rolleyes: > > Tiger, like Michelle Wie, does not try to hit the crap out of the ball on every drive. The drives he tries to hit long may not be on holes the Tour is measuring. I am willing to bet that Michelle Wie can still hit the ball 300 yards on a good day. It’s just unlikely that she chooses to try very often. > > What is a glaring statistic is that she has a really abysmal driving accuracy stat. Of course, she is 22nd in GIR, which in my opinion, of the skill stats, is the one that best correlates to good results in tournaments. Even though she hits a lot of drives in the rough, she gets out of the rough regularly and makes the green. Which might mean that her drives into the rough are really not that inaccurate, and are simply going through the intended landing areas just barely into the rough. Tiger is far from the longest hitter on the tour. There are some launchers out there. If the elimination of square grooves impacts the ability to get on the green, the players will be dialing back. But so far blasting away has not been much of a penalty. The tour measures hoes that invite a launch for the driving distance. You will note it is not a dogleg or layup shot hole. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/68 "2009-11-22T01:20:38Z")
I’ve been to Tour tournaments and seen the holes they choose. Some people might choose to launch on them; Tiger often does not. The reason is that they will often have some feature about the hole that makes it more advisable for Tiger to dial back with his trusty 3-wood, or even an iron. Tiger’s driving stats are not truly indicative of his driving ability. At the Tour tournament in Charlotte this year, Tiger drove the 14th green in the last round. No one else that I am aware accomplished it that day. Tiger has much more length than he usually uses, and I defy you to assert with a straight face that there are 20 players on the Tour who, if they teed it up on the practice tee with Tiger, would routinely outdrive him when he’s actually trying to hit a long ball. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/69 "2009-11-22T04:22:14Z")
[http://web.tigerwoods.com/onTour/seasonStatistics](http://web.tigerwoods.com/onTour/seasonStatistics) Here are more statistics on Tiger 2009 than you will ever need. He leads in the most important stats, scoring ,winning and earnings. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/70 "2009-11-22T13:44:13Z")
Interesting site, but relevant to our discussion how? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/71 "2009-11-22T15:33:47Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Of course, the real point of comparison I was making (in response to someone else who brought Kournikova up) was that it was fallacious to liken a tennis pro who is pretty much retired, to a golfer who just recently turned 20 years old, and then say that, since neither had ever won a singles title, that the hype surrounding Wie was equally as unwarranted as the hype surrounding Kournikova. Wie has had the most stellar golf career as a teen as anyone in the history of the game\*, male or female, thus the Kournikova comparison was invalid (since the performances of teenage tennis wunderkinds like Tracy Austin, Monica Seles, or even Gaby Sabatina et al. completely blow away what Kournikova did (or didn’t do)-and golfers peak much later than tennis players in any event). > > \*Tiger might have an argument, as might Jack, if we include males. Michelle likely would have won some US Female Amateurs if she hadn’t turned pro. Just because their respective career paths aren’t happening simultaneously doesn’t derail the comparison entirely. Both were (or are) young, good-looking and incredibly hyped (and endorsement-compensated) compared to their limited amount of success in their respective sports. I agree Wie has had more success than Kournikova, and that it can be problematic comparing the two sports of golf and tennis due to the age ranges involved when players “peak” in their careers. And again, I was mostly joking anyway. I do happen to mostly agree with **Ellis Dee** on one thing though: women’s sports tend to pretty much suck. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875/72 "2009-11-22T18:37:05Z")
I don’t think even a successful Wie can save the womens tour. It will have to go international. The LPGA will have to travel world wide to get enough tournaments. For a while the newness will build audiences ,but women don’t support their sport teams or leagues. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congratulations-michelle-wie/517875.md?page=3)