I certainly cannot argue that no one in golf has ever been better at “winning” than Tiger. But I’m not sure I would equate his opinion/advice with “almost everyone I can think of in professional golf.”
Should MW fail to be as successful as Tiger (or Annika), well, that in itself would not necessarily qualify her as a failure. Tiger’s competitiveness, and success, are essentially unequalled in golf - or elsewhere in sport.
Re: Annika’s statement - MW is 17. If she has anything, it is time within which to get experience. I still have not been convinced that what she is doing is deleterious to her game, or will decrease her future success on the LPGA. I, and every commentator I have heard, expect her to be a major - and most likely dominant - player in the LPGA for years to come. I think that a full schedule of LPGA events will give her plenty of opportunity to “learn to win.”
And I don’t fault her overmuch for cashing in at an early age. Success - and marketability - in sports can be fleeting, with anonymity only an injury or lack of confidence away. I guess we disagree to the extent that you believe she should spend this time in the near anonymity of the Nationwide Tour.
Like I said, I probably would have advised her to remain an amateur at least until she could play a full LPGA schedule. (Of course, I have never been in the position where I was able to make a single decision as a teenager that would render me financially set for life.) But having made the decision to go pro, I do not question her decision to maximize her earning potential absent any indication that it will significantly decrease her opportunities for future success.
Look, I can’t cite everyone. Show me some really good golfers on the PGA tour who say that they think she’s going the right route. You have to be careful, though. They are all going to be political about, and few will come right out and say “go back to the LPGA tour” because she does bring in money.
Look at what she says about her appearances, though, and compare them to what Annika says. She claims her goal is to win on the PGA tour, and she seems to think she’s already there. When she misses the cut, it’s always an excuse: She had a bad day, or she wasn’t feeling well, or blah, blah, blah. You never hear her say she just isnt’ up to snuff yet and needs to become a much better golfer before she can really compete with the men. This tells me that she has a very poor understanding of where her game is, and believes all the media hype about her.
Did a pretty quick search, and saw that assessment from Tiger was a couple of years old. Didn’t see much in the way of assessment of MW’s performance this past year. Not saying it doesn’t exist - just that my quick search didn’t uncover it.
As I understand it, there has been some question regarding MW’s choice of agent - Phillip Morris, concerning a lack of considerable golf experience. But I don’t think anyone can question the bona fides of her instructors.
If she fails to become a superstar she certainly will not be unique. There certainly are plenty of players with great promise who failed to produce. Ty Tryon is probably the biggest recent example, but Kevin Na hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. (Tryon is currently playing on the Asian Tour, and in a recent event he missed the cut some 17 strokes behind Wie.). I thought Charles Howell III was destined for greatness. Sure he’s making a good living, but who expected only 1 win in 6 seasons? And wasn’t Bobby Clampett expected to be the next big thing? Or Jerry Pate?
And of course, even if you attain success, you might descend as rapidly as Ian Baker-Finch or Ralph Guldahl.
I’d wager a substantial sum that within 5 years MW will have won at least 1 LPGA major, and will have made the cut in at least 1 PGA event. What do you think? Maybe in 33 years we’ll be arguing whether she has a place on the Senior tour!
So, given that her stated goal is to play with the men, and you see nothing wrong with her current game plan, your prediction that it may take as long as 5 years to make one cut seems a bit strange. Minimal sucess on the men’s tour includes making some 20 cuts or so a year. Why is making one cut such a big deal?
I’ve clearly stated that I think there is absolutely zero chance of her successfully competing against men. Nor have I heard anyone else think so. Lots of teenagers have unrealistic dreams/goals.
I actually suspect she will win women’s tourneys and make men’s cuts in less than 5 years. Was merely tossing out some numbers. Given the number of people who try to compete on both tours, accomplishing both by age 22 would be impressive for just about anyone.
Probably much sooner than that. But there are quite a few LPGA tour players who could make the cut on the PGA if given 6 chances to do so. The novelty will wear off sooj enough, and soon she’ll realize that she ain’t gonna make any money on the PGA. Then she’ll come back to the LPGA and try to get along with the folks she snubbed.
