THE MICHELLE WIE THREAD

[DaveT319]

College life-
http://www.bunkershot.com/2007/viewstory.cfm?ID=6062

An Interview With Michelle Wie - Samsung World Championship

PAM WARNER:   Michelle, thank you for coming in and joining us today.  It's your fourth time playing here at the Samsung World Championship, just talk about being back at here BIGHORN.
MICHELLE WIE:  You know, I love it here.   I really do.  It's a great venue.  It's a great golf course.  And you know Samsung just holds a really good tournament every single year and I can't believe it's my fourth year already.  I'm just really happy to be back.
PAM WARNER:   Since the last time we've talked you started school at Stanford, what has your experience so far at school been like?
MICHELLE WIE:  I can't explain enough of it.  It's been so crazy.  I think crazy is the one word that explains college.  It's hard work, but it's a lot of fun, too.  I just love the people in my dorm, thankfully my roommate is pretty normal.  I like her.  We both said the same thing to each other, God, I'm so glad you're not psycho or going to kill yourself this year.  So it works out.  I made a lot of great new friends.  The professors are great.  I'm really excited about the classes that I am taking this year. 
PAM WARNER:   Questions for Michelle.

Q.    How are you physically?
MICHELLE WIE:  I feel a lot better physically.  I am just so grateful for the fact that I am actually feeling really healthy right now.  My wrist is feeling a lot better.  It never felt better the whole year.  I feel like I'm getting stronger.  I feel better.  I feel healthy as a person, too.  You know, going to college, you know, just having some fun.  Just really working out and really practicing and just leaving everything behind.  I just feel like a cleaner, healthier person. 

Q.    How are you finding the classes, the difficulty of the classes?  How are you balancing your practice with your class schedule and homework?
MICHELLE WIE:  You know, classes are pretty difficult especially when you have to take midterms the day after you get back to school.  I'm not looking forward to that.  As I said, the professors are great.  The lectures that they teacher are amazing.  I write pages and pages of notes.  I never really experienced that before.  It's a lot of fun. 
It's the first time where I felt like, you know, when you're in high school, and you are usually the outstanding student.  But when you go into Stanford, you are like, am I the mistake exception?  Everyone is so smart.  Everyone is so outstanding in whatever they do. 
I feel just very lucky to be part of the graduating class. 
You know, I think college is working out because I have a lot more time to practice, too.  I really feel like I got my schedule down where I get to have my hours of practice in the morning, then I get to work out in the afternoon.  So, you know, I really feel like I'm starting to get into my schedule. 

Q.    What are your classes?
MICHELLE WIE:  Well, I'm taking introduction to humanities.  It's a required class.  I'm taking a lot of general credit courses.  This  quarter I'm taking calculus and Japanese.

Q.    When you went back, was it the injuries, is that what happened? 
MICHELLE WIE:  Yes.  If I look back on this year, I don't blame myself, my golf game, nothing changed this year.  The only thing that I would do differently, I wouldn't have played this year.  It's as simple as that. 
The only thing that I did wrong this year is that I did not take my injuries as seriously as I should have.  You know, it was my first injury that I had ever as a golfer.  It's been over a year since I've been healthy.  And now that I feel like I'm healthy again I realize how I felt now and how I felt then.  I should have just not have played.  It was as simple as that.  I'm not blaming myself for anything.   If I had to do anything I just wouldn't have played.  I'm not thinking about it right now.  I'm thinking about the future.  As I said, I feel a lot healthier.  I feel a lot better as a person.  You know, I think that it will get better.

Q.    Would you have changed anything?  Would you have apologized to Annika for what happened at the Ginn Tribute?
MICHELLE WIE:  Well, I mean I never really said that.  I still don't feel like I did something wrong but if I felt if Annika, or anyone felt like I disrespected them, or if I done anything wrong to them, you know, I do apologize for that.  But I don't really feel like I've done anything wrong as with myself.  But like I said, the only thing I would have done differently, I wouldn't have played this whole year.

Q.    Michelle, was the decision to go back and play before maybe before you were ready was that just a matter of wanting to compete or being bored to death at home?
MICHELLE WIE:  That was my 17 year old competitive heart coming out.  I mean take any young golfer and tell them that they have to sit out on every tournament.  They are not going to want to do that.   It was my decision.  It was my wanting to compete.  I love the game that made me go out there.  Maybe a little bit too soon, but it was what I wanted to do.  I really wanted to compete and I did that.
 
Q.    Since school started how much have you played, how much practice do you get in? 
MICHELLE WIE:  You know, I practice every day.  I work out every day.  It's been pretty good because I feel like I've been able to practice more being in college than in high school because I think that the flexibility of making my own schedule and being able to practice whenever I want, you know, is a big advantage, I think.

Q.    Do you have any other tournaments scheduled this year?
MICHELLE WIE:  Not so far, no.

Q.    Michelle, where do you see yourself in a year from now?
MICHELLE WIE:  I see myself being a stronger person, being stronger physically, more stronger mentally.  I feel like I'm going to do pretty well.  Have fun in college and practice as hard as I can.  Really play out the work hard, play hard motto.

Q.    Can you talk about your decision not to join the LPGA for 2008? Did you consider it at all?
MICHELLE WIE:  It was more of a personal decision for me because unfortunately it conflicted right with orientation week at school.  It was my first week at college.  You know, I really didn't want to miss that.  It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.  You don't get to be the first week of college freshman over again.  It was more of a personal decision for me.  It was unfortunate that it conflicted with my first week of school.

Q.    If it didn't conflict do you think you would have tried to qualify?
MICHELLE WIE:  Most probably I would have.  I think it was definitely on my mind to qualify and stuff like that.  But, you know, it just happened that way.

Q.    Michelle, some strange things have happened to you at this tournament the last couple of years, you had the DQ, you hurt your wrist last year, do you have any trepidation coming back here or are you comfortable here because you got the place here?
MICHELLE WIE:  You know, a lot of good things, a lot of bad things happened to me at this event.  It's been pretty traumatic.  It's been pretty epic actually. 
A lot of good things happen, it was my first tournament after I turned pro.  It's my birthday every single year this week.  So I always take it as a new beginning every single year.  I get a year older.  Well, it's my birthday this week.  You know, I just feel like this year is going to be extra special because I will actually be a legal adult.  I'm very excited for that.  I think that it's time for a new beginning.  I'm really looking forward to it. 

Q.    Going back to living at Stanford, obviously, you're very busy training, practicing and such, do you feel you still  get to live the life of a college student, are you able to take part in extracurricular activities, things like that?
MICHELLE WIE:  Oh, yes, definitely.  No worries about that.

Q.    Talk about that a little bit.  Obviously, people out here, you know, everyone out here there is a lot of Southern California fans, USC fans, what was your opinion of Stanford's big victory over USC?
MICHELLE WIE:  Do you really want to get me started on that?  I was so happy that we won.  No. 48, he lives in my dorm.  I just feel like it was the best decision that I made to actually go into a dorm.  It's an all freshman dorm.  Unfortunately, I live on the third floor.  It's a pain to walk every day.  But, you know, it's so much fun because being the only child in a house growing up, I never really had anyone to play with and now it's like, on, I'm bored, entertain.  You have 88 other people who are in the dorm.  It's just great because whenever you have a problem you don't go back home, now you actually go back to your dorm, and you talk about it with your friends and. RA's and everyone. 
Everyone has been so supportive of me and everything.  When Stanford beat USC I was jumping up and down.  I was, unfortunately, by myself in my room, but I was calling everyone.  It was pretty insane, I have to say.  I'm pretty proud of Stanford. 

Q.    How much time have you spent here practicing since you have been in school? Are you coming up here on the weekends?
MICHELLE WIE:  Actually, I didn't really have that much time to come down here for the weekend.  I've been pretty busy just getting settled into my dorm and moving everything in.  I came here on Thursday, or Wednesday night, or Thursday and I just stayed here until then.

PAM WARNER:   Any other questions? Thank you, Michelle.
MICHELLE WIE:  Thank you.


Provided by ASAPsports.com

Just because I'm an ass, I bolded all her "you know's" and "I mean's" and "like's". I'll bet her roommate will be thrilled to read her desription of her... Also, I highlited in red a very telling statement about how her attitude has not changed one bit during her time off. She still insists that she did nothing wrong in withdrawing from Annika's tournament with a bogus excuse, only to be practicing for the next tournament 2 days later. Spoiled, spoiled brat.

Dave

[rcain1us]

You know, classes are pretty difficult especially when you have to take midterms the day after you get back to school.  I'm not looking forward to that.  As I said, the professors are great.  The lectures that they teacher are amazing.  I write pages and pages of notes.  I never really experienced that before.  It's a lot of fun. 
It's the first time where I felt like, you know, when you're in high school, and you are usually the outstanding student.  But when you go into Stanford, you are like, am I the mistake exception?  Everyone is so smart.  Everyone is so outstanding in whatever they do. 
I feel just very lucky to be part of the graduating class. 
You know, I think college is working out because I have a lot more time to practice, too.  I really feel like I got my schedule down where I get to have my hours of practice in the morning, then I get to work out in the afternoon.  So, you know, I really feel like I'm starting to get into my schedule.

WTF does this mean and how the hell did she get into Stanford? She is an embarassment to the University.

It sounds like she is just expecting them to hand her a $100 diploma instead of having to work for it.

[DaveT319]

Yeah, I caught that one too. She's not part of the graduating class yet. She may be part of the class of 2012, but not the graduating class unless she actually makes it through the 4 years - which I doubt she will.

And it sure is discouraging to note that her time at college has not improved her public speaking thus far.

Dave

[mr_divots]

Maybe she thinks she gets a "Graduation Exemption" too? 

[RickB]

Maybe she thinks she gets a "Graduation Exemption" too? 

Why shouldn't she think that way? She's never had to earn anything else.

Here's how I think it'll go down: She'll be a few days away from the end of the semester and will be failing badly. Her agent, Nike rep and school officials will confer. They'll talk to Michelle who will walk out of class claiming "We're not going to learn any more today". Two days later she'll enroll at Pepperdine with a clean slate.

[jsfain]

I liked this

You know, I think college is working out because I have a lot more time to practice, too.  I really feel like I got my schedule down where I get to have my hours of practice in the morning, then I get to work out in the afternoon.  So, you know, I really feel like I'm starting to get into my schedule

Does she go to class in the evening then? Tough academic schedule; humanities (required), calculus and Japanese.

[mr_divots]

MICHELLE WIE:  I see myself being a stronger person, being stronger physically, more stronger mentally.

Please. Skip Japanese Michelle. Straight to Remedial English as a 1st Lanuguage 101 for you.... 

[RickB]

MICHELLE WIE:  I see myself being a stronger person, being stronger physically, more stronger mentally.

Please. Skip Japanese Michelle. Straight to Remedial English as a 1st Lanuguage 101 for you.... 

Apparently grammar skills don't fall under "more stronger mentally".

[Desmond]

That was an epic interview, ya know?

She actually must walk a lot around campus?

Where is her personal golf cart?


The more she opens her mouth, the less likeable she becomes. Too bad she isn't going to school in Korea. Then we wouldn't have to read or listen to her musings.

After all, she is an American in passport and diet only. Let's give her back to Korea.

[SBR67]

MICHELLE WIE:  I see myself being a stronger person, being stronger physically, more stronger mentally.

Please. Skip Japanese Michelle. Straight to Remedial English as a 1st Lanuguage 101 for you.... 

How do you say "you know", "like" and "um" in Japanese?

[BigLeftyinAZ]

yes, we dont like how she talks.She could beat most of us on the course.Has tons of talent and hasnt shined due to her parents..Enough with the wie bashing. 

[DaveT319]

She could beat most of us on the course.

I'm not sure about that... I think there's quite a few members here that could beat her these days.

Dave

[DaveT319]

Another column about her:
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ys-wiebirthday101007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

All grown up
 
By Mike Towle, Special to Yahoo! Sports
October 10, 2007

Autumn is here and the trees are shedding. The time is ripe for Michelle Wie, who turns 18 Thursday, to turn over a new leaf. With Wie plagued by problems in one wrist or the other – at times, both – this year, after all, has been one long and painful misery tour.

There was the embarrassing round of 88 and ensuing withdrawal at the Ginn Tribute followed by an appearance on the practice range that elicited criticism from Annika Sorenstam. Then came an 84th-place finish at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, another WD at the U.S. Open and a tie for 69th at the Evian Masters. The last time she teed it up, in late August at the Safeway Classic, Wie shot rounds of 79 and 75 to miss the cut.

As a result, long forgotten is the phenom who recorded top-5 finishes in majors, barely missed PGA Tour cuts and knocked on Augusta's door by making it to the quarterfinals of the men's U.S. Public Links – all by the age of 16.

This week, as Wie tees it up at the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., the question becomes: Can she ever become the player many have anticipated since she entered the spotlight four years ago? And, if so, what precisely will take for her to get there?

The short-term plan, according to her well-known coach, David Leadbetter, and Wie's personal spokesman, Jesse Darris, is for her to play Samsung and the Casio World Open in November, and then shut it down, possibly until next March. These days, when she isn't hitting buckets of balls or doing physical rehab, she's hitting the books. Her freshman year at Stanford started two weeks ago.

Many see the advantages in this strategy. "The best thing for her is to take a year away, or at least a school year, and clear her head and start over," said TV golf commentator and LPGA Hall of Famer Judy Rankin. "For someone of her ability, it's a simple game, but it has become a complicated game for her. People of her ability are hurt by thinking more than they are helped.

"David (Leadbetter) told me something one time that made me worry," Rankin added. "He said that she was the most teachable golfer he had ever worked with. That's great, but it also implies that someone with David's skill will try to make her perfect. And that's a little bit of where this has gone. Anything natural that Michelle had going for her in golf – and there was a lot of natural ability – has been compromised by trying to get more and more perfect."

Right now, Leadbetter said, he'll settle for tournament-ready status from his pupil.

"Hopefully, by Samsung, with its limited field (only 20 players), she'll be a bit further along than she was a couple months ago," Leadbetter said. "It could be a good yardstick for the spring."

Leadbetter's task in trying to return Wie to her A-game is fixing her swing, which, he said, begins with restoring her wrist strength to take advantage of her quick and explosive lower-body movement.

"In order for that to work, she has to be able to hang onto the club," Leadbetter said. "Problem is, you have only 50 percent of your strength in your left wrist and perhaps 75 percent in your right, and that's what you hang onto the club with. Suddenly you can't control the ball as you have in the past. You slow down to compensate, so you lose power, and a whole mishmash of errors creep in."

Part of Leadbetter's cautious optimism for Wie's future emanates from a positive report that he received in mid-September from Gray Cook, a Virginia-based physical therapist and certified strength coach who has been working with her since July. Cook, according to Leadbetter, said she's "much stronger" these days. Cook, whose clients include NFL players and the occasional golfer, won't discuss his work with Wie, citing therapist-patient confidentiality. When asked to talk in general terms, though, Cook suggests that a golfer whose game has been disrupted by something such as a wrist injury has a good chance of making a full recovery.

"There's absolutely no way you can make it to the pinnacle of your sport without somewhere getting benched by a bad back or sprained ankle," Cook said. "You've got to come out of the other side of this a better, more intelligent athlete."

While Cook, at least, has a voice in the Wie camp, other advisors/coaches have come and gone, and that doesn't even count the caddies who have spun through the revolving door.

Wie alums include Jim Loehr, her Orlando-based performance psychologist of more than two years. Loehr parted ways with Wie this past summer when it became clear to him that his role in the decision-making process was fading.

"If Michelle gets this thing back on the right foundation and goes back into it from a sense of fun and enjoyment, her confidence will definitely start to re-ignite," said Loehr, whose work with elite athletes in their formative years included Monica Seles.

Another former member of the team is Gary Gilchrist, a golf instructor and Leadbetter protégé. Gilchrist worked with Wie for about two years, from the time he met her – he says discovered her – when she was a 12-year-old in Hawaii. His idea of a Wie makeover would not have included Stanford.

"They're thinking it's going to be a breeze, when in fact she's going to have to focus in on her studies and won't have much time to practice golf," Gilchrist said. "The bottom line is that within the Wie team, nobody is taking responsibility for anything, and Michelle needs to take more of a role in communicating what's helping her and what's not helping her.

"The light bulb will go off in her head when she gets her first boyfriend. It's like (the PGA Tour's) Sean O'Hair – his whole perception of how his dad had treated him changed when he met his first girlfriend. That's what's going to happen to Michelle once that boyfriend says to her, 'Hey, when are you going to think for yourself, because what you're doing now isn't working?' "

By turning 18, Wie will have legal grounds for sprouting a sense of independence, perhaps to make better choices for herself. Loehr, though, doesn't anticipate any overnight changes from his former client.

"Turning 18 is very much an individual thing," Loehr said. "Someone cantankerous could use this to start going their own way, but Michelle will respond as if it's no big deal. She won't suddenly become highly independent – it will be a gradual process. She's very connected to her parents and feels indebted to them, and I don't see a marked shift in how she operates because she's legal age. You see different things with different athletes."

Wie, though, is not only becoming an adult. She's becoming a filthy-rich adult, as well.

"She's now well-heeled enough financially to do whatever she wants to do," Rankin said. "She might decide to be something very different than a professional golfer – maybe a marine biologist or whatever."

Well, what's it going to be? Will Wie shut it down tournament-wise after Samsung and Casio, working in bits of practice between her studies? Or will she try to balance both worlds: books in one hand, worldwide invites in the other? Or will she ditch school after a few months and resume life as a full-time touring pro, a la Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel?

One certainty is that Wie won't go into 2008 as an LPGA member. She skipped this fall's two LPGA Q-school regional qualifiers, meaning she will be limited to six LPGA sponsor's exemptions, plus the Ricoh Women's British Open and the Evian Masters.

Whatever she does and wherever she goes, Wie still has Nike and Sony waiting to get more bang for their buck than what she's given them in 2007. Reportedly, her total annual endorsement income is $12.5 million – more than 1,200 times the $9,899 she earned in LPGA tour events in 2007. If Wie is under pressure by these companies to play, let alone perform at a high level, no one is admitting it.

"Nike doesn't dictate any of its athlete's schedules, including Michelle's," said Cindy Davis, U.S. General Manager of Nike Golf. "That is up to 'Team Wie' – Michelle, her family, her coaches and her agent (Greg Nared). We entered into our relationship knowing that Michelle was going to be both a student and an athlete and will continue to support her longer-term potential as we have since the beginning."

Gilchrist believes Wie is mentally worn out, although he expects her to come back strong as a contender in the majors.

"I've always believed in her dream," Gilchrist said.

Dave

[mainuh]

Q.    Talk about that a little bit.  Obviously, people out here, you know, everyone out here there is a lot of Southern California fans, USC fans, what was your opinion of Stanford's big victory over USC?

MICHELLE WIE:  Do you really want to get me started on that?  I was so happy that we won.  No. 48, he lives in my dorm.  I just feel like it was the best decision that I made to actually go into a dorm. The decision was not yours - check the freshmen rules of matriculation   It's an all freshman dorm.  Unfortunately, I live on the third floor.  It's a pain to walk every day. What, No caddy to carry your books But, you know, it's so much fun because being the only child in a house growing up, I never really had anyone to play with and now it's like, on, I'm bored, entertain. Room mate to Michelle - "I'm funny how? Like a clown? I'm here to amuse you?"  You have 88 other people who are in the dorm.  It's just great because whenever you have a problem you don't go back home My parents followed me here though and are two blocks away, now you actually go back to your dorm, and you talk about it with your friends and. RA's and everyone. 
Everyone has been so supportive of me and everything. When Stanford beat USC I was jumping up and down.  I was, unfortunately, by myself in my room, I wonder why  but I was calling everyone.  It was pretty insane, I have to say.  I'm pretty proud of Stanford. 

[mr3putt]

I like this one : "She's now well-heeled enough financially to do whatever she wants to do," Rankin said. "She might decide to be something very different than a professional golfer – maybe a marine biologist or whatever."

First off I am sure Nike and Sony will be VERY happy if they dump millions into the Brat who goes on to become "whatever"

Second, Michelle, " Please pursue the whatever asap....PLEASE."

I love the poll on GC's home page about whether or not she has suffered thru the eyes of the media    Seems most voters are members here 

[thecoldeye]

At least 88's are worth something at Stanford

[DaveT319]

At least she did better today: only 77 instead of 79. But they made the comment that it's her highest 54 hole score ever on tour. Not surprising, since her 36 hole score would normally keep her from getting to 54 holes. I'm just waiting for one of the commentators to call her "former phenom".

Dave

[mainuh]

Michelle -
20th out of 20 -
19 over par  (235) 

Suzann Pettersen -
#1 @ -8 (204)

31 strokes off the leader in a 20 player field

And you are doing this because 20th place is $12k ?

Holy Tomoly and Jeezus Christ - I could play RickB with that kind of deficit (give me +1 a hole) and I would not lose the monthly mortgage payment. 

rob

[RickB]

16 shots out of 18th place. Wow.

[mg]

The more she opens her mouth, the less likeable she becomes. Too bad she isn't going to school in Korea. Then we wouldn't have to read or listen to her musings.

After all, she is an American in passport and diet only. Let's give her back to Korea.


Why in the world do you think the Koreans would claim her?  Compare MW with ANY of the Korean women on tour...then bite your tongue and apologize.

[Jetlv25]

The more she opens her mouth, the less likeable she becomes. Too bad she isn't going to school in Korea. Then we wouldn't have to read or listen to her musings.

After all, she is an American in passport and diet only. Let's give her back to Korea.


Why in the world do you think the Koreans would claim her?  Compare MW with ANY of the Korean women on tour...then bite your tongue and apologize.

MG, swingman was making light of a quote MW's father made in Korea about her being Korean and only an American on her passport.  It was not a shot against Korea or anything of the kind.

[mg]

Guess I did fly off at the handle.  Just look at the top of any LPGA leader board, count the names most people can't pronounce, then just TRY to imagine MW with the same attitude and work ethic.

[Desmond]

Guess I did fly off at the handle.  Just look at the top of any LPGA leader board, count the names most people can't pronounce, then just TRY to imagine MW with the same attitude and work ethic.

Welcome aboard, mg.

And yes, I was making light of Mr. Wie -- who said his daughter was American in passport only.  It was a marketing ploy by Mr. Wie aimed at taking more Korean endorsement dollars. I think a few days after saying that the Wie's signed a multi-million dollar endorsement deal in Korea.

I would add that Ms. Floppy Hat is also American in her diet and use of English, too, since Mr. Wie won't admit that his daughter is all about a steady diet of apple pie, pizza, ice cream, and "ya knows."  She is just an all-American girl  (joking, of course)

[jaylasvegas]

MW is 18, she should  start acting and talking like a professional, she has been in the spotlight for 5 years now. plenty of time to take some lessons in dealing with the media


like  ya kno       O M G 

[Desmond]

It is possible that Michelle has a future career as an attorney.


Here are Michelle Wie's thoughts at the Samsung on leaving the Ginn Tribute (Annika's Tourney) earlier in the year:

"I still don't feel like I did something wrong but if I felt if Annika, or anyone felt like I disrespected them, or if I done anything wrong to them, you know, I do apologize for that. But I don't really feel like I've done anything wrong as with myself."   

?