Wie Fails in Bid for Tour Card
And outside the Top 10, tied for 12th place, was Michelle Wie. Wie played well in Canada save for her opening-round 75. And she earned $36,475, her biggest payday of 2008.
But far, far less than she needed. Wie was trying to win enough money to earn an LPGA Tour card for 2009 without having to go through the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. She needed to finish at least fifth to have a shot. She needed at least $110,000 in total 2008 earnings.
Instead, she finishes her seven LPGA appearances with only around $60,000, a total that will likely rank around 115th on the money list at the end of the season.
And that means that if Wie wants LPGA membership in 2009 - which she has indicated she does - she'll have to get it the old-fashioned way: Q-School.
But will Wie enter Q-School? There have been conflicting indications. A couple months ago Wie pointed out that Q-School dates conflict with important Stanford University dates, and she plans on going back to Stanford the Fall semester. That was before Wie realized she wouldn't make her money goal, however. Lately, she has demurred when asked about Q-School, saying she hasn't made a decision yet. Her father, earlier in the year, suggested that Wie would enter Q-School if necessary.
What do you think - will Wie enter Q-School? I think she will. I believe her agents plus her coach, David Leadbetter, will prevail upon her to do so, stressing the importance of earning LPGA membership the "right" way.
So I think Wie will enter Q-School, and that she'll easily get through Q-School. And in 2009, we'll finally get to see what Wie can do with a schedule that doesn't rely on sponsor exemptions.
Comments
Geez, let’s hope so. It would do her some good to fall in line. So far she/they have made her the laughing stock of women’s golf and sports in general.
I do not think that Michelle is interested in going to Q School. Unless she is pressured by Nike, Sony and Omega, do not expect her to attend Q School in September. Michelle is very happy with the six exemptions each year and this also leaves open a possible PGA invitation for 2009. As we know, Michelle is set for life financially and at this point in her life she is not interested in playing full time on the LPGA.
I belief Michelle really need a professional manager. Her dad may not qualify for that job and is messing us her future and professional career.
I belief Michelle needs someone professional to manage her golfing career. Her dad may not be qualified to do the job and is messing up her future instead.
This is the one sport where there really should be more emphasis on completing college. All the money in the world will not make up for the knowledge, experiences and friends that one captures during your college years. Higher Education is what young women should complete first before working full time.
Why would Michelle need a new manager? As I see it, her managers got her set for life monetarily allowing her do whatever she pleases. She has gotten into one of the top universities in the country and gets to play professional golf on the PGA and LPGA. She is 18 and can bascially persue any endeavor she wants. Please let me know how she has been mis-managed. It seems she has a bright future in whatever she decides to do.
If the decision is left up to Michelle …its back to Stanford…and according to her…she’s the one that makes all her career decisions…after all she is 18 and of legal age…I also think she and the Wie team are content with a limited 6,7 or 8 tournaments a year…after all they still get the big bucks playing a limited schedule with a nice built in excuse that the LPGA will only let her play 6 of their tournaments.
The only way I see her going to q-school is “IF” her sponsors step in and say…”we’re a little tired of giving you a full time sponsorship while you play a part time schedule…we were willing to give you a shot this year to get your card by racking up some winnings but you better have a card for next year and play a full schedule…if that means going to q-school…then get her done.”
I think it’s all about the money…it isn’t about the game or her career or doing it the right way…if the money disappears and the only way to hold on to it is going to q-school they’ll go…if her sponsors stay with her then it’s back to Stanford to find the library.
Where do you all come up with the idea Michelle is set for life financially? She is only 18, plenty of time for her to blow all that money especially with all her advisors she has to pay. Its happened to plenty of other athletes.
Remember that her Nike contract is up in 2009 and that Sony has already indicated its lack of trust in her by disinviting her to its tournament in Japan. So if money talks, she’ll be going to Q-School. With LPGA membership, she can play as limited a schedule as she wants or needs. Maybe she’ll even be motivated to try to take the ROY award from Ji-Yai Shin, Vicky Hurst, Mindy Kim, and Stacy Lewis.
There are so many good reasons to go to Q-School it makes me worried, though. There were a lot of good reasons to seek out the 6 sponsors’ exemptions into Futures Tour events she needed to qualify for a card that way (by finishing top 5 on the money list). Her notion of a good reason and mine are so different I honestly have no idea what she’s planning.
I believe both the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour should be ashamed of themselves. Many a would be professional golfer has worked incredibly hard to earn the right to play on Tour. Every single time Wei is simply given a sponsor’s exemption it makes a mockery of the genuinely professional work of others. I’m disgusted by this travesty.
Of course she could blow all the money she has made, but it does not seem like she is heading down that path. I never hear of any stories of her being extra extravagent and living a diva life style.
Instead, she is going to college for purely educational purposes (can’t play golf at Standford because she is a pro) and is playing professional golf. There are no indications that she is being irresponsible. Quite to the contrary it seems that she has her head on straight and is persuing what she wants.
It is a shame that people still blame her parents for mismanaging her career. Michelle has made it clear all along that she makes her own decisions. In addition, she has had several managers appointed by her management company, William Morris. Unless her major sponsors put more pressure on her, I expect that Michelle will try again next year to earn her card just with her sponsor’s exemptions.
I really doubt she is going to Q-school. Wie has no status and will have to go through all three stages. That’s 12 rounds of golf, plus travel and preparation days, not to mention a LOT of pressure that she has shown she isn’t ready to handle.
I’m not one of these people who believes that Wie is doing anything other than hiding out at Stanford - taking a few classes for fun - and staying out of the limelight for a couple of months. This is the girl who can’t bring herself to read the rules of golf - the sport that has made her a multi-millionaire.
.. Those million dollar contracts were great for Michelle 2 and 3 years ago … the problem now, she has to be successful to keep those contracts - and that certainly hasn’t happened.
She might be taller and much prettier than John Daly, but she’s going down the same path … watching her dad getting physically removed from the practice range (twice) is not good for her - or the sport …
She needs professional guidance and management, not her dad arguing and fighting with PGA officials, security guards and the whole time pretending he’s a somebody — “he” is her failure.
Michelle needs to be looking and listening to her peers like Annika, Lorena Ochoa, Angela Park, Hee-Won Han, Carin Koch, Morgan Pressel and a dozen other up and coming great golfers that make her golf ability look anemic.
— or, she can keep listening to her dad and be the next failing John Daly …. can we spell Q-School.?
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I am fully supportive of Michelle in her endeavours and as she struggles (as anyone like me does too - we hate to admit it!) I am always rooting for Michelle so that she will prove once and for all that the media is wrong and she is on her way back! I wish others would just leave her alone. I see her as an inspiration to me - how she struggled with injury just as I did - and how remarkable she has made a comeback. Let’s not forget that anyone can forget to sign a scorecard, and that would have been likely what put her back on the LPGA map. Go Michelle go! You rock!
She has no interest in going to Q-School and no interest in being a full-time golfer. She will only go to Q-School if her handlers (sponsors, agents, parents) require it.
To L’s narrow minded opinion about college. What is one’s reason for going to college? Friends? Experiences? Useless knowledge that is gained from the many required courses that have nothing to do with the job you will eventually have? The primary goal in going to college is to make more money. Michelle already has the talent to do that and she should use it. Most knowledge can be gained from reading books. If she wants to improve her writing, math, and speaking skills, take some classes, but don’t put yourself in the same category as your typical college student. Most would give their first born to be in her position.