Michelle Wie takes rightful place on Solheim Cup team. Also, How many Buicks does Tiger Woods need, throw your ball at the tee and Forsgate CC

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Michelle Wie has overcome yet another obstacle on the yellow-brick-road to greatness with her selection onto the Solheim Cup team. The question is, will she assist her fellow teammates or will heatstroke prevail, forcing Beth Daniel to place her on the sidelines?

Wie has been given exemptions and handouts by the powers-that-be for so long that many people are wondering whether or not she deserves this honor and if she will make the most of it come "crunch time".

The choice of using Michelle Wie happens to be the right one for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason is that the ladies on either Solheim Cup team will become better known and their popularity within their sphere will rise.

Michelle Wie also deserves to be selected this time. In spite of the fact that this is her first year on the LPGA Tour, Wie has risen to thirteenth position on the points list due to an eleventh place finish at the Women's British Open. Although Wie has not won an event yet as a rookie, give her a chance...there have only been sixteen events to date with another major and half a season remaining to make her mark.

The choice to put Juli Inkster on the team is similar to the Wie decision in that Inkster has been without a win for three seasons. Experience is where the two part company and Juli has plenty with eight appearances under her belt. Inkster is a consummate team player with a 14-8-5 career record and has not lost a single match in eleven years which makes her a great choice for this event.

During the announcement of the final selection, Michelle was asked how it feels to her to be one of two captain's picks. Wie replied, "It was one of my biggest goals this year and I'm just so excited to be wearing this jacket and this hat and to be representing my country; it's such a thrill for me. I'm just so honored and so thankful that Beth picked me and I'll do my best not to let her down."

Will Team Wie (oh, I mean Team USA) get along and will Michelle become an integral part of the LPGA after offering an assist or will she fade into obscurity offering tons of fodder to those who believe her to be a second-rate LPGA golfer?

Golf for Beginners also discusses Tiger Woods' return to the winners circle and a great drill from Gia Bocra-Liwski, golf professional at Forsgate Country Club.


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Sorenstam, Inkster see future of LPGA in fortune cookie. Also, Your golf swing could hinge on these tips

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China, food for thought?

In addition to keeping up with Russia and the U.S.A. with a newly developed missile system, China is also intent upon improving their visibility in the golf world and proving, as Annika Sorenstam said, that the LPGA is becoming a "global tour".

Shanshan Feng, the only Chinese player on the LPGA Tour (so far) believes that, "China can become another Korea for golf. I believe so. Maybe not now but in the future." In order to familiarize China as a golf destination, Feng, in the final round this week, even wore a shirt with a red China map on it.

Go China! The Empire is alive and well. The force is definitely with them.

Don't underestimate the growth of golf in Korea and Japan either, two countries who are hosting the 'triple-play' of this month's venture into Asian territory. This past week, out of a sixty-three player field, two-thirds were of Asian descent with over fifty of the ladies appearing in the upper crust of the LPGA money list.



What does this mean for the LPGA Tour? Juli Inkster contends that, instead of forcing the girls to learn English (as was the intent of Ms.Bivens) and suspending them if they did not, perhaps a more subtle approach is needed.

Inkster's thought is that an experienced golfer should play in their foursome to show them how it's done. As the seasoned veteran mentioned, "If I get four Korean men in this pro-am, even though I don't speak their language, I'm going to make it fun for them."

And fun is the name of the game as Sorenstam learned during the pro-am. Even though an interviewer mentioned the men were "depressed" over the way Sorenstam hit the ball longer and straighter than they did, she managed to do what is done in every part of the world when it comes to golf...create business opportunites for herself on the course. Annika shared some of her "secrets" with the guys (one a big developer stated Sorenstam) in a possible exchange for the opportunity to build a course in Asian territory. As Annika divulged, she "was trying to throw my name into the pool, and we'll see."

Only time will tell if this will be good for the LPGA Tour. If sponsorships favor Asian interests, Korea, China and Japan could very well form their own mini-tour taking both American and Asian hopefuls with them by making purses more attractive and keeping the LPGA out of the loop.

The European Tour is starting to offer bigger prize money right now and PGA Tour stars like Phil Mickelson are gung-ho at the prospect. Only time will tell.

All I can say is thank goodness Michelle Wie is both Korean and American! She may keep the LPGA alive!

Golf for Beginners also gives sound advice about one of the most important parts of your swing, the wrist hinge.


Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes.


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"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages, 1-866-444-0992.


Photo Credit: © Seoul Sisters