LPGA Welcomes Michelle Wie to Fields Open

The best of the best on the LPGA Tour aim for both the second win of the season as well as amassing more points to gain exemption into the final hurrah of 2006, the ADT Championship.

Michelle Wie will use her first of eight exemptions this week on her home turf in Hawaii. The 16-year-old will most certainly be the youngest and most popular golfer in the field with a close second belonging to her nemesis Morgan Pressel.

Pressel soundly defeated Wie several years ago in match play format at the AJGA Championships and recently has been outspoken about Wie's easy entrance into LPGA tournaments through exemption instead of by earning her spot.

Expect sparks to fly at this inaugural event. At the Fields Open it's not all about the trophy, points or even the share of a big $1.1 million purse. This week it's personal.

Only a hop, skip and jump from Turtle Bay Resort, Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Oahu is the second stop on the LPGA Tour. For over a week the ladies have been sunning themselves during their off-time but now it's back to business.

Although most of the same ladies have made the short journey this week there is another amongst them making her 2006 debut who has single-handedly changed the face of women's golf. Michelle Wie's long flowing swing has been compared to Ernie Els, earning her the name "The Big Wiesy" among players on the PGA Tour. Hot debates on the internet have created a whirlwind of controversy contending that Wie should first play golf on the LPGA before teeing it up with the men of the PGA Tour for the experience.

The time is at hand for Wiesy to strut her stuff. Michelle is ready to show that she can certainly compete against the best of the LPGA and hopefully put a victory under her belt. Attempting to stop her will be 132 women, all believing that they are as good or better golfers than Wie and that she is just lucky in her business ventures.

Morgan Pressel has already defeated Wie, albeit several years ago and has even one-upped Wie as recently as at last year's US Women's Open, sharing second place with Brittany Lang after failing to win at the 18th hole against a lucky sand save by Birdie Kim.

The stakes are higher this year as Wie has to prove she is worth the millions of sponsorship dollars thrust upon her. Pressure is mounting for the 16-year-old to perform at a higher level given her attempts to make the cut at several Sony Open's on the PGA Tour. Maturity, or the lack thereof, will show itself this week as a few of the top performers are barely out of high school.

From top: Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang all appear this weekend at the Fields Open.

Take for example last year's Rolex Rookie of the Year Paula Creamer who struggled last week at the SBS Open. The 19-year-old from Bradenton, Florida has the ability to make it to the top of the money list. She finished in second place last year, just beneath Annika Sorenstam in the standings but could not get a top-ten last week. Still, she is a top choice to win this week, and she rarely pouts.

Natalie Gulbis is a bit older than the others at 23-years-old. She is a grinder and with the assistance of swing coach Butch Harmon may well 2006 her breakout year.

Joo Mi Kim, unlikely winner at last week's SBS Open will try to make it two-for-two this week but Lorena Ochoa's playoff attempts have not gone unnoticed. Last year Ochoa quietly climbed the official money list despite a few snowman blips and chokes along the way especially when facing off against Annika Sorenstam at the Mastercard Championship. Speaking of the Mastercard, Sorenstam will wait until this event to make her 2006 debut, so fans of Annika please be patient!

And I'm still waiting for Q-School champion Ai Miyazato to garner a top-ten for herself. She has played in the Women's World Cup of Golf early this season and now at the SBS Open with mediocre results. I'm betting that once she starts winning, Miyazato will be unstoppable. But my opinion here doesn't really matter. Ai haw a huge following out in Japan and is as popular as Tiger Woods! Between her sponsorships and followings, Miyazato needs a win desperately!

Expect to see regulars Laura Davies, Dorothy Delasin, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr and Christina Kim grinding it out this week as well. There will also be a huge Asian contingency at this event. Eight sponsors exemptions have been given out, all to Asians.

What are the odds that an Asian will win this weekend?
Will Morgan Pressel eat her words about Michelle Wie?

Find out the answers to these burning questions this weekend.

The Golf Channel will air the Fields Open on February 23-25th from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. (EST). If you are a true golf fanatic, you surely don't want to miss this spectacular 54-hole event!

Photo Credit: © AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara.
Photo Credit: © AP.

Will Tiger Woods Play the Champions Tour?

Golf for Beginners Podcast number fifteen looks at both the serious and silly sides of golf.

Before we begin, please make sure that you tune in to our podcast next week as there is something happening to both Barry and I as well as Golf for Beginners that is going to change our future and we want our listeners to celebrate along with us!

Now, on to the podcast!

There is plenty of news this week beginning with the first LPGA event of the year, the SBS Open which took place in at the Turtle Bay Resort in Hawaii. This is the same resort which hosts the Big Break V:Hawaii and the thrills are equally as great.

Korean rookie Joo Mi Kim grabbed the first place check of $150,000 from opponents Lorena Ochoa and Soo Young Moon in an unlikely playoff. The good news is that Kim WON the event with a birdie in the second playoff hole as opposed to the other two handing her the trophy.

Morgan Pressel displayed her skills admirably in her first professional event. Morgan shared fifth place with Natalie Gulbis. Paula Creamer didn't fare as well, unable to stay in the top-ten but give her time. She wasn't handed her first official tour trophy until the Sybase Classic and then she just couldn't be stopped!

These ladies all have one thing in common, namely, big business is standing behind them, offering contracts for all kinds of sporting goods.

USA Today writes about the marketability of these young superstars. General manager of Nike Golf USA, Cindy Davis states, "We believe these players can create brand awareness. There has been an evolution of women in sports in general. Their acceptance has changed dramatically in the last 20 years."

Twenty years ago the ladies in the LPGA were hard-pressed to find sponsors. Today, the younger, attractive stars are naming their own ticket.

Morgan Pressel represents Callaway Golf and Paula Creamer has six contracts from big names such as Bridgestone and TaylorMade-Adidas.

Q-School medalist Ai Miyazato has really hit the big time in Japan. She is such a larger-than-life superstar that she can't go outside without being chased down the street for an autograph. She's bigger than Hideki Matsui, has eleven different sponsors and is a television star to boot! When she is exxpected to play in a JLPGA tournament, ticket sales triple!

Michelle Wie is a prominent example of the new breed of woman golfer. Her combined $10 million Sony/Nike deal exemplifies capitalism to a "tee". A large, golden tee, that is.

These days it's no longer just about a win on the LPGA Tour. If a girl is marketable, she'll be brought along and has a good chance of retiring with a golden parachute.

In Champions Tour news, Loren Roberts secured both his third trophy and a place in history this week at the ACE Classic. Roberts is the only senior tour player who has achieved this feat and he did so in exciting fashion.

And would someone please purchase an umbrella for Tiger Woods! With flu-like symptoms, Tiger had to withdraw on Saturday after being drenched after a rainstorm at the Nissan Open. This is the only tournament which Woods has played in more than three times that he has not won (at least once). His record remains unbroken.

However, even with the sniffles, Tiger can drive the ball farther than most professional golfers today. His average drive for two days at the Nissan Open was over 300 yards which put him in ninth place in driving distance. But how will Tiger fare playing golf with the seniors?

In our Blogger Weekly section we pit Vijay Singh against Phil Mickelson in a Celebrity Deathmatch. Vijay just doesn't know when to give up! He's now two-for-two in calling officials over to check Mickelson's equipment and he loses each battle.

Also, eatgolf.com is convinced that food and water are overpriced at the Riviera Country Club. We don't agree. Notoriously, sporting events charge exorbitant prices because they can get away with it.

We also talk about the importance of a good golf instructor. These professional instructors are invaluable if you are serious about your game.

Most importantly, Barry and I have BIG NEWS heading our way. We are thrilled and excited all at once. Keep listening for all of the details!

For questions and comments please feel free to write to us at golfforbeginners@aol.com. We'll discuss your email in our podcast.

Wie and Pressel in Celebrity Death Match?

Golf for beginners 02-12-06 episode fourteen wants to see

Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie duke it out!

Thegolfblog.com quoted Pressel as saying, "I don't think she (Wie) needs an exemption. I've been through qualifying. Everybody who doesn't make it on the money list, other amateurs, other professionals that aren't members of the tour, they all have to go through qualifying, too. I don't see why she shouldn't, or why she should be afraid, or expect an exemption."

This week's "Blogger Weekly" had a field day with this one, quoting bloggers who agree wholeheartedly with Pressel. Of course Wieblog.com fought back claiming, "Teenage girls can be so catty… about LPGA exemptions. Wie earned her Women’s Open exemption because her virtual winnings in events she participated in would have put her into the top 35 on the LPGA money list." MEOW!

This readers, is great for professional women's golf. More interest creates more advertising dollars which fuels the sport. I'm really happy about that and will continue to report on this subject and on women's golf in general.

My personal opinion tends to agree with Pressel but allowing Michelle Wie to play in such a venue would undoubtedly increase appeal in the LPGA. Purses will increase and the ladies sport will continue to gain momentum. Just look how much interest was generated when Michelle Wie played golf at the Sony Open?

Our question of the day comes from Karl at justsayok.net. He asks, "When do you consider yourself a golfer?"
Check out our response and think about when you officially became a golfer.

We also talk about the Pebble Beach Celebrity Pro-Am. Although Phil Mickelson won wire-to-wire in 2005 he wasn't so lucky this week. He wound up with a 77 in final round action. This wasn't his best event and I sure hope Phil watches the tape and corrects his mistakes. The Masters is coming up in the blink of an eye.

And just a few handicaps which might intrigue our readers.

Our favorite player at the Pro-Am was undoubtedly Bill Murray who actually enjoys this tournament and isn't afraid to show it. His clothes fit his mood and his 14 handicap is very respectable. Murray has a membership at Sleepy Hollow CC right down the road from our house and although we have taken lessons there before, we haven't played golf there yet with Bill!

Other interesting handicaps include:
Dennis Quaid - 2 handicap
Andy Garcia - 11 handicap
Donald Trump - 6 handicap
Tommy Smothers - 18 handicap

And, did you know that Olympian downhill skier Bode Miller plays to a 10 handicap?

For questions or comments please email us at: golfforbeginners@aol.com