It's not bad enough to deny one of LPGA's budding stars a chance at winning a tournament with outdated and snotty bureaucracy, but now they have to try to humiliate Michelle Wie afterwards?
Michelle Wie was disqualified from the LPGA State Farm Classic after finishing Friday and Saturday in second place. Her crime? She failed to sign her scorecard before leaving the scoring area. Why wasn't Michelle Wie arrested?
The worst part of the incident with Michelle Wie was how Sue Witters, the LPGA’s director of tournament competitions, responded to her crisis. “She was like a little kid after you tell them there’s no Santa Claus,” Witters said.
No Santa Claus? Well, we all know who the Grinch is, don't we?
Michelle Wie has been surrounded by greedy, short-sighted, and selfish individuals managing her career. As a teen she has been continuously groomed and placed to compete with men in PGA tournaments.
Michelle is a young woman that is maturing physically and mentally to handle the daily grinds of professional golf. She should be allowed to develop her game within the LPGA tournaments because she's only 18 years old!
Imagine a Philly horse winning her Maiden race at Belmont and then being continually entered to run against Grade 1 male horses; the trainer would be fired by the owner instantly. That's a certain recipe for destroying a young horse or golfer, depending on your sport.
I hope Michelle Wie learns to laugh at this in the very near future and moves on with her bright future.
Unfortunately Michelle, I can't defend you next time when you break another serious LPGA rule and the headlines read:
"Sue Witters goes after the Easter Bunny!"
37 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
richard handelsman 11 months ago
"She should be allowed to develop her game within the LPGA tournaments because she's only 18 years old!"
No one is stopping her: the problem is that she continually misses the cut or withdraws (in 7 of 15 tournaments since 2006)
Paula Creamer, Marlene Hagge, Aree Song, Inbee Park, Yani Tseng: all teenagers who not only remembered to sign their scorecards, but who won tournaments.
"Imagine a Philly horse winning her Maiden ......"
"Philly"? Would that be "Filly"?
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Mark Smith 11 months ago
Richard the issue is not about Wie's ability, it is about class and leadership by the head of the the LPGA. Witters was insensitive, inappropriate and condesending. We already have enough adults setting poor examples without someone in such a high profile position making such remarks with a world-wide pulpit who should be enhancing her organization. Terribly poor judgement !!!
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Ann Ngoc 11 months ago
It's one thing to DQ Michelle Wie, it's another for a grown woman like Sue Witters, a representative of the LPGA, to sound childishly gleeful as a "gotcha kid". It would have been more gracious of the LPGA representative, Ms. Witters, to decline comment or just explained the situation and move on. It would have been professional instead of blurting out her thoughtless comment that just shows her malicious self.
On a separate note, the LPGA has huge problems filling its rank with American players as international players are fast filling the entire roster of its exempt players. I hope that the LPGA and Ms. Biven recognize that they have a responsibility to groom and encourage young American players to enter its roster. The LPGA is trying to spin it that as an organization it's more international, but even the Canadian press notices that the LPGA has a huge problem of filling its roster of American players. At least the PGA is far healthier.
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MaiTai Soo 11 months ago
"Terribly poor judgement !!!" for DQing her before she won the tournament after the final round today. Stupid people at the SFC... don't they know the basics about promotion, ratings and profit dollars? Bet ESPN is not happy about this outcome !!!
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Thelma Rosen 11 months ago
by Thelma If you are going to DQ a player do it the day of the infraction - NOT THE NEXT DAY! This is the 2nd time they have done this to Michele and I think it is just plain WRONG.
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Rick Daniel 11 months ago
Witters must lose her job over this. Her behaviour is completely unacceptable and I am certain that there are other people out there who can fill her position and do it much more professionally.
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Jack Mack 11 months ago
Wie knows the rules, she shouldn't have left the tent without signing her card whatever the reason. She should have disqualified herself before the 3rd round on Saturday.
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Joey Michaels 11 months ago
Interestingly, the Witters quote is reported differently at Golf.com:
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1824638,00.html
You'll note that here it is reported that Witters said "I felt like I was telling somebody that there was no Santa Claus."
If this is what she said, she wasn't being nearly as disrespectful as the more widely reported version of the quote suggests. In fact, she was expressing a sort of "I hated to do this" sentiment.
That all said, this remains a silly rule and a silly reason to DQ any golfer in a major tournament.
I think many people aren't reading the full story. Wie left the tent without signing the card. A volunteer chased her and brought her back in to sign the card. She signed the card. At some point between when she left the table and when she returned to sign the card (a time of no more than about five minutes) she passed the magic line that signals disqualification.
This was not reported to the LPGA folks until the next day after the round had already started. They decided to DQ her and didn't alert her until she'd finished the round.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, she should have signed the card right away, but she left the tent having signed the card and believing she wouldn't be DQ'd. Wie made a minor error - the LPGA, through the way they handled this situation, made a huge PR gaffe. They look like a bunch of jerks.
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Bills_Will_B_OK 11 months ago
"Transcript of Michelle Wie disqualification press conference"
http://www.sj-r.com/statefarmclassic/x390635019/Transcript-of-Michelle-Wie-disqualification-press-conference
"She was like looking at a little kid after you tell them there's no Santa Claus"
Disrespectful!
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Chuck Ma 11 months ago
Sound to me like Sue Witters may be a little jelious, and was happy to tell the younger, and better looking Michelle.
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David Olejarz 11 months ago
Let the young lady mature, she got some bad advise during her early years about the game of golf, she can play, lets let her do it. Time will tell the tale, she made a mistake it's happened to men also so no big deal, may the men golfers didn't tear up, but I'll bet they cussed under thier breath or aloud..Come on Sue Witters show some class...
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Steve Weinstock 11 months ago
In this age of instant and always accessible information, this signing your scorecard rule is anachronistic and just a bit silly (and DQing someone for not doing it is absurd). Her scores are up for everyone to see... there are multiple ways to track and record it. How about we make basketball players sign for their total points right after every game or baseball players record what they did in their at-bats... Golf, sorry, it's still a moribund exercise trapped in the past.
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Bills_Will_B_OK 11 months ago
Why not have the volunteer who is sitting on their ass to check the scorecard to see if it's signed? I know they are busy lining up all the colored pencils in a neat row for the golfers to admire but Wie is a bit more distracted?
LPGA SHOULD HAVE SOMEONE CHECK THE SIGNATURES!
Can you imagine if the NBA DQ Kevin Garnett before the NBA finals because he didn't comply with dress code before attending the game?
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J. Michael Morris 11 months ago
It isn't ridiculous to have rules and enforce them. I won't waste time explaining the importance of actually putting you signature on a document that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. On the other topic, golf is filled with steroetypical people. Uppity, blue blood wealth who likes to insure anyone outside their perceived social class pays their dues before being accepted. Sue Witters seems to have this chip on her shoulder and should lose her position, it is probably a volunteer post as most of these tournament officials ahve.
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Bills_Will_B_OK 11 months ago
It's not about the rules! At least you see the politics playing out here.
Those that say "The Rules, The Rules" are just masking their hidden agenda, regardless of of spite, jealousy, or just envy.
So we are talking about the LPGA DQ a visible golfer because she stepped a few feet outside a rope?
Who really is the child here?
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J. Michael Morris 11 months ago
There is a long list of stars and non-stars being DQ'd for the same infraction on every tour. The way they handled it showed some spite however, and was low class. It is a huge problem with the LPGA that they complain constantly about smaller purses due to lack of sponsers which is due to lack of ratings, but when a story and personality that might help them change that comes along, like Michelle Wie, they try to destroy her. Michelle, however is not a very good player and gets into tournaments through sponsor exemptions at the expense women who are less good looking but better players. I can understand some envy.
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Steve Shubert 11 months ago
I laugh. I laugh. And I laugh even more. Michelle Wie is the Anna Kournikova of golf. Doesn't win, but boy she looks good losing. And to some, that's all that matters. When Michelle does something bone-headed, such as not signing her scorecard, or taking an illegal drop, everyone pouts when she gets called on it. But let the same thing happen to someone else, and the same bunch crows about how "sportsmanlike" the game of golf is, and how it was only in the best interest of the sport to DQ them. Granted, Sue Witten sounds like she got her jollies telling Michelle Wie to "leave and not come back", and she exhibited a very negative image of the LPGA. Honestly, though, there is no reason to feel like the LPGA "had it in for Michelle" simply because they expected her to abide by the same rules any other golfer must. To prove my point---that Michelle is nothing but eye-candy---look at her being invited to play on the PGA, less than 24 hours after being DQ'd on the Ladies' Tour. Now try to convince me that her invite came because she's such an incredible golfer! Riiiight.....
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Daniel Boone 11 months ago
If we get to pick and choose which rules we follow, what use are any rules. Wie claims to be a professional golfer. One of the rules is you sign your card. She didn't. As for playing a PGA event, it's a joke. Steve, you're right. Eye candy. She has no business on a PGA course.
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Lava 11 months ago
Your criticism of Ms. Witters is misplaced. Her point to Ms. Wie was simply "don't shoot the messenger." Ms. Witters had no discretion regarding Ms. Wie's disqualification. The rule is balck and white, and was violated.
When Ms. Wie proceeded to act like the punk that she is, Ms. Witters was perfectly in the right to call her out, so that you idiots who keep defending her will some day wake up and realize Team Wie is a bunch of ass holes.
Aloha
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Bills_Will_B_OK 11 months ago
Yes , Witters was just relaying a message from Santa Claus right?
The LPGA can't survive without players like Michele wie but will have no problem advancing without a Sue Witters.
Get the point?
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Rick Daniel 11 months ago
The rule is hardly black and white. READ IT! Rule 6-6b states "After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible." Show me where there is any provision for an arbitrary "marked off" area.
Come back after she has finished college and tell me again who is the "punk" and the "ass hole".
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chris boston 11 months ago
look, rules are rules and they are in place for a reason. I admit, it is silly to me. But had it been any of the adult MEN on the tour they would have been disqualified as well. As someone pointed out in an earlier post, there were a number of OTHER teens there that all remembered to sign their cards. Everyone keeps talking about "development". Well if she is going to play with the big dogs then she should be held to the same standards at them. She shouldn't get a free pass when she messes up. When these youngster go into the NBA or in to major league baseball straight out of HS no one cuts them an ounce of slack. Either they come in and immediatly hang with the big boys or they go home (or ride the pine). Golf should be no diffrent. If Sue Witters was disrespectful then she should be punished but that still doesn't take away from the fact that Wie didn't comply with the rules. How long has she been doing this? By now she should know all the ends and outs. Yet people still cry bloody murder when she messes up and the LPGA treats her the same way they would treat all the other golfers. I'm so sick of people thinking she should get special consideration. WHY? What has she done to EARN it? We have yet to see this so called golf phenom live up to her hype. All he does is lose (wich she does with great consistency) and then blame it on something bogus like an injury.
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Saraswathi Siriginia 11 months ago
She is very promising, it will take some time for her to rise to be another Annika Sorenstam
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Matt Smith 11 months ago
What a moron. How many times do you have to sign the score card in your life time. She has so many people managing her and hangers on shouldn't she have someone asking her if she signed the score card. Parents were probably to busy counting the cash they'd thought she'd bring in than taking care of their daughter and making sure she is doing the right things.
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Matt Smith 11 months ago
What a moron. How many times do you have to sign the score card in your life time. She has so many people managing her and hangers on shouldn't she have someone asking her if she signed the score card. Parents were probably to busy counting the cash they'd thought she'd bring in than taking care of their daughter and making sure she is doing the right things.
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Frank Wackus 11 months ago
Miss Wie should go home, attend college, get a career - somewhere other than on a golf course. She is exactly what Ms Witters said - a spoiled kid who thinks everyone should bow down to her. Golf is a game of rules - unlike many sports where the object is to try to get away with breaking the rules, the object in golf is to win while following the rules - all of them, not just the ones that help you out. I guess I'm guilty of reading the articles about her, but if we could all just stop - maybe she would go away?
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al 11 months ago
Michelle should have dq'd herself once she was past the ropes and the volunteer chased her down. Any honorable golfer knows the rules, you screw up, admit it and suffer the consequences. Not the first time she's screwed up. At one point, she didn't know the rule about not testing the sand in a bunker by removing objects from the bunker before making her stroke. She needs to wake up and be responsible for the game at which she is very good at.
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John Jenkins 11 months ago
BILL if you can't play by the rules don't play at all! It may be a silly rule but it is in the book and has been since before Michelle was born! So lay off your attack of Witten for doing her job....If Michelle had done hers we wouldn't be talking about this!
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Sylvain Blouin 11 months ago
I don't know, maybe next time don't forget to sign the scorecard
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Lisa Horne 11 months ago
I play golf, and am not a pro. I know to sign my card...it's one of the first things you learn.
This whole thing stinks, however.
I mean cover-up stink. Maybe Michelle didn't sign her card on purpose? Maybe there was an error in her favor, which would mean a real stab at her credibility. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
I would like a chance to see her scorecard. So far, it has not been available for anyone to see. Interesting, no?
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Jack Wooten 11 months ago
I suspect the reason for the rule is so some hanky-panky can't take place with the scorecards. Heck you have to sign your card and have your opponent sign it as well just for it to count for handicap purposes.
Golf, above all games, is a game of rules. What about the person who finished 3rd that followed all the rules? Would it be fair to them to let Wie take second anyway.
If you allow someone 'a pass' on a disqualifiable rule, then what about a 1 stroke penalty rule? Do they get a Mulligan in LPGA play as well?
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Bills_Will_B_OK 11 months ago
From the transcript
"The 2008 LPGA Rules of Play define the scoring area as the roped area defining the boundary of the scoring tents. Supplementary Rules of Play stipulate that the scoring area of boundary may instead be defined by a white line which has the effect of decreasing the size of the scoring area.
The white line was not deemed necessary this week and was not put in place, and as a result, the boundary is the scoring tent."
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So the rope may be defined as a white line which was not used by the LPGA? So for you Rules fanatics heres some questions:
Did the LPGA break their OWN rules by
1-not using a white line instead of a rope?
2- Not properly notifying the players wll in advance of changes?
3-Did the volunteer overide and extend the boundries when she sought Wie's scorecard signature outside the boundries?
4-Did the LPGA fail to act in a timely manner to investigate the Wie signature and therefore should have allowed Wie to continue?
5-Did the LPGA actually have someone "overhear" the incident or is someone just be protected?
6-Will the volunteer be publicly questioned to the accuracy of the LPGA's explanation of this event?
I myself have questions of whether the LPGA has broken any rules in this incident. Who's gonna pay now?
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Josh Prope 11 months ago
you should write another article headlining: Danica Patrick-no buisness racing with the big boys
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robin mosley 11 months ago
You idiots Wie acts liek she's still 14, she hasn't even tried adulthood...she btw probably still believes in Santa...hehe Wiiters owned with that comment...now stop trying to fire a woman for butt hurting yourselves...Wie ain't even that pist off about it....
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Laura Underkofler 11 months ago
OK, I'm a little perplexed here. Michelle Wie screws up, but Sue Witters is supposed to pay. All Sue seemed to be doing was her job. Michelle Wie needs to get her head in the game and grow up.
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Steve Witters 11 months ago
I Know Sue Witters very well. When she said "I felt like I was telling somebody that there was no Santa Claus." She was referring to her own feeling of having to tell Ms. Wie the bad news, not Ms. Wie's reaction. Sue Witters has great respect for all the players on th LPGA tour and knows her employment relies on those members and her own job performance.
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Narsimha Chary 10 months ago
L P G A .....ya ya...just stick to your pig headed view point...and destroy the game and later LPGA itself.
It was shocking how the net work covered last week ends Ottawa match ....
The TV channels seemed to take a cue from LPGA....not one shot of Michelle Wie was shown.
Just check your viewer ratings for the 'selective' coverage of last 4 days! ...
I had no trouble watching the Olympics again and again rather watch the drab and boring coverage of some highly uninspiring game of golf from the leaders. Any day watching Michelle lagging is more attractive than all the junk that was shown.
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