Former Sydney Morning Herald journalist Peter Stone is in Canberra this week to cover the Australian Women’s Open and he compiled this article on Michelle Wie who appeared to struggle all week.

The excellent piece covers Wie’s effort this week along with a broader look at some of the issues she faces.

http://ow.ly/hLnty

the best part of this article

“Michael Hebron respected golf coach summed it up recently when he said the research around technology proved that little of it is of any benefit to the learning process its just there because its possible to make such devices “

AGREED

Through the years, Wie has been tormented by her putting. She’s tried half a dozen or so different putting styles and grips, she’s tried the belly putter. Now she is using a quite bizarre stance that sees her bending over with her back almost parallel to the ground. If Laura Davies should try it, she’d probably topple to the ground.

http://ow.ly/hLnty

Drive for show, putt for dough …

wow, a ballsy piece by Stone and the commissioner. Good on them for printing what many writers & editors have probably wanted to publish, but bailed out of.

Leadbetter

I don’t think Lonard won a match once they got together either.

I saw some of her rounds on Thursday and again on Friday at the Open. Her putting was very poor and painful to watch. It’s such an un-natural style, my low hcp mate said to me – ‘there’s no way she can putt effectively like that”. She sprayed a few off the tee as well and had to play several recovery shots. Certainly not someone who’s at peace with their game or their inner demons at the moment. By all accounts, she’s a lovely girl, very friendly and approachable. I hope she can get her head/game sorted but as the article says – it may be too late.

It was interesting that Wie was grouped with Lydia Ko and to compare the two. Ko, of course is also a child prodigy, the difference being she has successfully made the step up from winning junior and amateur events to winning at the top level.
There’s a sport’s psychology/training masters thesis in the waiting there, comparing their upbringing, training and careers.

Solarbear

It is true that Lonard won most of his events while working with Gary Edwin but I think you will find Lonard’s win at the Heritage Clasic in 2005 came at least twelve months after he had begun working with Leadbetter and his team as did his win at the 2007 Australian PGA Championship.

Solarbear

It is true that Lonard won most of his events while working with Gary Edwin but I think you will find Lonard’s win at the Heritage Clasic in 2005 came at least twelve months after he had begun working with Leadbetter and his team as did his win at the 2007 Australian PGA Championship.

www.bruceyoungmedia.com

Faldo did OK working with Leadbetter, as it happens… It’s a very technical way to teach a golf swing, but it works for some. Not for Michelle, though, it seems.

Sad sad sad

To be great at this game requires a special mentality. It is a gift at birth, we either have it or not. This lass doesn’t.

I said to my mate at the Open on Friday as we watched her tortured attempts at putting that if she wanted to give golf away she could have a ready made career as a supermodel. May be a better option Raz as I agree with you – her head is not right for top level golf,

It’s only a matter of time before Nike kick her to the curb.

Doubt Nike is going to kick her to the curb anytime soon. Look at the interest that she continues to generate from all and sundry.

Doubt Nike is going to kick her to the curb anytime soon. Look at the interest that she continues to generate from all and sundry.

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http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Hmmm … but I think the interest is more of the “watching a train wreck” variety rather than watching a winner.

Doubt Nike is going to kick her to the curb anytime soon. Look at the interest that she continues to generate from all and sundry.

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http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Hmmm … but I think the interest is more of the “watching a train wreck” variety rather than watching a winner.

Doesn’t matter, as long as people keep talking about her and paying admission fees to see her play, then she is good for the game.

Doubt Nike is going to kick her to the curb anytime soon. Look at the interest that she continues to generate from all and sundry.

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http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Hmmm … but I think the interest is more of the “watching a train wreck” variety rather than watching a winner.

Doesn’t matter, as long as people keep talking about her and paying admission fees to see her play, then she is good for the game.

LOFT. the real reason why my handicap is where it is!
Don’t know about LOFT I’ve got the IBF’s
Became a Grandpa 12/4/12, a furure caddy in waiting.

I doubt many people pay to see her play when there are countless other better players to watch.

Doubt Nike is going to kick her to the curb anytime soon. Look at the interest that she continues to generate from all and sundry.

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http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Hmmm … but I think the interest is more of the “watching a train wreck” variety rather than watching a winner.

Doesn’t matter, as long as people keep talking about her and paying admission fees to see her play, then she is good for the game.

LOFT. the real reason why my handicap is where it is!
Don’t know about LOFT I’ve got the IBF’s
Became a Grandpa 12/4/12, a furure caddy in waiting.

I doubt many people pay to see her play when there are countless other better players to watch.

There’s many a slip ’tween a cup and a lip.

http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Anna Kournikova – easy on the eye, wore the sponsor’s clothes well and rarely escaped the first round of any tournament she played in. It’s a career of sorts – but, please Michelle don’t follow that example! You’ve got more talent than that!

I am currently reading Andre Agassi’s book and, although I know almost nothing about her personal life, their stories sound remarkably similar.
Child protegee with pushy, difficult parents leading to self doubt and a waste of natural talent.

I am currently reading Andre Agassi’s book and, although I know almost nothing about her personal life, their stories sound remarkably similar.
Child protegee with pushy, difficult parents leading to self doubt and a waste of natural talent.

I keep hitting ESCAPE but I’m still here

Her crumble has been in the last couple of years on tour. About 4 years ago she almost won her tour card while playing in a tournament on a sponsor’s exemption. Then later that year she fronted up to Q School & won her tour card the hard way. Kudos on the way she did it.

In the last couple of years her putting ability has dissolved. It’s obviously had an effect on her overall confidence.

Interesting that the big thing that people seem to be ragging on her about is the new putting style. But on the first two days of the women’s open, she made 24 and 27 putts. I admit that it looks awkward, but Jiyai Shin’s putts per round were 24, 28, 29 and 28. On the basis of those figures, her putting wasn’t the thing that was holding her back (at least this year – her putting ranking from 2012 was pretty poor)

A much more significant difference is that Shin averaged 75% GIR whereas Wie averaged only around 58% over the two rounds she played.

Wie is a story of missed potential more than anything else. She has won twice on the LPGA, which puts her above plenty of people who have had a lot longer career. I think she will have a better year than she had in 2012, because it is difficult for the talent she has not to shine through.

Trouble for her is mum was a good player so she would be getting mixed message from coach and mum.

dont know bout other parts of the world

but for the womens open maybe she went for a walk round canberra to clear her head and discovered fyshwick!!

ya never know

Interesting that the big thing that people seem to be ragging on her about is the new putting style. But on the first two days of the women’s open, she made 24 and 27 putts. I admit that it looks awkward, but Jiyai Shin’s putts per round were 24, 28, 29 and 28. On the basis of those figures, her putting wasn’t the thing that was holding her back (at least this year – her putting ranking from 2012 was pretty poor)

A much more significant difference is that Shin averaged 75% GIR whereas Wie averaged only around 58% over the two rounds she played.

Wie is a story of missed potential more than anything else. She has won twice on the LPGA, which puts her above plenty of people who have had a lot longer career. I think she will have a better year than she had in 2012, because it is difficult for the talent she has not to shine through.

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http://www.golflink.com.au/...

Putts per round is a skewed statistic.

If Michelle is only hitting 10 or 11 greens, then you would assume she was knocking her recovery shot’s close and hence have more 1 putts.

Because Shin hit’s so many greens she will usually be further away, and as such make less 1 putts.

It’s a similar reason as to why people think guys like Hunter Mahan are regarded as bad putters,

Putts per GIR is a more reliable indicator.