Press Box
Someone stop Wie
before she makes historyShe should be doing other things more appropriate for a girl her age. She's not having fun. Her parents are pushing her too hard, she's gonna burn out. She's not normal. She plays too slowly.
These are the whispers you hear from some corners at local golf tournaments -- men's tournaments -- where a 13-year-old girl has become the star attraction.
You don't hear these complaints raised too loudly, because no one wants to be labeled sexist or sour grapes because she plays better than he does. But believe me, the Michelle Wie backlash has begun.
What's surprising is it has taken so long. This is what happens to pioneers. Maybe they don't get confronted face to face as much as in the past, but those who alter the status quo -- regardless of whether it is through legitimate ability or not -- eventually meet resistance.
Wie -- who is in California to play in an LPGA Tour event this week -- is perceived by some as a threat.
But a threat to what, other than scoring records?
After Wie finished fourth in the state amateur stroke play championship last week, a male golfer told me of his fear. "What if 30 of them show up for the next tournament?"
"Them" presumably being 13-year-old girls who can hit the ball nearly 300 yards and shoot 68 on any given day, as can Wie. For most amateur championship tournaments, you must have an established handicap -- a good one -- to enter. Let's see, there's Wie and her classmate at Punahou, Stephanie Kono. Where are the other 28?
But that's all beside the point. What the guy was trying to convey is the disruption to one of the few remaining bastions for adult males. And he's not alone; the same kind of grumbling has arisen over the possibility of female members at Augusta National and Annika Sorenstam playing in a PGA men's event.
While most on the local golf scene seem to be proud of Wie and in awe of her precocious talent, there are those who tell me she doesn't belong in men's tournaments, that it is a bad precedent.
What I find strange is that all four of the males who voiced or e-mailed to me their "concerns" about an invasion of Wies are members of minority groups themselves.
I saw Wie relaxing with her parents after her round last Sunday. They were by themselves, smiling and laughing together. They were finally off-stage. I wasn't close enough to hear the source of their joy, but I'm willing to bet it was a little joke that had nothing to do with the 71 she shot that day, or about golf at all. They were a typical, happy family, enjoying each other.
Those who see her as a threat need to remember Wie isn't trying to invade their poker game or their boys' night out. She's just trying to improve her golf game, which will likely be her livelihood some day and bring a lot of pride to the state of Hawaii. Someday they might be proud to say she beat them.
In the meanwhile, if they can't deal with that, they need to find a different hobby.
Despite its history of exclusivity, golf is one of the most democratic sports. It's just you and your ability to make the shots.
Perhaps that is why Michelle Wie is feared.
Do I agree with any of the complaints?
I'd like to see her play a little faster. We need more time before deadline to chronicle the making of history.
Dave Reardon, who covered sports in Hawaii from 1977 to 1998,
moved to the the Gainesville Sun, then returned to
the Star-Bulletin in Jan. 2000.
E-mail Dave: dreardon@starbulletin.com