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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Wie’s free ride
not quite rightFIRST, let me say that I love Michelle Wie's new haircut. She looks very nice. Very cool, very 14. She charms us all once again.
Now, um (hesitantly) ... How in the heck can you give her a sponsor's exemption to the Sony Open in Hawaii?
Listen, there is no joy in being the bad guy, the rain-on-the-parade person, the "wait a minute" man in the face of this phenomenal Michelle Wie fairy tale.
Believe me, I would much rather just get on the bandwagon and go with it, have fun writing about what a wonderful story this is, for her and for golf and, as June Jones loves to say, "for the entire state of Hawaii." And in so many ways, it is a wonderful story. She really seems like a nice girl with a nice family and a perfect swing and a magic smile. You can't help but root for her (yes, even me; I think she's terrific). And that's exactly what many people want to hear.
Including the person who wrote me this letter:
With all due respect, why don't you lay off Michelle Wie. And, by the way, she IS in high school and is doing very well. A kid who can get good grades at Punahou by doing her homework in the car and doing what she loves on the course cannot be doing that badly. I hear that she has lots of friends and is well-liked and respected by her peers. Leave her the hell alone.
Sincerely,
(Don't worry, I never use names with these), ed.d., child and adolescent psychologist."
Well. I have had a lot of people let me know that they disagree with what I have written. But none have perhaps been quite so scientifically qualified to tell me I'm wrong.
So no, I'm not going to debate the merits of a 14-year-old flying off to Korea to play in a professional golf tournament during a school week.
What do I know?
But Thursday's big announcement at the governor's office left me feeling that something was not quite right here.
How do you justify giving her a free pass into the local PGA Tour event when Wie has already tried to qualify and failed?
Let's go over that again. The last three years she tried to qualify like everyone else and wasn't good enough (maybe she would have made it this year; now we'll never know). Now, because it's a nice photo op, she gets swept to the front of the line.
Not to mention the fact that everyone openly (proudly, in a press conference?) admits that the Gov leaned on Sony to make it happen.
Of course, people will point out that sponsor's exemptions are a tradition as old as sponsors themselves. But this just doesn't sit right with me. Not after she tried to qualify, tried to earn it, last year. Now ...
"I like the easy route," Wie said at the press conference and in yesterday's paper.
I can't blame her for taking what's offered. And TV will eat this up, she'll charm us all with her swing and her smile.
But is she going to be a golfer or a celebrity? Is this a professional sports contest or a publicity event?
Is she there for her playing ability or for her marketability?
You know the answer. And it throws some rain on what could have been golf's greatest parade.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com
