You were expecting something different?

A combination of life's experiences combined with the fine public schooling in Putnam City, Oklahoma provide me with this observation about Michelle Wie's loss today: I saw it coming.

Did you?

This girl has been groomed from the age of 13 to be a loser. Her parents continually put her in situations where the higher percentage was on the side of her failing. It is her parents that have built this six year gap that exists between today and her last victory at ANY level. Yet, where is the blame?

With Leadbetter's tutelage, you can learn to take your swing from upright to 'on plane' and to hit knockdown wedges. But what he or no other instructor can teach you to do is how to win.

Don't get me wrong. In the grand scheme of things, a second place finish for a 19yr old rookie on the LPGA Tour is a nice feat. But do you think it is worthy of multi-million dollar endorsements from SONY and Nike Golf?

Do you?

There is a saying that all you learn from losing is how to lose. Well, thanks to BJ Wie and his misguided, ignorant wife, Michelle has a Masters degree in losing and is working toward her double major in Late Round Collapses.

In today's final round, Michelle did all she could and all she has ever known: lost. I think it's time for the announcers to stop putting the attention on Michelle's failure to win and place it squarely on the shoulders of her parents. Put a mic in their face, and ask them the following question: "How much blame do you take for Michelle not knowing how to win?"

Don't you?

PS Mark Rolfing's announcing today was over the top. He went beyond being an apologist for Michelle choking down the stretch, and came across as a downright enabler for Michelle's parents. Shame on Mark for his unprofessional behavior today.

Practice Shots

This week is the Sony Open

• No 5 ft 1in teenage boy or 6ft 1in teenage girl in the field for the first time in many years...no more freak shows. It's just about the golf. It's about time.
• Australians have won quite a bit in Hawaii...if it gets breezy, look for Ogilvy to win this week too.
  
• While you're at it, check out the web site for my radio show at www.radiogolfshow.com My co host Garry Smits has a great notes section on this (This Week tab) and every week's event. Also, he and I give our picks for this week. We're on a pretty good roll...if one week of good picks is considered a 'roll'.
  
• Did you catch any of Rich Lerner interviewing Boo Weekley at the Mercedes? Rich asked Boo what he had for dinner the previous night, and Boo said "pork chops". That response was met with quite the pompous chuckle and a 'gotta love it' kinda attitude. As if pork chops is the choice of dinner for the great unwashed.
  
• Speaking of Boo, in discussing his book with Lerner, Rich asked if he's gonna be the next Hemmingway. Boo responded "who's that?"...only to VERY quickly say "I'm just kiddin". Me is starting to think the Boo Show is just that...a show. Keep an eye on it.

Getting Ready For 2009

Tiger Woods was spotted hitting balls with FULL SWINGS on the Isleworth range with another Nike Golf TOUR player...

Vijay Singh has left Titleist and will play the Srixon golf ball. A long time Cleveland staff player of clubs, Vijay is now all Cleveland/Srixon (one company now). Buyout rumored to be $400,000.00

Fred Funk is paying the price for coming back a bit early from surgery last year. His knee that was operated on last year has reportedly developed an infection. The procedure he had Monday to help the infection may keep him out of action until April.

Mark is writing this and wondering when the last time he heard an athlete say, "You know, I took too long to come back from surgery..."

LPGA Grows A Pair

In the spirit of full disclosure: I am an LPGA Tour observer and fan.

At one point in my life I didn't have any respect for the brand of golf played by the ladies. But then two things happened:

1. I accepted an invitation to play in the Safeway Classic LPGA Tour 2 Day Pro-Am in 1999 at Columbia-Edgewater in Portland, Or.
   
2. I became the Head Coach of a High School girls golf team.

In my previous life, I was a Golfweek/Titleist ranked amateur player. In my travels around the country, I had the opportunity to play with an LPGA Tour player (Dana Dorman, now a college coach) at a fantastic facility in Oregon. It was 2 Days, at 2 fantastic courses...but I can't remember a single shot. It's been almost 9 years and my mind is wrecked from government schooling.

What I CAN remember, though, are many of the conversations I had with Dana...how she's from California, that she is good friends with Paul Stankowski, that her husband sometimes caddies, etc...

One can only imagine how little I would have remembered of my (VERY expensive) rounds of golf with someone that DOESN'T (or won't) SPEAK ENGLISH.

This decision is not based on anything other than the fact that LPGA executives would like to keep their jobs. And the only way to do this is to keep (or make) the LPGA a functioning, profitable, growing, culturally relevant sport.

In America, we root for Americans...and for those that have at least made an effort to acclimate themselves to our culture, or at least show respect for our culture. And there is no more defining aspect of a culture (be it racial, regional, or national) than one's language. To decline to do so will not endear you to the American sports fan...and if your league is highly populated with international stars, you may have to act as the LPGA did.

Because it was becoming painfully obvious that the players weren't doing it themselves.

With Well Thought Out Planning...

...I can be very spontaneous.

Hey Wie Family, You Watching This?
I have been an adjunct Girls Golf coach at a local private High School here in Florida for 4 years now. We have made it to the state finals each year, so I've had a front row seat on the development and careers of current LPGA star Morgan Pressel, and a soon to be star named Vicky Hurst. Three years ago, they actually squared off in a playoff to determine the individual championship...pretty cool stuff. Pressel has already won on the LPGA TOUR, and Vicky just notched her second victory on the Futures TOUR (she's only 18 years old).

Each kid was supremely talented at 15/16 years old, not unlike Michelle Wie was at that age. But the difference is they were patient and developed the ability to actually WIN TOURNAMENTS vs. kids their age, not just hit good golf shots. Unfortunately, Wie's ignorant and controlling parents thought that hitting good golf shots was a precursor to being a champion golfer. There are notorious stories of Wie's mother berating and critiquing Michelle during practice sessions...as if this is somehow a way to make Michelle into a great player.

With Tiger Woods' upbringing being so well documented, too many parents think they should take the same route as Earl Woods. Yet unfortunately, from Michelle Wie to Sean O'Hair, it is becoming more and more evident that trying to follow Earl's raising technique is like playing lotto. Earl just got lucky to have a child as strong willed as Tiger.

Michelle may win multiple times on TOUR eventually...but she was robbed of her childhood. For that alone, her parents should be ashamed.

THIS GUY WON MAJORS?
Caught some of the coverage of the CVS Charity Classic hosted by Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade. As a golf fan, I'll watch anything on TV and be entertained. I also like to watch the less serious events like this to see players lighten up...it usually makes for some good humor.

And speaking of humor, did you catch Nick Faldo's action? WOW, horrific.

Look, as a PGA player/instructor myself, I am well aware of the difficulty of the game, but yet here is a guy that portrays himself as such the expert. If he knows so much, how can he allow his game to deteriorate so much?

I think him playing on tv is a really bad move for his announcing career. For most fans, their vision of Faldo is from one of his major wins...to keep credibility as an analyst, he needs to avoid us seeing his current 'action' on the course.

Nice Try Kelly, Now Move On...
Catch Kelly Tilghman of The Golf Channel's 'broad'cast lately? I don't know if it is my critical eyes and ears, but she is WAY, WAY, WAY out of her league. Aside from the obvious gaffes (both factual and well...I'll just say "lynch"), there is something very distracting when she is announcing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, though, until I really studied the US Open broadcast and Jim Nantz's latest broadcast.

When listening to other announcers, they have a certain calm to their delivery. They use words and voice inflection that respects the knowledge of the golfing viewer, and are merely 'conversational' when speaking.

Kelly, on the other hand (or foot in mouth), seems to be constantly 'efforting' way too much, and uses a tone of voice that you just KNOW is different from what she uses in casual conversation (doesn't she seem to try and lower her tone of voice sometimes?).

Watch this week's coverage and let me know what you think.

How Tiger being out HELPS the PGA TOUR

Ok, I get it. Tiger is the best now...and it is a legitimate argument to say that he's the best ever. I love to watch the guy, for he provides great theater and entertainment. So please understand where I'm coming from when I say this: Tiger being out for an extended time actually will HELP the PGA TOUR.

What I want to focus on, though, is the PGA TOUR's product.

Tiger has entered 6 tournaments this year, and won 4 of them. More importantly, we now learn that he did it basically on one leg (tore his ACL in July of 2007). How's THAT product looking to the marketing brass in Ponte Vedra FL? They tout that "These Guys Are Good", but they should tout that "These guys can beat you, but still lose over 50% of the time to a one legged guy".

You've heard the term that when you are intimidating someone, you are 'in his kitchen'? Well, Tiger has his own cooking channel with all the players on TOUR (see, Ponte Vedra, at least I use all caps), and his fist pumps are just recurring Emeril style "BAM"s.

So what we have here is a clear #1. To make this point, Tiger Woods is #1 in the Official World rankings (21.54). #2 in the OWR is held by 'righty' Phil Mickelson (he's right handed, so I can't call him lefty) at 10.21. Therefore, based on these numbers, #1415 ranked Matthew Abbots (0.00) is closer in points to Righty than Righty is to Tiger.

Digest THAT ONE for a moment.

How is having a rivalry akin to the rivalry between a hammer and a nail exciting? What we need is a new story, because this one has been not only written, but is #1 again in paperback.

But NOW we have a new story to read!!!

I don't know who it will be, but someone will finish the season with multiple wins...and the Ryder Cup may create a NEW hero for American golf to cheer for. The American consumer will move from the current "yeah, but you won without Tiger in the field" to slowly saying "I wonder if this guy has anything for Tiger". Will it be Kim? Who will it be?

And THIS is what the TOUR needs. A NEW opponent. Not Ernie, Vijay, Retief, or even Phil. These guys have so many Tiger treadmarks up and down their backs that Ernie recently got a notice from the Dept. of Transportation saying he is next on the list of being repaved. He was assured that no current traffic patterns will be disrupted and has a completion date of Fall 2011. (I wonder if they are adding a new lane?)

So fret not, golf fans and PGA TOUR brass. With a bit of patience, you're gonna like this. It's time for a new story, and you're gonna like it no matter the outcome. Either Tiger's greatness was the same thing that caused his downfall, Tiger's greatness is more than we imagined, or a new star (anyone seen Jason Day on the weekends?) will emerge.

The only guarantee is that the story will be new...and sometimes change for the sake of change is good (just praying to God that it's not the case in politics).

Now go out and play golf like a game.