Post by katai on Apr 20, 2012 9:58:16 GMT -5
There’s trouble in paradise.
Near the Hawaiian home where she grew up, on a course that was her playground as a junior, Michelle Wie shot a 4-over-par 76 Thursday at the LPGA Lotte Championship to miss her third consecutive cut. It’s just the second time she has missed three consecutive shots in her career, the first coming back in 2007, when she was trying to come back from a wrist injury.
In the Lotte Championship’s second round, Wie hit a pair of tee shots out of bounds and into a parking lot at No. 1, her 10th hole of the day, and made a quadruple-bogey 9. She opened the tournament with a 78.
The last time Wie played an LPGA event in Hawaii, she finished second at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She was 19. She finished third at the Fields Open at Ko Olina when she was 16 and tied for second at Turtle Bay when she was 15.
This season has already been a year of highs and lows for Wie. She graduated from Stanford three weeks ago with a degree in communications, a considerable achievement as she juggled her education with her golf career. On the course, though, Wie has slumped. In 14 rounds, she has broken par just once. Her scoring average is 75.64. She has posted rounds that include 81, 79, 79, 78, 77, 77, 76, 75 and 75.
Wie’s putting has been problematic for seasons – she ranks 128th in putts per GIR this year – but the troubles have seeped into her full swing. She ranks 115th in greens in regulation this season, 137th in driving accuracy. She would have hit a third tee shot OB in Thursday’s round if it hadn’t caromed off a golf cart. She’s also 44th on tour in driving distance (255 yards).
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In golf's proverbial stock market, Annika Sorenstam would be a long-term buyer in the career of Lexi Thompson before that of Michelle Wie.
Asked Thursday on "Morning Drive" who of the pair would be better off in five years, Sorenstam took Thompson.
"She's an upcoming star. She's so young. She's just starting her career," she said. "You look at Michelle Wie, and she's still very young, but in our eyes, she's been on tour for a while. She's been playing as an amateur since the age of 12. She set the bar high so early and, after that, she hasn't been able to deliver, so I would certainly put Lexi Thompson first."
Both players struggled yesterday in the first round of the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii. Playing together, Thompson (75) beat Wie (78) by three shots.
Wie continues to struggle with putting, which Sorenstam believes can be corrected with devoted practice.
"There was one season I just devoted to putting," she said. "I took two months and putted two hours per day - one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon. The first session was all about technique, just making sure I did the right things. Then in the afternoon, it was all about feel. After that, I had one of my best years."
She added, "I was determined that my short game would not hold me back."
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With two-time major winner and putting guru Dave Stockton, ask and ye shall receive.
"So far, I've worked with everybody's that called for advice," Stockton said Thursday on "Morning Drive." "Some take it better than others."
The 1991 Ryder Cup captain cited Hunter Mahan as one of his better students.
"He came over, we worked about three years ago, and we moved on. You want them to be able to teach themselves," he said.
Weeks before his major breakthrough last year at the U.S. Open, the current world No. 1 worked briefly with Stockton.
"With Rory McIlroy, for instance, it was as much mental as a physical thing. He was one of the few that was too fast, so it made it easy to fix," he said.
For all of the great players Stockton has helped, there are others still he hopes to someday have the opportunity to fix.
"I have my wish list. There are just certain people I look at and shake my head," he said.
"I had a couple of days with (Lee) Westwood last year in Akron. He had just started working with (sports psychologist) Bob Rotella at the same time that week, and kind of went that direction. I look at Westwood, or Sergio, or Michelle Wie now, Ernie Els – people that I really respect and you would just love to have 10 or 15 minutes of their time because you know you can fix them."
Stockton credits his budding business to the freedom pupil Phil Mickelson gave him to work with other players.
"Phil is my key person, yet he's given me free range," he said. "When we first started working together, he said, 'You've got to work with Adam Scott. He's got the worst stroke in the world.' And that took 20 minutes."
Near the Hawaiian home where she grew up, on a course that was her playground as a junior, Michelle Wie shot a 4-over-par 76 Thursday at the LPGA Lotte Championship to miss her third consecutive cut. It’s just the second time she has missed three consecutive shots in her career, the first coming back in 2007, when she was trying to come back from a wrist injury.
In the Lotte Championship’s second round, Wie hit a pair of tee shots out of bounds and into a parking lot at No. 1, her 10th hole of the day, and made a quadruple-bogey 9. She opened the tournament with a 78.
The last time Wie played an LPGA event in Hawaii, she finished second at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She was 19. She finished third at the Fields Open at Ko Olina when she was 16 and tied for second at Turtle Bay when she was 15.
This season has already been a year of highs and lows for Wie. She graduated from Stanford three weeks ago with a degree in communications, a considerable achievement as she juggled her education with her golf career. On the course, though, Wie has slumped. In 14 rounds, she has broken par just once. Her scoring average is 75.64. She has posted rounds that include 81, 79, 79, 78, 77, 77, 76, 75 and 75.
Wie’s putting has been problematic for seasons – she ranks 128th in putts per GIR this year – but the troubles have seeped into her full swing. She ranks 115th in greens in regulation this season, 137th in driving accuracy. She would have hit a third tee shot OB in Thursday’s round if it hadn’t caromed off a golf cart. She’s also 44th on tour in driving distance (255 yards).
***************
In golf's proverbial stock market, Annika Sorenstam would be a long-term buyer in the career of Lexi Thompson before that of Michelle Wie.
Asked Thursday on "Morning Drive" who of the pair would be better off in five years, Sorenstam took Thompson.
"She's an upcoming star. She's so young. She's just starting her career," she said. "You look at Michelle Wie, and she's still very young, but in our eyes, she's been on tour for a while. She's been playing as an amateur since the age of 12. She set the bar high so early and, after that, she hasn't been able to deliver, so I would certainly put Lexi Thompson first."
Both players struggled yesterday in the first round of the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii. Playing together, Thompson (75) beat Wie (78) by three shots.
Wie continues to struggle with putting, which Sorenstam believes can be corrected with devoted practice.
"There was one season I just devoted to putting," she said. "I took two months and putted two hours per day - one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon. The first session was all about technique, just making sure I did the right things. Then in the afternoon, it was all about feel. After that, I had one of my best years."
She added, "I was determined that my short game would not hold me back."
**********
With two-time major winner and putting guru Dave Stockton, ask and ye shall receive.
"So far, I've worked with everybody's that called for advice," Stockton said Thursday on "Morning Drive." "Some take it better than others."
The 1991 Ryder Cup captain cited Hunter Mahan as one of his better students.
"He came over, we worked about three years ago, and we moved on. You want them to be able to teach themselves," he said.
Weeks before his major breakthrough last year at the U.S. Open, the current world No. 1 worked briefly with Stockton.
"With Rory McIlroy, for instance, it was as much mental as a physical thing. He was one of the few that was too fast, so it made it easy to fix," he said.
For all of the great players Stockton has helped, there are others still he hopes to someday have the opportunity to fix.
"I have my wish list. There are just certain people I look at and shake my head," he said.
"I had a couple of days with (Lee) Westwood last year in Akron. He had just started working with (sports psychologist) Bob Rotella at the same time that week, and kind of went that direction. I look at Westwood, or Sergio, or Michelle Wie now, Ernie Els – people that I really respect and you would just love to have 10 or 15 minutes of their time because you know you can fix them."
Stockton credits his budding business to the freedom pupil Phil Mickelson gave him to work with other players.
"Phil is my key person, yet he's given me free range," he said. "When we first started working together, he said, 'You've got to work with Adam Scott. He's got the worst stroke in the world.' And that took 20 minutes."
