It took three months but there was finally another American victory on the LPGA Tour.
In an otherwise miserable year for the LPGA, the U.S victory in the Solheim Cup Sunday had to feel like an early Christmas, generating some genuine interest in what was happening while remaking Michelle Wie into a star again. Now it will be interesting to see where Wie and the tour go from here.
I'm a huge fan of team golf events such as the Ryder Cup, the upcoming Presidents Cup and the Solheim Cup because they change the players and the landscape. Personally, I could do without the face-painting and tone down Christina Kim's antics but it all worked beautifully for the American team over the weekend.
For Wie, it was a potentially career-changing event. The team aspect allowed the 19-year old to be herself and, from all indications, she broke down some of the walls that have surrounded her since she hit the scene several years ago. It had to help not having her hovering parents around all the time, allowing her to immerse herself in the team.
Her game, a mess a couple of years ago, has come back and she holed some putts thanks to the wise decision to talk with Dave Stockton about her putting. Wie looks like she's regained her confidence, which is crtical. Just ask Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott, both of whom have lost theirs.
If Wie can begin to win regularly, it would help revive a tour desperately in need of a boost. Tournaments are disappearing, there's an ongoing search for a new commissioner and American-born players haven't won very often. The tour has gone flat and seems in danger of flat-lining.
This should help. With Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Wie, Kim and others, the American team showed it has compelling characters. Sure, the European team wasn't as imposing as an international squad stocked with the top South Korean players might be but it was still an important victory for the U.S.
For Michelle Wie, it may be the most important week of her still-young career.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Time for Wie, U.S. players to keep it going
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2 comments:
Please tell us, if you as an American,are proud of the way Christini Kim acted on the golf course. Her no-class act should be condemned by anyone with any sense of good sportsmanship. If this is the way that you want to see professional golfers act during a tournament, then you are as bad as these ignorant members of the LPGA. It is no wonder that woman's golf is losing it's appeal to the public.
First, was the way Christina Kim acted any different than how Boo Weekley acted during the Ryder Cup? Riding his golf club like a pony? That was worse IMO.
Second, while she celebrated her winning holes, I was glad to see her tell the crowds to settle down when the European team was about to hit.
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