Michelle Wie – Doing It Right!

I am happy to say that I couldn’t be happier to see Michelle Wie win her first LPGA tournament this past week. In one year, she’s gone from a painful feel-bad story to a very instructive feel-good story.

I first saw Michelle play when she was just an eighth-grader and made it to the final pairing with Annika Sorenstam and Carrie Webb at the Kraft Nabisco in Palm Springs . It was evident immediately that she has Tiger-like talent, physique, potential and appeal. What wasn’t Tiger-like has been the path she was on, failing to come up through the ranks of junior and amateur golf and then trying to skip over the LPGA straight onto the PGA tour. Where Tiger had excellent parenting and tutelage, it seemed Michelle was being terribly misguided and ultimately fell off course (literally!).

I believe where Michele Wie went very right was in going to Qualifying School last December. Having exhausted sponsor exemptions and missed every PGA cut (with scores into the 80s), she did what everyone has to do, regardless of their talent or celebrity: she raised herself through the ranks.

Michelle played well and succeeded at Q-School - a huge accomplishment that both prepares and warrants a player getting out on tour. Then she earned her way onto the Solheim Cup team, and was a shining undefeated star. It really warmed my heart not only to see her play so well, but to finally be a girl among the girls, making friends and socializing and enjoying herself as a young woman amongst her peers. Great talent, low scores and lots of money are all wonderful, but there’s no substitute or skipping over camaraderie, acceptance and earning one’s own way in life.

Michelle Wie’s win in Mexico , and the outpouring of love and support coming her way, is to me a story not just of fine golf but of things still being right in the world. Just 1-2 years ago people were shaking their heads in dismay and even disgust as they watched her flounder. Now, from Q-School to weekly LPGA tour play to the Solheim Cup to winning the much-beloved Lorena Ochoa’s event, Michelle has redeemed herself. In the process she has let us all know that people still prefer to be positive, to forgive, and to love their heroines. Integrity is the big winner here!