There was a time not too long ago, many many people wanted to write off Michelle Wie. Can she make it on tour? Will she ever win a major? Will her putting be the thorn in her side? Why isn’t she winning more? The questions are plenty but so are the answers. I never doubted her ability, I, as a former LPGA Tour Player knew from experienced that is was probably a mental confidence she was in need of she would find a way out in her own time.
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So allow me to follow up on a story I wrote a wile back on Michelle Wie. I had discussed the questions surrounding what has happened to the former teen phenom. Back a year ago, we saw a Michelle Wie that looked warn and broken. That was then and this is now.
Michelle Wie Exudes Mental Toughness
I have been watching with close eyes on Michelle Wie this year and not because of her very individualized and unique putting stroke. What I am noticing is a different Wie than the one a year ago. She is standing taller with a pure confidence. She totally seems comfortable in her own skin on and off the course. This is something I saw at the beginning for of the season and through 2 rounds I intently watched at the Nabisco back in April.
There is something different and it is in her approach to each shot with a ‘Tigress’ like eye. She is totally one with the target staring it down and nothing is bothering her…not the gallery, her parents, or a good or unfortunate shot. She is what we call ‘In the Zone’…but allow me to add, she is in ‘The Wie Zone’.
You see, having been on tour myself, I understand the metal wiring a professional athlete must have to survive the rigors of tour life. You will have ups and downs from shot to shot; tournament to tournament; or year to year. It is within our own self through your heart and soul that you must commit to getting out of your own way. Wie has now accomplished that.
Understanding Wie’s Journey
Let’s be real here for a moment. We have all been waiting for this moment either for Wie to shine or to fall. Why? Why was the world so hungry for an answer: Fail or Succeed? Have you all stepped out in front of hundreds at the tender age of 16 as a professional trying to make a 3 foot slider? At times, the knees will knock and Wie is not immune to the launch at such an early age into the stratosphere of golf greatness.
Here is a little something to digest about the little girl golfer who is becoming a great woman champion. This will give you a perspective on her journey straight from her own site:
Michelle Wie was born October 11, 1989. Since an early age Michelle has commanded international attention for her prodigious golfing ability and her charisma, making her one of the most influential athletes in women’s sports.
In 2000, at the age of 10, Michelle became the youngest qualifier ever at the USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. The milestones began to pile up quickly. Michelle won the Honolulu Mayor’s Open and was low amateur in the Hawaii State Women’s Open. Over the next three years she electrified Hawaiian golf with victories and shattered records for youngest ever in virtually every category.
By the age of 13, Michelle took her prowess to a whole new level by becoming the youngest golfer ever to make the cut at an LPGA tour event, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, a major no less, where she finished in the top 10. PGA golf champion Fred Couples witnessed the 13 year old Michelle Wie’s swing first hand and was amazed, exclaiming, “When you see her hit a golf ball, there is nothing that prepares you for it. It is just the scariest thing you will ever see”.
At age 14, Michelle finished in the top 20 in six of the seven LPGA events she entered that year including a 4th place at the Kraft Nabisco. In early 2004, Michelle competed in the Men’s PGA Sony Open at Waialae. She shot 72/68, missing the cut by just one shot, yet finishing ahead of future US Open winner Lucas Glover, PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, and future Sony Open winner Ryan Palmer. At only 14 years of age, she became the first woman to shoot a
sub-par round in a sanctioned Men’s PGA event.The next year, 2005, saw Michelle finish second in three of seven LPGA events including the LPGA Championship, to go with a 3rd place in the British Open. Michelle turned professional later that year just before her 16th birthday.
Now having read all that, we can remember the little girl with the big swing and the hopes of millions riding on her tiny shoulders. I think she has done just fine as she has matured as a young woman and now a U.S. Open Women’s Champion.
Wie is Like Fine Wine…she just Matured with Age
We all have growing pains. In Wie’s case, her growing pains were virtually played out like a soap opera for everyone to watch and wait with baited breath for the next saga. However, what you didn’t see is the hard work both physically and mentally she has put in since a club was in her hand.
The mental game is not something the world can see us tour players working on: dealing with the stress, understanding ourselves and mental toughness, coping with first tee jitters (can’t tell you how many tour players vomited before every round), positive self talk, recovering from a unfortunate shot, keeping adrenaline in check…this can go on and on.
In her own time and through the struggles of tour life, injury and exhaustion, Michelle Wie is finding her stride…her internal stride.
Maybe you don’t agree with her putting style, but let us take a look back at even the great Jack Nicklaus who looked more like a hunchback than putter….I think he did well. Oh, and what kind of a follow-through was that Arnold Palmer used to break all the record books…again, he was a pretty good golfer don’t you think.
Final Thoughts
Michelle found a comfort within herself, her swing and her putting style and the numbers are showing it. She is etched in history as a USGA Women’s Open Champion.
Watch her with your heart and see how she is walking with confidence, smiling with enjoyment of every moment in her golf, exuding a love for the game, and staring down her most impressive opponent ever with her ‘Tigress Eye’–> Old Man Par. She now has his number and will continue at the tender age of 25 (yes she is only that young) to know at his door every time she tees up for years to come.
Michelle Wie, you have accomplished something not many on this earth can talk about–You are a Major Champion!! And this, my dear, is only the beginning.
We here at Bunkers Paradise are very proud of you the person, the player and the true Champion. Congratulations! May you have a plethora a Major Victories in your future.
‘keep smiling and always believe’
