Donny's Furious Again... Wie Gets Exemption to Deere

[fundonny]

Just read that Michelle Wie has received an exemption to the John Deere in July. I'm outraged.


THERE IS ONLY ONE WORD: INJUSTICE!!!!

[Andru]

Just read that Michelle Wie has received an exemption to the John Deere in July. I'm outraged.


THERE IS ONLY ONE WORD: INJUSTICE!!!!

Why? it has no impact on your life.

[fundonny]

It impacts me as a sports fan.

[jeffc]

how? because you don't get to watch some no-name local pro who will go out and shoot back to back 79's?

[fundonny]

No, because I don't get to see a woman golfer who has actually won something on her own tour. Because I don't get to see an up and comer from the Nationwide Tour. Because I don't get to see a great golfer from another continent.

Instead they get a teenage girl who hasn't won ANYTHING out there for a media circus instead of someone who adds something to the integrity of the game.

Good enough?

[fundonny]

And you know what Jeff? Why shouldn't that local pro get his one dream of a lifetime in a PGA event instead of a teenage girl who makes more endorsement money in a month then he'll make in his life?

[davevandyk]

Just read that Michelle Wie has received an exemption to the John Deere in July. I'm outraged.


THERE IS ONLY ONE WORD: INJUSTICE!!!!

I agree that Wie should not be getting sponsors exemptions into tournaments, but its all about the fans. For me personally, i wouldn't have watched the John Deere without Wie and now i def won't watch it with Wie. She's gonna get a lot of press and media coverage without merit, for someone who will likely miss the cut. Even if she does make this cut, this will be played up about as much as Tiger winning the Slam, its rediculous how people talk about her having more success at the Deere than Sony because she missed the cut by less shots there on average!!

[mjf]

No, because I don't get to see a woman golfer who has actually won something on her own tour. Because I don't get to see an up and comer from the Nationwide Tour. Because I don't get to see a great golfer from another continent.

But there's only a very small probability you weren't going to get to see that Nationwide Tour player anyway. As for the "great golfer from another continent", all of those guys are going to be in Hoylake, England preparing for the British Open.

Does Wie deserve a sponser's invite?? Based on her resume... probably not. However, I bet the TV ratings (not to mention the ticket sales) are at least double or triple what they would have been otherwise... at least for Thursday & Friday. If she were to somehow be in contention on the weekend, the ratings would be astronomical.

Let me put it this way. There's almost NO chance that I'd be watching the John Deere Classic without Wie in the field. With her playing though, I'll definitely be following it if only to see if she can make the cut.

MJF

[fundonny]

Okay, but are you saying the ratings wouldn't be just as high or even higher if Annika were playing? Probably the best woman golfer of all time, in her prime??

[fundonny]

10 years from now, I could be singing a different tune if Wie has anywhere close to the career Annika has, but not today. She's not even in the same universe as Annika.

[jeffc]

And you know what Jeff? Why shouldn't that local pro get his one dream of a lifetime in a PGA event instead of a teenage girl who makes more endorsement money in a month then he'll make in his life?

And what exactly has the that local pro won? Diddly. Why can't he qualify like everyone else? Will more people watch because Joe Schmoe is in the tourney. No. Will more people watch because Michelle is in? Yes.

It's all about ratings and $. The sponsors pick the exemptions. The whole tour is about ratings and $. Right or wrong that's the way it is.

[davevandyk]

Okay, but are you saying the ratings wouldn't be just as high or even higher if Annika were playing? Probably the best woman golfer of all time, in her prime??

Although i am against Wie being in the field, if you are looking to put a female in the field to boost the ratings, she is the best one to fill that requirement. She has the length to play the men's courses that most of the woman don't have. Annika is great for the woman's courses, but put her on a 7000yrd course and she is hitting woods into par 4's. Wie is young, a rising star and attractive which draws the younger fans, as well as the older fans to the Deere. Annika was great, but she just doesn't draw the crowds like Wie, although i would assume that the Wie draw is shrinking, the more cuts she misses, the less people are gonna care. If she keeps going like this, by the time she gets older and finally makes a cut, people will be like "wow, she's 1/25! big deal"

[fireice]

jeffc says it the best,

ratings and $

That's what it's all about when you get down to it. It doesn't bother me as much as others that she's getting another exemption, because it's all about the Benjamins, baby.

[LobWedge]

10 years from now, I could be singing a different tune if Wie has anywhere close to the career Annika has, but not today. She's not even in the same universe as Annika.

So, don't watch then...

[jonf]

I'm with fundonny here. This is just more proof that sport is becoming less about real competition and purity of the sport, and more about money. What's surprising is that so many people are so quick to shrug it off and just say "you can't blame them, its about the money." Well, I CAN blame them, and it is NOT about the money. It's about the sport, and putting out the best field possible, and the best competition possible, or at least it should be. The worst thing about them exempting wie, is that they are going to follow her around all day, like they do with tiger, and ignore all the other GOOD performances that are going on, while she misses another cut. absolutely ridiculous

[sensfan63]

I love it how everyone assumes exemptions go to "local pros"...this is almost never the case. There is always a PGA Section qualifier for each event, so these "local pros" actually earn their way into the event. Remember Suzy Whaley at Hartford a few years back? Anyways, these exemptions are given to PGA Tour members who can't get in the field on their number...ex. Bill Haas gets a lot of exemptions into events that he can't get into based on his T-26th finish at Q-School. Remember, there are a lot more PGA Tour members who are fully exempt than the number of players who play every week.

Now, obviously the John Deere will not attract the best field. However, these exemptions can go to Nationwide Tour players, or PGA members on medical extensions, past PGA champions, etc. People who have proven their competitiveness in the past...

[Pinshark]

If they give spots to people for the amount of $$$ they generate through tv and such, the Leafs should make the playoffs by exemption to play the Sens in the first round.

[Andru]

No, because I don't get to see a woman golfer who has actually won something on her own tour. Because I don't get to see an up and comer from the Nationwide Tour. Because I don't get to see a great golfer from another continent.

Instead they get a teenage girl who hasn't won ANYTHING out there for a media circus instead of someone who adds something to the integrity of the game.

Good enough?

Dude unless that up and comer contends with a sponsors exemption ( which rarely happens) you're not going to see them anyway.

Are you really trying to sell us that you're really going to miss some nationwide tour pro in a field of 144? Please.

[Andru]

Thsi is a big stupid debate. Integrity. You think the John Deere has integrity? One of the weak***** fields. Yet the winner still gets a 2 year exemption on the PGA tour like the winner of Bayhill with a much stronger field. Yeesh.

She's a good player it attracts interest because everyone knows NO ONE gives a crap about the John Deere Classic.

Just for the record. A 14 year old girl missing the cut at a pga tour event ( Sony Open ) by one stroke is huge news. Most of you wouldn't make it past the practice tee. Once the officials caught a glimpse of your actions they'd send you to the parking lot.

Make no mistake, She can play there. She's a great golfer. she has all the shots and tons of distance. it's only time before she's playing the tour regularly. I hope your manhood can stand it.

[jonf]

Yes, she will be great, but until then, keep her on a tour where she can actually contend. Annika also has all those things you mentioned - skill, all the shots, distance, the potential to play the mens' tour - but she wins pretty much every time she plays. Like all sports, the quality of the player is not just the sum total of their skills, but whether they can actually use those skills to win. If she gets to the point where she can earn her way onto the tour like anyone else, THAT will be great for the game. But all this crap with people giving her spots is just that...crap. The game will be better off, and HER game will be better off if she's actually forced to earn her way. At this point, what incentive is there for her to win? She's already getting more coverage than any women's tour player, and probably making more money than any of them. She doesn't have to prove anything, because nobody is going to make her prove anything. If they were to make her win her way onto the tour, I guarantee you her game would improve much quicker than it is now.


As for manhood, Andru, nobody is saying that she shouldn't be allowed to play on tour because she's a woman, just that she should earn her way.

[jeffc]

the guys they let in through sponsorship exemptions have little chance of winning, be it a local pro (and yes, sometimes they are given exemptions by the sponsors), some pga has been or some nationwide guy, none of which qualified for the tour in Q School and all would be as exciting as watching paint dry. If it's about the best field, then why should these lesser knowns get an opportunity more than someone maybe higher ranked? Putting some local pro or has been in surely isn't making this a better field.

It is a more exciting tournement with Wie in it. End of story. More people will watch, hence more the sponsor is happy. You might not watch but overall, ratings will go up. And do you seriously think 1 person out of a field of 144 makes a big difference, especially one who missed the cut by 1 stroke at a previous event? Does that weaken the field?

[Colby]

Thsi is a big stupid debate. Integrity. You think the John Deere has integrity? One of the weak***** fields. Yet the winner still gets a 2 year exemption on the PGA tour like the winner of Bayhill with a much stronger field. Yeesh.

She's a good player it attracts interest because everyone knows NO ONE gives a crap about the John Deere Classic.

Just for the record. A 14 year old girl missing the cut at a pga tour event ( Sony Open ) by one stroke is huge news. Most of you wouldn't make it past the practice tee. Once the officials caught a glimpse of your actions they'd send you to the parking lot.

Make no mistake, She can play there. She's a great golfer. she has all the shots and tons of distance. it's only time before she's playing the tour regularly. I hope your manhood can stand it.

I agree. The tournaments that are around the majors, and ones that Tiger doesn't play in, have been relegated to a "B" event anyways. That was the demise of the ACC and several other long running events that couldn't generate interest and thus sponsers $$$ to make the minimum sponsership fees.

So to generate interest, rating, increase ticket sales, etc, they invite Michelle Wie to play. When she matures, I too feel that she will be playing regularly and not on a sponsor's exemption. I'm sure Annika has been given several invites, but after the Colonial a few years ago, she measured herself against the men and knew she couldn't compete, mostly because of length I think. Wie doesn't have a length issue.

It's a changing world, and that's what makes it interesting.

[Andru]

Yes, she will be great, but until then, keep her on a tour where she can actually contend. Annika also has all those things you mentioned - skill, all the shots, distance, the potential to play the mens' tour - but she wins pretty much every time she plays. Like all sports, the quality of the player is not just the sum total of their skills, but whether they can actually use those skills to win. If she gets to the point where she can earn her way onto the tour like anyone else, THAT will be great for the game. But all this crap with people giving her spots is just that...crap. The game will be better off, and HER game will be better off if she's actually forced to earn her way. At this point, what incentive is there for her to win? She's already getting more coverage than any women's tour player, and probably making more money than any of them. She doesn't have to prove anything, because nobody is going to make her prove anything. If they were to make her win her way onto the tour, I guarantee you her game would improve much quicker than it is now.


As for manhood, Andru, nobody is saying that she shouldn't be allowed to play on tour because she's a woman, just that she should earn her way.

Annika is awesome. But she doeasn't have the length to compete on the pga tour.

Michelle is 16 years old. She's not an embarrassment on the course, and for the most part the galleries are happy to see her in the field. Remember us? the paying customer?It's not like she's getting an invite to a major.

I understand about qualifying and earning your place. Golf is like that. The better you play the more money you make. This is a special case. Because of her age she's only allowed to compete in a handful of LPGA events. She can no longer compete in Amateur events. This is her stage. I'm sure if the CanTour and the NW Tour put up an exemption she'd take it.

The Hooters tour wouldd fall all over themselves to have her compete. I don't know MW. you'd have to ask her.

Yes you're correct no one has said she shouldn't play because she's a woman. That wasn't my point. can the ego stand seeing a 16 girl do what we would all kill to do for a living? It took a while but I came aroudn and saw the big picture. I was on the other side of the fence and I'll admit honestly it was a bruised ego and jealousy. "Why does she get the breaks?" I see it differently now. having some good friends with young daughters helps.

If I do have an objection to her it's the fact she doesn't play a development tour in her spare time. like the Hooters or Nicklaus tour. It has to help her more than playing the odd pga tour stop with an exemption.

[LBH]

Here we go again....

How many times will it have to be said that the PGA is for Professional Golfers not Professional Male Golfers...

So the ladies have their own tour. Big deal!!! The reason is that 99.99% of them can't compete at the same level as men but for the odd one that does (i.e. Michelle Wie), let her play. Let her bring $$$ to those PGA events. For crying out loud, this is the John Deere Classic not the US Open...

[MusicMan]

Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis are still hotter. id watch the tourney just to watch them in those skirts! OH MAMA forget Wei

[fundonny]

Plus I believe they've won something in their career!!! And they are HOT!

Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis are still hotter. id watch the tourney just to watch them in those skirts! OH MAMA forget Wei

[Andru]

You gusy are smoking something bad. Creamer and Gulbis are fairly average. Put them in beach Volleyball and wouldn't notice them.

["Richard"]

She is the only woman in the world who has a shot at making a cut on the mens tour

[LobWedge]

The bottom line here is that it's a game, it's entertainment, and it has absolutely no effect on how we live our day-to-day lives. Anyone who tells you different is just blowing smoke up your kilt. If you don't like it, pick up the flippy thing and change the channel. It's as simple as that.

[sensfan63]

She is the only woman in the world who has a shot at making a cut on the mens tour

No, she's not. If you think that, well, you are wrong.