I believe Wie

[DOGS THAT BARK]

--has found her spot to finally make cut on male tour this week--however by dropping down to claiming ranks of pro tours.Saw where her odds were pick em to make cut was 1st alert--and after doing a little research on field it is understandable.
The top pick Smail does not even get into top 125 of Sagarins world rankings and as bad as Wies rank of 542 being 1-64 vs top 100 in male events in 05-- the bulk of this field would not shore up well in Hooters event.Consider top 60 makes cut--
If you drop down to 35th selection on win odds of 101/1 you have Mamo Osanai ranked 646 in the world--drop lower to those in Wies odds of 151/1 you have Masayuki Kawamura ranked 789 in the world.
In conclusion if she has finally found a class level where sponsers might get 4 days worth of hype.

other stats of interest---

Stat of the Day

Michelle Wie Missed the cut by only two strokes at the John Deere Classic. Using data provided by ShotLink, a cumulative look at her six rounds is examined and compared to the current PGA TOUR rankings.

Driving
Until she develops more power naturally, Wie should focus on improving her accuracy and playing more of a straight-hitters game.

Category Statistic Estimated Rank on TOUR 2005 TOUR Average
Driving Accuracy 65.5% 50th 61.8%
Average Driving Distance 267.8 yards 188th 285.7 yards
Percentage of Drives 300+ Yards 7.1% 178th 19.6%
Longest Drive 311 yards N/A N/A

Approach Shots and Scrambling
At first look, it appears that Wie needs to hit a few more greens in regulation, but this may be more of a factor of her driving accuracy. On the times when she finds herself in the fairway, Wie does hit the green close to the TOUR average.

Strengthening her play around the greens should be a major focus of Wie's preparation as this is an area that can have an immediate impact on her scores. If she would have equaled the TOUR average for scrambling success rate at either the 2005 John Deere Classic or the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii she probably would have made the cut.

Category Statistic Estimated Rank on TOUR 2005 TOUR Average
GIR 57.4% 190th 64.2%
GIR, From Fairway 74.5% 75th 72.8%
Proximity to Hole on GIR 43 feet, 3 inches 191st 33 feet, 1 inch
Scrambling 52.6% 165th 57.0%

Putting
Improving on the greens always helps, but overall this has been a positive in her attempts to make the cut on TOUR.

Category Statistic Estimated Rank on TOUR 2005 TOUR Average
Putts per GIR 1.774 59th 1.787
Putts per Round 28.67 31st 29.22%

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Hmm Couldn't cut it with this bunch either and keeps never making cut string alive.
However would not call her a loser-- since she is now a pro she can be compensated for failure--earning as much for her typical 2 day free ride than the eventual winner AND rest of entire field "combined" here.
Wonder what the field thinks knowing the purse could have been doubled for those "earning" a spot in event.

Wie response on missing cut-- Wie said. "Hopefully, I can learn from the mistakes I made here and come back here."

If you dropped the (l) on learn I'd believe the statement would be more accurate

Its one thing to takel playing spots from those willing and having abilty to qualify-- via the Barnum Bailey routine--but now quite another to take potential purse money from entire field on the side show act.
I think we will see players revolt in near future.

 

[rrc]

I thought after seeing that she was hanging around after the first day she had a good chance to make the cut.

Has she even won any significant amateur titles. Would rather have Pressel's future I think.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. What are you going to be wagering on now that the golf season is winding down.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

She has one victory U.S. Womens Amatuer Open in 03
Which started her Media driven campaign

In defence of same tourney got beat in 04 by 15 year old from Taiwan (Tseng)

Dind't make it past 2nd rd in 05 vs the female amatuers

and I think this article says it all on her skipping 06 Womens Amatuer Open---

Michelle Wie's camp shows true dollar-sign priorities by ducking U.S. Women's Amateur
The U.S. Women's Amateur began on Monday in Atlanta without the most well known amateur in women's golf history. Michelle Wie elected to skip the competition with her peers because a probable loss to those peers can only tarnish the marketing legend.

Oh, this isn't the official reason, of course. Wie is just too worn down from her globe-trotting schedule to compete in another event this week. That's the party line. But the reality is that Michelle is ducking Morgan Pressel, Jane Park and the rest of her talented classmates as sure as Mike Tyson ducked Lennox Lewis all those years.

By choosing to spend her summer on professional men's and women's events, Wie's camp lifted the pressure from the 15-year-old's still unsure mental game. No one expected Wie to win the U.S. Women's Open, the Evian Masters, the U.S. Women's British Open. No one expected her to even make the cut at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic. Therefore, anything she does gets celebrated, cast as a pioneering moment in golf.

And Wie is talented enough to do plenty. She can rip off amazing rolls of superb play. She just cannot keep it together when it becomes close, when the pressure truly turns on. Her best moments always seem to come when she's just out of contention to actually win: that nice final British Open round after Jeong Jang already put her stranglehold on the trophy, the great roll of match play at the Public Links after she almost missed getting out of early stroke play. All her worst always seem to come when the prize is right there: that final round U.S. Open Sunday of missed two-putts, going plus-three over the final four holes of the John Deere with the cut mark right there beckoning and ESPN breaking into programming.

Of course, that's all right because she's only 15. This would be a worthwhile defense if Wie actually ever played in tournaments where the defense went away. That's what would have happened at the U.S. Women's Amateur this week. There would have been no she's only 15 softener to throw up at any defeat, to quell any doubts. For Wie would have been playing against other teenage girls. She would have needed to produce.

Unless she didn't play.

As a short-term/big-money-payoff strategy it's a flawless approach. By doing everything possible to keep the mystique and aura over her game, at least until she signs that record-breaking Nike contract, the Wies are undoubtedly in line with every business textbook ever.

It's a maximum marketing approach.

The question is whether it's a champion's approach. It is hard to argue that Wie would not be better off having skipped one of these high-profile pro events -- cross off the Evian Masters and suddenly she's a lot more fresh -- and taking on all comers in the amateur ranks.

This is the difference between Tiger Woods' golf upbringing and Michelle Wie's. Tiger was raised to make history. Michelle Wie has been raised to make tons of cash.

Tiger never ducked anyone on any level of competition. He won the U.S. Amateur and then kept coming back to defend and win it again. Three straight Havemeyer Cups. Three straight openings for anyone to test the mettle of the next big thing in golf before he moved on to Jack's record.

Wie is not giving the Morgan Pressels of the world the same chance. In sports, they call this running scared.

Pressel vs. Wie would have been a showdown to draw eyes to women's golf. It surely would have attracted more attention than a Women's British Open you needed a GPS system, not a remote, to locate anywhere on TV.

Instead, we get Wie chilling, clutching on tight to the upcoming mega payday while Pressel, Park and her peers play.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Oops forgot your question--Don't do much capping on these coming events as am not familiar with players--will look at coat tailing any you gents put up though.

Would consider betting on skins if I knew greens would be firm again and pins in front like last year.Puts short hitters like Funk and Annika at huge disadvantage. Hard to stop ball to front pins with long iron and fairway woods.Anikka pick up without putting on over half holes last year--of course there is always chance of winning 5 skins by holing out from bunker from 40 yards like 03--but doubt lightening strikes twice. Despite short win odds I figure it more like 2 person match bet.