They just had an interview with Wie's father and he said that he misunderstood what Michelle told him and that she WASN'T bumped yesterday. They also showed a clip of Wie on the 17th green yesterday facing a long putt. Her dad did not bother tending the flag. Luckily the putt was not close, had it hit the flag it would have been a 2 stroke penalty. What the PGA and LPGA ought to do is provide 'professional' caddies for the amateurs since most amateurs probably can't afford to pay.
Here ya go Manny, an obscure band for you to identify: Why Me? Sitting up here watching all the lights blink below The earth is turning, why does it go so slow? Thinking about the girl I left behind Houston can you hear me, or have I lost my mind? Why me? Why me? We were waiting on the pad, all systems were go The man up in the tower was enjoying the show Then I got this feeling that I never had before Hey let me out of here, what am I here for? Why me? There must be a thousand other guys Must be some other way to look good in your eyes Why am I up here? What do they see in me? Must be one thousand other places to be Why me? The last man to be here was never heard from again He'll be back this way around 2010 Now I'm riding on a fountain of fire My back to the earth, I go higher and higher Why me? There must be a thousand other guys Must be some other way to look good in your eyes Why am I up here? What do they see in me? Must be one thousand other places to be Why me? Why me? Take anyone but me. Why me?
If there was a physical altercation, that's messed up cause as was already stated she's 13! Even to be berated by another player. How traumatic! Also I wouldn't be surprised if there was a misunderstanding...Michelle talks like she's 13 even though her game says otherwise.
I don't know, maybe she just got a little excited and forgot some of her manners, and maybe she had been doing it all day, so the girl she was playing with got mad. She has a right to earn a living without somebody messing it up... ...its weird...I've played golf since I was 7, and the FIRST thing I learned was ettiquette and manners on the course, even before I could make a putt, I knew not to walk in somebody else's line...I just don't get that she didn't know not to do that.
I learned something new today...Wie stepped in a line BEYOND the hole...not between the ball and the hole. (See the highlight below.) I did not know this was a breach of golf etiquette at all. My apologies for saying Wie should have known better. This is the first time I've ever heard this. By Bob Harig Special to ESPN.com Michelle Wie is just 13, an age when most aspiring golfers are first learning to grip a club, not playing in the year's most important tournament. Her father, B.J., is a transportation professor at the University of Hawaii, not a caddie trained in the nuances of an ever-demanding and lucrative profession. The incident between B.J. and Michelle Wie and an older player should lead to a look at how much teens are expected to know about etiquette. So it is quite conceivable that Wie, the prodigy who hits 300-yard drives, her father or both committed some egregious errors of golf etiquette at the U.S. Women's Open, where LPGA Tour veteran Danielle Ammaccapane apparently wasn't going to stand for it. Or maybe Ammaccapane, she of the feisty demeanor, had already had enough of Wie, her prodigious drives and all the attention bestowed upon a teenager who has yet to attend her first day of high school. The truth likely lies somewhere in between. No matter where it falls, however, the incident that occurred during the first round has already had repercussions. B.J. Wie was not on his daughter's bag on Sunday at Pumpkin Ridge, site of the final round of the Open. He handed it over to Gary Gilchrist, the director of golf at the Leadbetter Academy in Florida and Wie's instructor. The incident could lead to a closer look at the ever-growing ranks of youngsters competing in golf tournaments, and how much they should be expected to know, along with their caddies. First, the background. On Friday, B.J. Wie said Ammaccapane had bumped his daughter on the 14th hole, then berated her in the scoring tent. The elder Wie later retracted the physical contact part, but stood by his story that Ammaccapane gave his daughter a tongue lashing. What happened? Apparently, Ammaccapane was upset that Wie had allegedly walked in the line of her putt, but beyond the hole, something the Wies did not know was wrong. Players don't like that part of the green stepped on, in case they miss their putt and must try again. Whatever happened, perhaps Ammaccapane could have handled things in a more reserved manner. A simple reminder while walking down the fairway would suffice. Of course, Ammaccapane might have done that and been frustrated that nothing happened. We don't know the whole story, because she wouldn't say. This is not an isolated incident. Two years ago, then 13-year-old Morgan Pressel was chastised by a playing partner for a similar breach of etiquette. At the 1998 U.S. Open, Justin Leonard was ready to explode over the antics of Peter Kuchar, father to reigning U.S. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar. And it even happens among competitors. Tom Weiskopf blew up at the 1996 U.S. Senior Open at amateur Jim Stahl Jr. for failing to mark his ball with a non-reflective coin. No matter, the more teenagers who qualify for the U.S. Women's Open, the more amateur caddies will be out there, which creates the potential for more incidents. There were 14 teenagers in the field at the U.S. Women's Open, and not all of them have the means to hire a professional caddie. "We may have to take another look at that for the very same reasons that we insist that parents can't caddie in the (U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls' Junior),'' Fay said. "Having said that, there's a real cost involved, too. It's one thing to say go out and get a professional caddie. That's a lot of money, and not everybody is a star in waiting.'' B.J. Wie said he can't afford to hire a caddie for his daughter. He estimates spending some $50,000 for her to play tournaments this year, and another $70,000 next year. "The caddie is a very tough situation,'' Gilchrist said. "In a round of golf, not everything is going to go according to plan. That's a guarantee. Some days, the ball goes in, and other days, whatever you are looking at isn't right. For them, from what I see, it is very positive. She is very comfortable having him on the bag and she feels his support, which is very important.'' Nothing wrong with that. Perhaps all it takes is a simple refresher course at the start of tournament week. Who would have to attend? Any first-time competitor in a tournament and their caddies. At least it's a start. Really, getting down the etiquette part is far easier than actually playing the game. At least it should be. Bob Harig covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at harig@sptimes.com
People walk that green all day long. Even if someone walks in your path who cares. Get over it. Every green is worked plenty during the course of a day. If I was WIE, I would have asked the woman to act like an adult in front of everyone. That would have been sweet. As for her father. It's ok to protect your child. I have no problem with that. We all would do the same thing.
I knew that, but only because I grew up playing with crotchety old country club players who like to blame the fact that they suck on some kid who can out drive and out putt them. "You walked on my line kid." "No I didn't." Yes you did, my line of sight past the hole..." "WTF!?" "Walk behind where my ball is next time..." People who are getting their a$$ handed to them by a kid get real touchy about stuff...
Right. I think it's an automatic felony to assault any minors or senior citizens, no matter how little the offense.
who cares really? its the LPGA..and Wie only walked where this gal's put *might* have gone.. this is so like this BBS, where people get crushed for the most trivial error... non issue IMHO
You know that 'walking on the putting line' used to mean something when players wore metal spikes. You don't want fresh spike marks in your line because it's against the rules to tamp them down. But now that most everyone wears plastic cleats it's really no big deal, they don't make spike marks. On a really soft green you might worry about an indention or heel mark but the greens at a US Open are hard as pool tables. It is still legal to wear metal spikes on the PGA tour and I assume on the LPGA tour also but few players do. Steve Elkington was playing a charity event at our course a couple of years back and I was giving him some sh*t because we are a spikeless facility. He said he likes his spikes so long he has to buy them at the Army/Navy store.
Regardless, it is still a breach of etiquette. Ammaccapane should have still handled it better, but if you're going to play with the big girls then you should know proper etiquette before doing so. When tournaments allow youngsters to play they should take the time for an orientation clinic and provide a trained professional caddie to help them through. During one of Wie's putts on Friday, her dad (still her caddie at that time) neglected to tend the flag. Had her putt hit the pin, it would have been a 2 stroke penalty.
