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Controversy Envelops Samsung

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17 years ago

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Annika declines, Michelle is back, and controversy again ensues between the two at this week’s Samsung World Championship.

The Samsung World Championship was meant to bring the 20 best women golfers in the world together, but heads began to turn when the field was formally announced earlier this week. Michellie Wie who has only broken par once this entire season while fighting injuries was granted a sponsor’s exemption despite her lackluster performance in 2007. This has left Natalie Gulbis on the outside looking in although she rightfully qualified. Another notable "qualifier" was Annika Sorenstam who has missed much of the ‘07 season with an injured neck but was invited into the tournament. Yet, Annika has declined so another player who deserved the spot can compete.

Much of the controversy stems more from the shifting rules the tournament officials at Samsung amend every year to include the most popular women golfers in the world rather than identify them. Sorenstam’s invitation was extended due to a change which extendeds an automatic invitation to any active member of the LPGA Hall of Fame. The rule was previously worded to provide an exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion. Annika’s move garnered tremendous respect from her peers. Lorena Ocha said, "What Annika decided to do, that’s something that I admire very much, I respect. She thought they were wrong to do it," Ochoa said. "That just shows how much class she has and how professional she is." Annika’s actions are even more admirable considering the fact that her management team at IMG runs the Samsung tournament.

Annika’s shining example also stands in stark contrast to Michelle Wie who is yet again in the field of an exclusive tournament despite her peers outperforming her throughout the season. Wie has slipped to 56th on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Even with a last place finish in this tournament, Wie will more than double her meager season winnings of $9,000. Her 2007 season has included a suspcious withdrawl due to injury to seemingly prevent carding an 88 that would have disqualified her for the year. More controversey ensued after Wie’s withdrawl from Annika’s tournament due to injury only to be seen a day later practicing at the next tournament site. Wie has slowly begun losing the respect of her peers and the public. Once again her decision to continue with her sponsor’s exemption hasn’t endeared her to her peers.

Yet Samsung is far from the only sponsor to bend over backwards to accommodate Wie. The McDonald’s LPGA Championship spent 51 years without allowing an amateur into the field until 2005 when it allowed Michellie Wie an exemption inot the tournament. Fast forward a year later, the rules to the McDonald’s LPGA are again changed to provide an exemption to any professional that finished in the top five in any major – any guesses as to who got into the field with that? Even the staunch USGA wilted like a dead flower, allowing Wie exemptions into the U.S. Open rather than forcing her to qualify like all other competitiors. The examples are numerous and her performances are lackluster to say the least. What started out as an incredibly talented teenager attracting huge numbers of fans has quickly regressed to people gathering around to wait for the next train wreck.

So it’s time to play the blame game – who deserves the lion’s share?  As easy (and entertaining) as it would be to place the blame solely on Wie, the Samsung officials should be stepping up to the firing line for their nonsense entry rules and unfair application. While the Samsung officials extended an "invitation" to active LPGA Hall of Famers, neither Julie Inkster nor Karrie Webb (both active LPGA Hall of Famers) were ever offered entry into the tournament. One can only imagine what permutation the rules will take on before next year’s event. Although no one could expect Samsung to retract the Wie’s invitation. One can only hope that no matter what the outcome of this week, they would be far more thoughtful in awarding their exemptions in the future. Yet why stop there? Why not simply increase the size of the field by five players allowing Wie, Sorenstam, Webb, Inkseter and Gulbis all into the field. That would barely dent the winnings per player and allow for a more competitive and exciting field for the players and fans. Samsung has already rewritten the rules each year to tailor the field, why not simply expand the field and stick to them?

 

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5 Comments

  1. Mike K.

    Oct 15, 2007 at 8:11 am

    Wie should have bowed out. Annika once again shows why she is so highly respected. Wie is becoming a farce, and only watch-able to see how bad she does, instead of for her “great” ability. She need to face reality and act accordingly.

    I think if tournaments are going to offer exemptions, then those exemptions should not take a slot away from a player that actually QUALIFIED to play. That way nobody loses face. Nobody will give a hoot about Michele Wie after a few more debacles like this last. She will become a has been before she reaches 20. Really sad actually.

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  2. Todd Poston

    Oct 15, 2007 at 7:36 am

    The comparison to Britney is unfounded as she has had a lot of success. Even with the current train wreck that she is experiencing, her latest single is doing pretty good on the charts. What has Wie ever done except show that she may have had potential?

    Samsung was wrong to invite Wie, but I lay just as much blame on Wie for accepting the invite. She knows that her game is garbage and she should have been a professional and said “Thank you, but I need to work my game out before accepting this”. Tough decisions reveal character, and this has revealed the Wie’s for what they are – self centered disrespectful buffoons without any class whatsoever.

    But what do I know – I hear it is a fine line between 88 and 68.

    Reply Report comment

  3. Jason Broan

    Oct 14, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    Michelle needs to learn from Annika’s example. If Michelle can’t qualify like everyone else, she needs to show some maturity and wait until her game earns her a spot.

    Michelle has become the Britney Spears of the LPGA.

    Reply Report comment

  4. John Stovall

    Oct 14, 2007 at 11:54 am

    “20th Michelle Wie Th 79. Fr 79, Sat 77, +19 235”
    Nice choice Samsung & LPGA. You have succeded in exposing this tournament as a farce. Your choice of allowing Wie to participate in this even really devalues the other player accomplishments.

    You’ve sunk to an all-time low.

    Congrats to Annika for her difficult decision to allow a more deserving player to compete.

    Reply Report comment

  5. Andy Brown

    Oct 13, 2007 at 1:40 pm

    I think a lot has been said and written about Michelle Wie accepting the invitation but one thing is for sure whatever happens I am definitely not going to hold her responsible for someone else’s mistake. If the main intention of the tournament was to have a limited field event where the best of the best through the year were to compete then it was completely wrong on their part to dole out any special exemptions in the first place. If they wanted to make the field more exciting then they might as well have increased the field strength like you have rightly suggested but what really bothers me is people looking to criticize Wie for her decision to accept the invitation.

    Considering the sort of year that she has had it is not a surprise that she well try and latch on to every opportunity she is handed out and even though she may have not performed the way she might have wanted to I definitely don’t blame her for giving it a shot. Those who have an issue with talented players missing out definitely need to question the policy of these tournament organizers. It’s about time we cut the young Michelle Wie some slack and also hope that she recaptures some of her form.

    Andy Brown

    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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7 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

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9 hours ago

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May 14, 2024

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

  • “It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”
  • “His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”
  • “McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”
  • “No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”
  • “Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”
Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

  • “The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”
  • “Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”
  • “There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”
Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

  • That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!
Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

  • “Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”
Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

  • “It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”
Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

  • “In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”
  • “It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”
  • “Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”
Full piece.
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Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

1 day ago

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May 13, 2024

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This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again.  Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

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