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Monday 10 July 2023 19:32, UK
The legacy, career and learnings of Michelle Wie West's career are discussed in the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, along with a review of all the latest action.
Wayne Riley and Deputy Editor of Bunkered Michael McEwan join regular host Josh Antmann as they also look at wins for Rasmus Hojgaard and Sepp Straka in their attempts to make the Ryder Cup team in September, a historic week at Pebble Beach for the US Women's Open, plus a look ahead to the Scottish Open.
Looking back on the career of Wie West, who has announced her retirement at the age of 33, Riley and McEwan talk through the surprise at her lack of more titles, and the lessons to learn from the hype thrust upon her from such an early age.
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"I think she was a pioneer for the young players," Riley said. "She came out when she was silly, what was it 12? Qualified for a US Open at 13 or something. It was just silly and then the big deal she actually got off Nike was well documented. I wonder whether we all look at that career and we go: 'Five wins, is that all?'
"We've got to look at that. We have to address that. For a megastar, with a name as she possesses, Michelle Wie, everyone will be surprised at that. Because I'm surprised at that. I'd put her down as a 15er, and she's got five. Heck Michelle, I won six.
"But the thing is, she's a megastar. She really is a megastar. Some golfers, male or female, slip under the radar, and they get more recognition for who they are than what they've achieved.
"I remember she was young and Nike came along and it was ridiculous. It was outrageous money. And you know, people spoke for her.
"She should have given it at least until she was 18 or 19. But at 16, are you old enough to make your decisions? I don't think so."
McEwan added: "For me, it's a bit of a lesson to us all. I do believe Rose Zhang is far more compelling talent than Michelle Wie. She maybe hasn't had the buzz to this point, but I do think she'll win more. She's only got to win four more times to draw level, so that is fairly achievable.
"I look back at Michelle Wie and when she was coming through was when I started writing about golf in 2004, and there was just so much buzz, so much hype, and we all got carried away with that.
"Then 2005 comes along, a week before her 16th birthday, she announces she's turning pro. But let's take a big deep breath and a big step back and look at what her amateur career was like. There weren't many wins.
"The Hawaiian amateur US Women's Public Links and I think, with the exception of a bunch of Hawaiian state Junior titles, not much to speak of.
"Now, a large part of that is because she didn't stay amateur very long. And I think that was one of the mistakes she made. That she didn't learn how to to win and to compete and to travel as young amateurs do these days.
"You look at Tiger Woods, and it's crazy to draw the comparison, but that's what everyone was trying to do with Michelle Wie at that time: 'Let's find the female Tiger Woods.'
"Along comes this girl who's in her early teens, and she wants to play against the men, and everyone just thought: 'Oh we've found her.'
"But you haven't found her. You haven't found her until she's proven that she's capable of winning, because that's what it's about. And Tiger spent a long time playing amateur golf, went to uni for a brief period. He won the US amateur three times in a row, which had never been done before. He won everything at amateur level, and then he turned pro.
"And then he won. And then he kept winning. Michelle Wie hadn't, I think, learned enough about playing that level of golf to make that leap.
"I think she was badly advised. I think there was maybe an element of pushy parentism going on there. Parents had too much say, burned through caddies, burned through coaches.
"You know, my daughter is five, and the things I take away from Michelle Wie's career is to give my daughter the latitude, when it comes to her time, to make her own decisions. To help, advise and to support, but not make her decisions for her.
"We kind of overstated what Michelle Wie could do. We said she was going to win everything. But in doing so we also underestimated the talent that was on the LPGA at the time.
"We underestimated players because we just decided Michelle Wie was going to dominate, with no real basis to make that claim. So yeah, there's lessons to be learned from it.
"But does she look like she has got regrets? She certainly doesn't appear to. She looks happy. She looks at peace with the decision she's made. She's certainly not the first high profile woman to leave the tour at a young age."
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