I can't pretend to know golf.
Never have been enthralled with it.
I can watch it in spurts, but I have to be in the right mood. (Like watching bowling or listening to opera.)
Anyhow, I've been following the LPGA major at Bulle Rock, and noting the preliminary stuff (Pro-Am events) because of Michelle Wie and all the Asian players (including some of the 32 Koreans playing on the LPGA tour, this year).
And Bulle Rock is just up the road, so to speak. Haven't yet been to the golf course, but I have visited the housing development of that name. (And I've also been to the neighboring Beechtree and Wetlands courses, but not to play golf.)
Heard some people at work talking about the tournament. One guy was telling others about one of his daughters buying a LPGA flag and getting autographs from the pros as they practiced or played in the Pro-Ams the other day.
Don't know if she got Michelle Wie's signature, but one pro signed a glove and gave it to her.
I've been reading the opinions reported on the internet about Michelle Wie and her quest to qualify for the U.S. Open.
I like it when analysts explain how her game could be improved and the experience she's gaining as she roams the world's golf courses.
It seems that she needs to learn how to putt on the grasses that she encounters on the Mainland. One commentator noted that she seemed to be putting at all sorts of speeds. (I guess he was talking about her play in New Jersey, last week.)
She did fine, today. Looking at her scoring posted on the tournament website, she seemed to improve a little by the end. Finished the day 1 under par. That puts her in a crowd that includes last year's winner, Annika Sorenstam. Today's leader, Nicole Castrale, was 8 under (a new course record).
I guess the short game is what separates the wheat from the chaff. There's no question Wie can crush the ball. I think earlier in her play, today, her drive average was listed as 292 yards. By the end, she was down to 280+. Other players were in that range of the 270s to the low 280s.
I suspect that overall scores might be lower than last year, only because of lower temperatures and humidity.
Yes, I hope Wie does well. But I'm not such a fan, that I'd visit Bulle Rock to try to see her play.
Posted by raacluse at June 8, 2006 10:54 PM