Embrace Debate
A spicy take on Michelle Wie's farewell and golf's fifth major is underway
Harry How
Michelle Wie's impact on the women's game is undeniable, as is her success off the golf course. For a player with just five LPGA victories and only one of them coming in a major championship, she has done extremely well for herself.
There's also no arguing with the fact that the scene last Friday evening on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, with Wie and Annika Sorenstam saying farewell to the U.S. Women's Open, was very cool to watch. It dominated the conversation on Golf Twitter that night, which is nothing short of a major victory for the LPGA.
But, as one of the hosts of The Loop podcast, Alex Myers, argues, Wie's on-course career was a massive disappointment, much of that due to extenuating circumstances like injuries, swing changes and immense pressure heaped on her at such a young age. That she got an equally similar send-off as Sorenstam, a member of the LPGA Mount Rushmore, felt a bit off, though the fact they were literally in the same group played a role in that.
This week's episode of The Loop features that spicy Wie debate, plus two of the qualifiers for the Golf Digest Open, Michael O'Keefe and Bo Guarino, who got through at Watchung Valley in New Jersey thanks to a two-man best ball score of 68. The South Jersey duo joined us live from the locker room this past Monday to chat about their upcoming trip to the Golf Digest Open Championship, which will take place at Fields Ranch in Frisco, Texas on Halloween weekend. Plus, the boys make their picks for the Scottish Open and take a brief look ahead at the Open Championship next week. Please, have a listen to the full episode below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts: