Verified by 
No Michele, There is No Santa Claus
During this past weekend's (July 17-20) State Farm Classic LPGA Tournament, Michele Wie was disqualified for violating one of golf's inane rules governing when and where the players sign their scorecards. Upon finding out she had been disqualified, Sue Witters, the LPGA's director of tournament competition commented that "She (Wie) was like a little kid after you tell them there's no Santa Claus."
This is not the first time that the teenager has violated protocol. Wie was also DQ'ed in her very first tournament as a professional at the Samsung Tournament in 2005. At Samsung, the then-fifteen year-old Wie illegally dropped a ball.
In both cases, Wie had violated the rules the day prior to being disqualified. At the State Farm Classic, Wie, who was in 2nd place after finishing the second round, left the tent area just above the ninth green where players sign their scorecards. A couple of volunteers ran after her and pointed out that she hadn't signed. Wie returned to the tent, signed the card, and assumed everything was okay.
At the conclusion of Saturday's 3rd round, Wie, who was still in second place, was told that she was disqualified because of Friday's infraction. Wie cried and appeared stunned by the events that ended any hope she had of winning her first professional tournament in a field watered down by the lack of most of the top women golfers.
You might be asking yourself, "Should Wie be disqualified for making an honest, albeit silly, mistake?" She knows the rules, after all. But Wie's gaffe reminds me of the Seinfeld episode, "The Big Salad." In this episode, Kramer complains that his playing partner, Steve Gendason, cheated while they played golf.
Gendason had picked up his ball on the fifteenth hole and cleaned it. Kramer immediately assessed him a penalty stroke citing golf's rule that you cannot clean the ball unless it's on the green. Kramer proclaims, "The rules are very clear about that." Gendason losses his temper and almost comes to blows with Kramer.
Upon hearing this story, Elaine states, "I still don't see what the big deal is." To which Kramer responds, "A rule is a rule. And let's face it. Without rules there's chaos." Well, none of us want chaos, but some rules do seem a bit asinine. And certainly Wie's disqualification for miss-timing the signing of her scorecard seems a bit anal.
However, bear in mind, that despite her young age, Wie is a professional golfer and even junior amateurs know the rules about signing a scorecard. Maybe her caddy should have helped her out, but ultimately, it is the player's responsibility.
Maybe Wie is simply too immature to be a professional. Long-hailed as a future star of women's golf, Wie has failed miserably to justify those who have proclaimed her as a protégée of the game. The attractive Wie has reaped the benefits of the "sex sells" mantra without the need to actually succeed on the golf course.
Consider, in 2006, Wie received seven-figure appearance fees to play men's events in Korea, Japan, and Europe. As it turned out, she never made the cut in any men's events. Furthermore, she has stumbled through LPGA events by missing cuts, withdrawing, finishing last twice after making the cut, and finishing second from last.
In short, Wie is among the most over-rated golfers in history and yet, thanks to corporate sponsors, Nike, Sony, and Omega, she earned over $12.5 million in 2006-earning less than $10,000 on the course.
Now Wie knows there is no Santa Claus. This teenager has been through quite a bit in her short life. Lucky for her, there is still plenty of time to live up to her potential. And who needs Santa when there are corporations like Nike, Sony, and Omega generously giving away millions of dollars for potential? We should all have such charitable benefactors!
Forget about Santa, give me seven-figure endorsement deals and I promise to sign my scorecards properly!
