“I might not be playing. I might be burned out. I’m not
“I might not be playing. I might be burned out. I’m not a person who 24 hours a day can only think, live, eat and breathe golf. I’m not that kind of a person. If I did that, I might be fed up with it.”
To be one of the greatest athletes in any particular sport takes some incredible dedication and sacrifice. It doesn’t happen overnight.
Sure, there’s some God-given talent that certainly plays a role, but to be the best, you have to push yourself to unimaginable levels. It’s one of the reasons Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, to name a few, were so great at their craft: they knew what it took to be the best, and they were willing to do whatever it took to make it to the peak.
For the longest time we thought Michelle Wie was cut from the same cloth — a young phenom who, at the ripe age of 13, became the youngest golfer to ever make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open. A year later she missed the cut by one at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open, shooting 68 in the second round with a bunch of guys who were old enough to be her dad.
At 14 people figured she was destined for greatness, a young super-teen who had all the attributes to be a star. A 6’1″ frame to bomb the ball? Check. Good looks? Check? Incredible game? Check. She appeared to be the complete package.
It was never a question of “if” with Michelle Wie; it was only a question of “when.” When was she going to live up to the incredible hype that was placed upon her shoulders from a young age?
After eight years of up and down play, we’re still waiting for Wie to fulfill those expectations. Like a lot of phenoms, the now-22-year-old got lost along the way. Blame it on the pressure to succeed from a young age and an ambitious tournament load, but the last eight years have been anything but memorable.
Despite winning in 2009 and 2010 on the LPGA and posting at least a top-three finish in every LPGA major, this year has been especially trying for Wie, who missed the cut on Friday Wegmans LPGA Championship with an abysmal 12-over 82, her worst round of 2012.
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