Fairways and Greens

Wie turns pro
To the surprise of few, Korean American teenage golf sensation Michelle Wie announced that she was turning pro before her appearance at the Samsung World Championship of Ladies Golf. There was the predictable wringing of hands from the media: was she too young? Shouldn't she have spent more time honing her game in the amateur ranks? But Wie's move makes sense to SeoulSisters.com for a number of reasons.

1. She's hardly the only golfer to turn pro at her age. Although in America it rarely happens, in Korea it is not so unusual to see a girl turn pro when she is 16 or even younger. KLPGA rookie sensation Na Yeon Choi turned pro shortly after winning the ADT-KAPS tournament on the KLPGA tour last year at the age of 15. Kyeong Bae, who finished third on the Futures Tour money list this year, turned pro at the age of 14, nearly two years younger than Wie.

2. She has shown a marked lack of interest in amateur events. She did not even appear at the US Women's Amateur this year, the most important amateur event on the women's calendar, and has skipped the US Girl's Junior for years now. If she doesn't care about these events, why should she maintain her amateur status just to be eligible for them?

3. Turning pro does not imply joining a pro tour and playing full time. Wie could have made herself several hundred thousand dollars in 2005 had she played as a pro instead of an amateur on the LPGA tour. Presumably she will play at least that many events next year. But since she has already said she will not try to get a special exemption to join the tour, she will only play 7 - 9 events a year. She can still go to school the rest of the time. If you could have gotten a part time job that paid like that when you were in high school, wouldn't you do it?

4. She will also doubtless rake in the dough from sponsors for turning pro. She and her family were spending a small fortune traveling to events every year. The sponsorships alone will pay for her travel for the rest of her life, even if she never makes a cent as a pro in winnings.

5. 16 is not really that young. As mentioned previously, many Korean golfers turn pro at that age or earlier. And in other sports, girls often peak at age 15 - 16. The Olympics is filled with teenage gymnasts, divers and swimmers, and teen tennis prodigies also are allowed to turn pro at age 16. Expect to see a lot more of this thing in women's golf in the future.

6. No matter how much pressure she may be under, it won't come close to what Se Ri Pak faced. She will never have the expectations of a nation heaped on her shoulders the way Se Ri did in 1998, when she was one of the only Korean athletes with such international success. Women's golf is still a relatively minor sport in the States, and will never reach the import of baseball or the other major sports.

By the way, SeoulSisters Magazine predicted this day way back in issue 3 of the 2004 edition (March 31, 2004). In an editorial about Grace Park and her lack of attention despite her recent Major win, I dropped the following aside in about Michelle Wie:

"Wie still being at least two years away from turning pro (I'm convinced she will do so when she is 16, no matter what she says)"

In fact, she turned pro just as she reached her 16th birthday. SeoulSisters Magazine: your first source for news about the Korean golfers!

Se Ri's season over; is her exempt status at risk?
Se Ri Pak has announced that, due to her continuing issues with her finger (which she injured at the British Open), she will not be able to play golf for the rest of the 2005 season. Thus marks a sad end to what turned out to be by far the worst season of her golf career.

But the story doesn't end there. In order for a season to count, a player must play at least 15 events. Se Ri has only managed to complete 12 in 2005. As a result, she has applied for a special 'medical exemption'. If this is granted by the LPGA, she will be able to count this season as having been a full season.

Why is this important? Well, apparently, if a player does not complete a season in the LPGA's eyes, her exempt status may be at risk for the following season. That's right: Se Ri Pak might be in danger of not being an exempt player in 2006. This is a startling development. Se Ri certainly did not make enough money this year to secure her card (she will finish somewhere in the 100s on the money list), but having won as recently as 2004, under normal circumstances she would have had no problem with her tour card: a win is worth at least two and possibly three years of exemption on tour.

According to the Korea Times, Se Ri was originally planning on playing the final three events of the 2005 season, but since her finger did not get better, she was unable to. Thus, she and her handlers are now forced to ask the LPGA for this extension. Presumably, the tour could say 'no', in which case Se Ri might (unbelievably) be a conditional player in 2006. If I get more clarification on this, I will certainly pass it on.

In addition, there is the issue of Se Ri's Hall of Fame induction. A player needs to play ten years to get into the Hall (as well as accumulate 27 points, which Se Ri has already done). The years do not need to be consecutive, so Se Ri should be able to meet this requirement even if they decide not to count 2005. But this would delay her entry into the Hall from the currently planned 2007 to 2008. A spokesman for the LPGA did not clarify the issue, saying only that Pak's medical exemption request was not an attempt to deal with this situation. He did not say, however, whether this situation would affect her Hall of Fame induction date.

It's just another bit of bad news for a player who has been rocked with it all year. Hopefully the LPGA will do the right thing and grant her request, but it still seems amazing to me that she should even be in this position in the first place.

Money List
Hee-Won Han missed the cut in Tulsa, but she bounced back with her first win of the season at the Office Depot Championship. This victory vaulted her up close to the top ten on the money list for the first time in quite a while. Soo-Yun Kang has been playing in Korea the last few weeks, but she returned to LA and did not skip a beat, notching another impressive finish at the Office Depot. Sarah Lee, meanwhile, is out of the top 90 on the money list, but she will keep her exempt status in 2006 because she finished 34th on last year's money list, which grants you a two year exemption.

Jeong Jang was just one birdie away from breaking the million dollar mark in season earnings at the Office Depot. The way she has been playing of late, she should eclipse that in her next outing.

Also note that Se Ri Pak has dropped out of the top 100, a sad moment for all Seoul Sisters fans. She will not be playing anymore this year in all likelihood. Hopefully next year will mark a return to form for the superstar.