"What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico."

Michelle Wie chatted with some writers about her win in Mexico. From Steve Elling's excellent career account, this makes the win all that more impressive:

Wie started the fall semester in college, had barely practiced or played, and hadn't entered an LPGA event in five weeks. Wie said she was so distracted by the ankle that it probably helped her from getting caught up in the pressure of the moment.

"Walking a golf course is a long walk," she said. "The people at the LPGA have been working on my ankle a lot, icing it, and maybe it's another reason why I was able to keep calm because all I was focusing on was finishing the round. I was just focusing on my steps and not hurting."
Baby steps, if you will.

And her sense of humor came through in this Q&A with Jason Sobel:

Q: After clinching the win, you had beer poured on you by the other players on the 18th green.

A: Yeah, they did.

Q: You're not 21 yet. Are you going to get in trouble with the LPGA?

A: No, what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico. It was just really cool. You see it on TV; whenever somebody wins, players pour beer all over them. It was one of those things where I always wanted that to happen.

Michelle Wie Wins In Spite Of Venal, Haunted Little Men

Great to see Michelle Wie overcome all of the folks hoping to see her fail--if you read the Huffington Post--and win an LPGA Tour event.

Ron Sirak reflects on what a "long, strange trip" it's been for Wie.

And Wie saved her deepest thoughts for Twitter:

"Wie: I can still win men’s event"

I noticed that headline at Golfweek.com on a Tom Canavan story, but I can't find where Michelle Wie actually talked about winning a men's event.

From her Sybase Classic transcript where she answers questions about playing in men's events.

Q. I believe you've talked in the past about someday competing in the Masters. Is that still part of your vision for the future, and if so, do you see a realistic scenario of attaining that goal?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, for sure that's definitely one of my goals that I started out with, and I still have it.

Q. Is playing in men's tournaments also a part of your goals at this point, and how realistic do you think that is?

MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think that's definitely a part of my goals. You know, like I always say, dream high and stuff, set your goals up high, and I think it's definitely -- I'm not saying it's an easy goal to achieve. I'm not going to be like, oh, I'm going to go out and win a men's event, it's not like that, but it's one of those long-term goals where I see myself getting to. I see myself getting there, and it's one of those goals that really motivates me and pushes me to be a stronger player, a better player.

Wie Drama No Drama At All

Beth Ann Baldry explains that a simple typo/oversight led to the latest Michelle Wie drama, this time at Papago where Jiyai Shin is going for her fifth win in the last eight months. Also, it seems Lorena Ochoa doesn't appear to understand the meaning of a hazard.

Ochoa also said that the sand felt “heavy.” And “it seems like there is a lot of sand under it,” she added.

It will take a near-miracle Sunday for her to win the title for a third consecutive victory.

“Maybe tomorrow (Sunday) I won’t hit any bunkers and I’ll make putts,” she said.

Wie Must Fire 12 More Agents If She Hopes To Erase Memories Of Caddy Carousel

Ron Sirak, writing about the firing of William Morris Agency:

The 19-year-old Wie, who has been on a rollercoaster ride of a pro career and last won a tournament nearly six years ago, went through three different agents while with WMA. First there was Ross Berlin, who lasted about a year, and then Greg Nared, who served a similar sentence. Always overseeing the operation for WMA was Jill Smoller, who was handling Wie's affairs directly when the relationship came to an end after the SBS Open in Hawaii in February.

"It's all good," Smoller said about the termination of the business deal with Wie. "I and we love Michelle and always will." That's a lot kinder than most of her many ex-caddies would say about a work situation that includes intense involvement by Michelle's parents, father B.J. and mother Bo. In all, Wie has had about 15 caddies since she started playing LPGA events seven years ago.

Vegas Oddsmakers Refuse All Bets On Inevitably Ugly IMG-Wie Breakup

Michael Buteau confirms Golfweek's report that we have a match made in heaven: IMG and B.J. Wie.

And here we were just thinking that her career guidance had stabilized along with her game.

"She seems to have the rhythm back in her swing."

Ron Sirak finds plenty of positives in Michelle Wie's near-win at Turtle Bay, and at least to this television viewer, I would agree that this was the most noticeable improvement in her game:

She seems to have the rhythm back in her swing. That wonderful "Big Wiesy" tempo some think was lost because she was trying to hit it too hard to keep up with the men is back now that she is concentrating on the women.

For the first time in a long, long time I was in awe of her swing again.

And for those of you suggesting that too much attention is being paid to Wie at the expense of the other players, I'm sure Angela Stanford has plenty of new fans after the third win in her last seven starts.

Wie Does Not Win; LPGA Still Reinforces Its Price Value

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who recorded the LPGA event Saturday and watched it, albeit flipping through the same four promos the Golf Channel runs. The Brand Lady, who made a brief appearance during the telecast and talked about the great "price value" her tour delivers, can point to the many fans who otherwise would not be watching. All thanks to Michelle Wie.

Here's the AP story on Angela Stanford's impressive win in the rain and wind at Turtle Bay. Granted, Wie hasn't won since she was 13, but her swing looks great and overall game appears closer to greatness than ever before.

By the way, does anyone else think that the LPGA should end more events on a Saturday to avoid competing with the regular tour? I thought it was nice to see a winner crowned tonight.

"%$#@ the naysayers"

Lawrence Donegan talks to several players and officials about the delicate subject of Michelle Wie's rookie season and media coverage.

"Michelle Wie has the potential to help drive the sport in ways that many top-class athletes have done in the past. She also has the luxury of being surrounded by a rookie class that will help her market and promote women's golf," said David Higdon, the LPGA's director of communications, tempering this recognition of Wie's broad appeal with a gentle reminder that she has done nothing yet to earn special treatment. "She is on tour this year as a rookie and that will be ideal for her to grow and mature in a way that is much more reasonable, given where her golf game is."

While tour officials perform this delicate balancing act, others around the game are not inclined to the diplomatic route, most notably Christina Kim, who was one of the few players on the circuit to befriend the newcomer and make her feel welcome, spending time chatting to her on the practice putting green on Tuesday. "Fuck the naysayers," Kim said when asked for her views on those who have criticised Wie. "Michelle is a very close friend of mine and I've wanted her to come out on tour for a very long time. She chose not to do that and I respected that. She did what was best for herself. She is a great player and I know she will do very well."

LPGA Downplaying Wie's Debut As Card Carrying Rookie

I know her English isn't, you know, like perfect, but come on, she's the biggest thing to happen to women's golf since Annika.

Jon Show tries to figure out what the LPGA Tour could be thinking by handling her like every other rookie, minus the blog posts and other news that might actually draw in more fans.

Commissioner Carolyn Bivens, in an e-mail, wrote that Wie and other rookies will be promoted through “varied media outreach,” primarily consisting of stories in local print media.

Wie, by choice, is not taking part in the rookie editorial features at LPGA.com. Other players are participating in Q&As and writing blogs on the Web site.