What's in Michelle Wie's golf bag?
This week, both the PGA and LPGA tours are conducting qualifying schools. They are each five-day, While the men play 108 holes, the ladies' is a 90-hole pressure cookers that determine who will have a chance to compete on golf's biggest stages in 2009, and who will spend another season in the minor leagues.
The most-watched player at either Q-School is going to be Michelle Wie. Since she turned pro at age 15 in October 2005, she has failed to win a golf tournament, and the public's fascination with her has faded. If she finishes in the top 20 this week and gets her card, all that will change.
For a complete look at the career highs and lows of Michelle Wie, check out our new Michelle Wie special section.
From an equipment standpoint, Wie is playing with 14 Nike clubs this week. During the summer she had played with a Callaway FT fairway wood, but it has been replaced with a Nike SasQuatch II.
Also worth noting is Wie's prototype Nike putter, which appears to be the same putter Paul Casey switched to earlier this season. It is a traditional heel-toe weighted design with a plumber's neck and a series of red, elevated ridges running across the face. When I asked Nike about the putter in a meeting recently, company representatives would not comment about it.
The ridges may be designed to grip the ball and start it rolling more quickly along the ground, or they could be made from a material that enhances feel. Nike reps did say that they have no plans to release a putter to the public with this technology any time soon. For a better look at Wie's clubs, shot by SI's David Walberg this week, click on the image above
Here's a complete list of the clubs in it:
Driver: Nike SQ Sumo 5000 (7.5°)
Fairway woods: Nike SasQuatch II (15°, 19°)
Irons: Nike Victory Red TW Forged Blades (4-PW)
Wedges: Nike Victory Red (52°, 56°, 60°)
Putter: Nike prototype
Ball: Nike One Platinum
(Photos: bag, David Walberg/SI; putter, Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
More on Wie: Special Section | Life in pictures
Posted by: L Raydell Mundo | Jan 6, 2009 1:01:29 AM
Interesting. I used to live in Hawaii so have followed Michelle since she was 12. I'm glad to see she has so many defenders. PN is not a fan, but defends her; I am a fan, but pan her.
The point with my comments was this; if you look at what is in the bag of the overwhelming majority of female golfers, and more and more (a majority?) of PGA Tour golfers, the trend is clearly away from forged blades.
Secondly, there was a golf ball comparison in a major golf magazine (Golf maybe?) about a year ago, and the distance gap between the Nike One Platinum and all the other balls was huge. Reason? The Nike One is designed for Tiger and his ilk (Anthony Kim is another Platinum hitter) while most PGA and LPGA tour players choose balls more toward the norm (basically any ball except the Platinum).
As for the 7.5 degree comment; hey, if that's what is best, fine. My only point is that Michelle's swing speeds and long game is the rough equivalent of an average to below-average PGA tour player. Most of those guys are not playing blades and Platinums (Stuart Cink, another Nike golfer, plays the One Black). Why is her equipment closer to what Tiger is playing than it is to the equipment that people with swing characteristics most similar to her are playing?
Posted by: PN | Dec 22, 2008 5:52:11 PM
To Mundo:
Why is she hitting a 7.5 degree driver?
Answer: Because she can hit it 300+ yards, unlike you and me.
Why is she hitting a Nike One Platinum ball?
Answer: Because she can hit her pitching wedge and reels it back 10 yards on the green, unlike you and me.
Why is she hitting unforgiving forged blades that only the best ball strikers in the world hit?
Answer: Because she happens to be one of the top 150 female players, out of the millions and millions of golfers in the world (read: you and me).
I am no fan of Michelle Wie but I just found Mundo's criticism towards Wie a wee bit comical....
Posted by: dmack | Dec 13, 2008 3:06:58 PM
Michelle's 5 wood is a nike T40 tour edition.
Did you just assume it was a SQ II?
Who cares if she prefers blades Mundo? Shes obviously a better golfer than you.
Posted by: TS | Dec 9, 2008 11:11:19 AM
Q-School for the men is six days and 108 hols, not five days and 90. If you're going to write for Golf magazine, don't make stupid mistakes like that.
Posted by: Groove Sharpener | Dec 9, 2008 4:39:50 AM
I wish I was !
Michelle is always a pleasure to see.
www.groovesharpener.net
Posted by: CRay | Dec 8, 2008 8:10:39 PM
Michelle Wie has been bouncing around the golf spectrum now for over 4 years, and accomplished less than zero .... she's finally starting where she should have started over 4 years ago -- at the bottom.
Lets see how long she lasts with players like Lorena Ochoa on the ground...
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Posted by: Daniel | Dec 7, 2008 11:17:09 PM
L Raydell Mundo- why's she using blades, a low lofted driver and a pro's ball? Duh, she's a pro. Game improvement irons aren't going to help her. You maybe, but not her.
Posted by: Dennis Andrade | Dec 6, 2008 10:57:08 PM
Does anyone know what shaft and flex Wie plays in her irons and driver?
Posted by: Dennis Andrade | Dec 6, 2008 10:56:21 PM
Does anyone know what shaft and flex Wie plays in her irons and driver?
Posted by: Gary | Dec 6, 2008 8:21:29 PM
Different shaft, higher tee, and swing path can all give you higher launch angles than what is suggested on the driver. I am sure she got it figured out.
Posted by: L Raydell Mundo | Dec 6, 2008 12:15:28 PM
Why is she hitting a 7.5 degree driver? Why is she hitting a Nike One Platinum ball? Why is she hitting unforgiving forged blades that only the best ball strikers in the world hit? I think that once she becomes more results oriented and less style oriented, her bag contents will drastically change.
Posted by: DJ | Dec 5, 2008 1:41:16 PM
Go Michelle!
Posted by: Mike | Dec 5, 2008 1:04:03 PM
Nike is absurd - they RERELEASED the crappy OZ line with crappier looks and colors, and they are sitting on this new putter technology that may actually help them sell a decent putter? What's going on up there?
Posted by: Coop | Dec 5, 2008 10:48:07 AM
I see fourteen clubs in the bag, including the putter in the back near the bag. You can see the red lines on it. Are you guys all blind or what?
Posted by: Norm | Dec 4, 2008 8:59:21 PM
I wonder if Michelle's irons are forged by Miura like Tiger's and stamped and marketed as Nike products?
Posted by: ignite dfi | Dec 4, 2008 8:00:11 PM
"Everyone is using TW's irons with his logo on it, does the man himself get a special stamping on his own irons?"
Her's say MW not TW. it's hard to tell, but it does. just like Anthony Kim's say AK.
Posted by: Sam | Dec 4, 2008 7:45:14 PM
Everyone is using TW's irons with his logo on it, does the man himself get a special stamping on his own irons?
Posted by: Duh II | Dec 4, 2008 7:27:49 PM
There are 14 clubs in the picture (including the putter inset)....check the far right of the photo, there is one iron right behind the other. You can see the outline of the club head and the second hosel is visible.
Posted by: Duh | Dec 4, 2008 6:33:29 PM
Count the clubs in the list, it's 14
Posted by: Riley | Dec 4, 2008 6:12:05 PM
Probably hitting the 14th club.
Posted by: Steve | Dec 4, 2008 4:21:42 PM
Looks like its only 13 clubs David.