Alan Shipnuck's Mailbag: Paula Creamer, Tiger's club throwing and U.S. Open venues

"Now that Wie is getting all the attention again, I am wondering why Paula Creamer gets such short shrift? She is young, gorgeous, a winner, and from all accounts a fun and well-liked person. But Wie wins one tournament and she is viewed as the savior of the game? Is it just because she hits it further? I really do like the LPGA, and hope to see the two of them go head-to-head often. That to me is what will bring in attention, not if Wie repeats of Annika's dominance. Your thoughts?"

I like Paula Creamer as much as the next guy, but I think a couple of things are keeping her from a larger crossover stardom. She hasn't won a tournament in 14 months, so there's that. Not only has she failed to win a major in her otherwise excellent career, but she's also shown a distressing habit of coming apart mentally when she's had a chance. She let the Lorena Ochoa Invitational get away and it was irritating to watch Paula pout about it between the ropes. I think she still needs to grow up a little bit. Wie may be younger but she's been through so much drama I think she's tougher. You definitely diagnosed one factor in the more widespread interest surrounding Wie: Creamer is a short hitter who plays a pretty boring percentage game. Nancy Lopez once told me that for an LPGA player to become a superstar she has to look like a woman but hit the ball like a man. That's Wie, not Creamer. But each of these talented, telegenic players can push the other to greater heights. There hasn't been a really great LPGA rivalry since Annika-Karrie around the turn of the century. Wie-Creamer potentially has a lot more to offer.

"Alan - any comment on the Tiger club-throwing incident? He threw it into a crowd and could have injured someone. If this goes away quietly, it will prove it's still a society for the privileged."

My colleague Michael Walker has a hilarious take on this episode that I wish I had written. Obviously Tiger screwed up, but he didn't mean to tomahawk his club into the gallery, it just slipped out of his hand during a more conventional bit of pique. I think most of us would like to see Woods stop dropping f-bombs and slamming clubs – it's unbecoming and a little tacky. But you can't have it both ways. What makes Tiger the greatest winner in all of sports is how hot he burns on the inside, and it his ferocious competitiveness that produces such riveting theater. He's got his flaws, but Woods is a class act and we're all lucky to have him in our sport. (Imagine if Allen Iverson was the world's top golfer.) So I can live with Tiger's occasional lapses, even at the risk of being mocked by Michael Walker.

Wie tweaks Woods in post-round comments

For Michelle Wie, 2009 has been a breakout year in a few different ways. She won the respect of her peers by earning her Tour card at Q school and she's played well all year, especially at the Solheim Cup where she posted a 3-0-1 record.

What's more, she's grown more comfortable with showing her personality in public through her artistic blog and her quirky Twitter feed. Wie's off-beat sense of humor was on display after her 2-under round Saturday at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico. Asked about her sore ankle at a press conference, Wie had some fun with the favorite phrase of her fellow Stanford Cardinal Tiger Woods.

Q. On the first tee, I saw you with the ankle, you looked like you were limping, how much does it impinge on your game?
MICHELLE WIE: Well, I don't know how to answer that question. It is what it is. (Laughing).

Follow Mike Walker on Twitter.

Casie Cathrea, 13, makes hole-in-one at LPGA Challenge

While the rest of her friends are in school this week, Casie Cathrea is making quite a name for herself on the LPGA Tour.

Cathrea Monday qualified for this week's LPGA event, the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge in Danville, Calif. Then in her opening round, the high school freshman made a hole-in-one on the 155-yard 12th hole.

Not a bad way to announce your arrival on tour.

She double-bogeyed 13 and bogeyed 14, but Cathrea birdied 18 to finish with a respectable 74.

Michelle Wie is still the youngest player to Monday qualify for an event. Wie made the field at the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic at 12 years, 4 months, 14 days. Beverly Klass is the youngest player ever to compete in an LPGA event. She was 10 years, 6 months, 3 days when she finished 51st at the 1967 Dallas Civitan Open.

Wie also holds the record for being the youngest player to make the cut at an LPGA event. Wie tied for ninth at the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship when she was 13 years, 5 months, 17 days. 

Cathrea will have to go low on Friday if she wants to equal Wie's record.

More from the LPGA: LPGA All-Stars | Natalie Gulbis Photos | Paula Creamer Photos

Michelle Wie: Golfer, student.... fashion designer?

Oh, the things we learn on Twitter. The book of Michelle Wie has been opened on the social-networking site: She's shared her love of basketball, movies and random trivia, and now she has added her passion for fashion to the feed.

She's been tweeting about her blog, "A Black Flamingo," where she has posted several pictures of clothing -- some made from scratch, and other items she's purchased and embellished.

She recently wrote on the blog: "My cousin showed me how to use a sewing machine last week and its sooo awesome! so with my new knowledge, we ran to the fabric store and got some fabric. i got some leather looking material, black jersery fabric, and zippperrs. so i made a dress... i feel like with this one, you can either wear it without anything inside and be uber sexy with the exposed skin, or you can layer it up.."

So what do you think of her creations? (You can view more on her blog) Is she a budding fashion phenom or should she stick to the links?

Visit her blog and Twitter account.

Michelle Wie: Leave my parents alone

Since Michelle Wie went 3-0-1 at the Solheim Cup last month, the future of women's professional golf is looking brighter. The LPGA's 19-year-old meal ticket appears closer than ever to winning her first tournament and the Jamie Farr Classic will remain on next year's schedule, ending speculation that the Ohio tournament would be a victim of the contraction of the pro-sports economy.

(By the way, the Jamie Farr Classic is the best-named event in sports. If you're under 30, this is the equivalent of Screech from Saved by the Bell getting his own golf tournament.)

Wie herself sounds excited about this week's Canadian Open, although her Twitter posts reveal far more of her quirky personality than her "I like Canada, it's pretty cool" media conferences. But she's not happy about criticism of her mother and father, who've been cast as the most villainous stage parents since the Ramseys. More than a few commentators speculated that keeping her parents away from the Solheim Cup team contributed to Wie's success in the competition.

"You know, it's hard to hear stuff being said about your parents," Wie said. "I just don't like when people write stuff when they don't know what they're talking about. But you know, people write what they want to write. And you know, everyone has their opinion and everyone's entitled to it. But I don't think that gives the right to bash anyone's parents."

Follow Michael Walker Jr. on Twitter.

On Twitter, PGA Tour and LPGA golfers react to death of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's death brought down Twitter yesterday, so we did a little digging to see if any of the golf world's avid Tweeters had anything to say about his passing. Almost as soon as the news broke, several players posted their thoughts and reactions. A sampling is below.

Stewart Cink: My favorite Michael Jackson moment came when @lisacink and her five best friends did the whole Thriller dance at our benefit party in March.

Suzann Pettersen: It is hard to pick one favorite song from the king of pop. just so many good ones... love em all. This is surreal!

Trevor Immelman: Man, real sad news about MJ. He was a true legend. Thriller album still stands as one of the best ever.

Annika Sorenstam: SAD day. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Hope the two global icons rest in peace. Thoughts with their families.

Yani Tseng: Michael Jackson died?! Awwww,that is saaaaad and im shocked !!!

Michelle Wie: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed away today?!?!??!?!?! what a sadddd sadd day. may you both rest in peace.

Morgan Pressel: I guess everyone else just found out too...Michael Jackson died?? Not quite sure why I'm so shocked but I am...

Ian Poulter: tragic news about Michael Jackson, what a pop legend. such a shame to see him pass so early. may you rest in peace Michael.

Christina Kim: R.I.P. Michael Jackson. You were a musical icon, a genius in your own right. You inspired millions and changed the world. Youl be missed.

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What to Watch For: Thursday at the LPGA State Farm Classic

Two weeks after the cheers and tears at the final Corning Classic, the LPGA has landed at the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill., another small-town tournament that feels a lot bigger. 

NBC and ESPN2 will be broadcasting the event, giving the LPGA another opportunity to showcase its players to a larger audience. Though No. 1 player Lorena Ochoa is not in the field, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz, Natalie Gulbis and the ever-intriguing Michelle Wie will be front and center. In fact, Gulbis and Wie will be paired together at 12:10 cdt. That's where I'll be, too.

After following Wie at the Sybase last month I'm convinced that she's close to winning. I know, I know, close only counts in horseshoes and such, but when you watch someone stick a 4-iron to a foot on a hole where her competitors are bouncing balls off the green, it stays in your mind.

I'm also going to be watching Creamer, Kerr, Lincicome and Stanford. One of these four is the best American golfer in the world. That matters in a Solheim Cup year. Because of longevity, consistency and a U.S. Women's Open title, my pick is Kerr. The State Farm Classic is the last tournament before the LPGA Championship, the second major of the year. Let's see how Thursday shakes out.

For more golf and NFL updates, follow www.twitter.com/si_damonhack

   

How Twitter changed my feelings about Michelle Wie

I never have been a Michelle Wie fan. Call me a mean girl. I probably deserve it -- I rooted for her to not make it through Q-school after all.

In my defense, I was just tired of hearing about her. She barely accomplished anything and was handed a sweet Nike contract and exemptions to wherever she wanted to play --- on the women's or men's tours. But most of all, she just had zero personality and was not relatable.

Then came Twitter. I think one of the better things that came out of the summit the LPGA held earlier this season was all the players joining the social networking site. It's given fans a new kind of access. Reading the tweets, you see a different side of players than typically comes across in their practiced press conferences. There's insight into their golf games, sure, but you also get a fun look at their off-course lives. Maybe I didn't need to know when Christina Kim was taking a bath, but I found it amusing when Paula Creamer tweeted that she had just tried chocolate milk for the first time ever. (Seriously, Paula?) Their individual personalities really come through, in 140 characters or less.

And suddenly the 19-year-old star isn't this hollow player I watch on tour anymore. 

She's your typical college student.

Found out i'm living on the same floor as all of my football boys nxt year at Stanford! Soo excited!! Get ready for some crazy stories! :) 3:01 PM May 30th from TwitterFon

An avid basketball fan.

can they stop calling fouls on howard??? gawwwddd... i mean hes just trying to do work...simmer down 7:31 PM May 28th from web

Kind of a dork.

Did u know that the word "almost" is the longest word in english where the letters are in alphabetical order? 9:53 AM May 28th from TwitterFon

And best of all, she has a sense of humor.

so i was thinking...whoever is here this week in springfield should make posters that say "SIGN YOUR SCORECARD!" and wave em to me after 18. about 17 hours ago from web

There seemed to be an iciness toward Wie from the players on tour prior to her making it through Q-school. When she got her tour card, she got a new respect from her fellow players, which Twitter amplifies in the interactions she has with some of the game's biggest names: Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Christina Kim. She's just one of the girl's now.

So, I take back the mean things I said, and I will not protest each tournament week when we ask "will this be the week she gets her first win?" Because I'll be wondering too. Following her tweets. And maybe even rooting for her. She is a pretty decent golfer after all.

Follow Michelle Wie on Twitter

Michelle Wie is the LPGA's Phil Mickelson

The Newark Star-Ledger's Steve Politi nails it: Michelle Wie can't be the LPGA's Tiger Woods because she already is the LPGA's Phil Mickelson, at least the pre-2004 Masters Phil.

Think about it: Massively talented, adored by fans while generating mixed feelings among fellow pros, capable of an amazing, tell-your-friends-about-it birdie or a what-was-she-thinking bogey on virtually every hole. The only thing Wie's missing is the white belt.

Politi followed Wie at last weekend's Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J., and noted that the parallels between Wie and Mickelson are unmistakable.

She signed a massive contract with Nike just like Tiger Woods, attends Stanford like Woods did and someday wants to break down barriers like the most dominant player in her sport.

But right now? Michelle Wie sure has a lot more Phil Mickelson in her game than Tiger.

That was the feeling Sunday afternoon watching her at the Sybase Classic. Wie attracted the largest gallery, just like Phil does when he comes to the area. She had the longest drives and made some of the most spectacular shots, just like Phil does any time he tees it up.

She also had a couple of unthinkable miss-hits and questionable decisions -- as you-know-who so often does -- to turn what could have been a breakthrough performance into another near miss.

Politi predicts that Wie will win a tournament once she learns to value consistency over the sublime, but let's hope she keeps some Mickelsonian sparkle to her game. Lord knows, professional golf already has enough grinders.

More from GOLF.com on Michelle Wie | Photos: Wie's career

Round 3 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship

Few players in the morning groups were under par today at the Kraft Nabisco, a day after strong winds sent scores soaring. No one did worse than Michelle Wie, who shot her second straight 81. If leaders Christina Kim and Kristy McPherson can't go low, it will bring a lot more players into the tournament. Check back later for a complete wrap-up and photos from today's action.

In progress: Round 3 scores | Recap | Photos