Hope this post finds you well… This week, instead of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, we have The Good-bye, The Sorry and The Amazing.
The Good-bye – It is hard to believe, but over the next four days we will say goodbye to Annika Sorenstam’s major career, at least for a while. I think I am one of many who hopes Annika pulls a Brett Favre and at the beginning of 2009 will announce that she wants to continue to play. She, however, would be welcomed with absolutely open arms.
Since 1995, Annika has been the face of Women’s golf, and what a face it has been. A woman with an incredible desire to succeed; a woman with style; a woman that has put the game of golf on her back and said, “follow me to success”; a woman who leads by example, who is always looking for the elusive 58 and believes she can do it; a woman who has given back to the game at a greater level than she has taken.
In this final season, Annika has done what she does best: she wants to go out on top. “I will not go quietly into the darkness,” says Annika. And while she won’t make it to the number one ranking (Lorena just won’t be caught), Annika is doing everything possible to end the season Number 1 on the money list.
I will miss Annika; I don’t want her to go. In the prime of her career, Annika has chosen to chase children, a husband and a business career rather than a golf ball and while I hate that she is doing that, I do understand.
Annika Sorenstam is a class act. When she chose to play in a PGA Tour event, she realized how important it was to the rest of the women of golf. She did her week with class and understated elegance.
She never attacked the PGA Tour Players that said it was wrong. She kept her goal in mind and worked towards that goal. Even with all the media frenzy (and let me tell you what a jungle it was, people from every woman’s magazine in the world asking the most stupid questions) Annika stayed focused on her goal… to play her game and make the cut. And while she missed the cut, the world smiled on Annika for the way she handled the situation.
Goodbye Annika – please come back soon.
The Sorry – It is hard to believe that over the next few days, we get more everything of Michele Wie. Anyone been watching The Golf Channel? Every promo for the Reno-Tahoe has Michele.
I will not spend much time on this topic. It is quite simple. If you watch the PGA Tour on The Golf Channel, miss it this weekend. Send letters to The Golf Channel asking them:
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What has Michele Wie achieved to have her face in a promo for a PGA Tour event?
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Don’t you, The Golf Channel, believe you are lowering your standards by promoting a participant that does not belong in the event?
Seriously, we as the viewers have to start saying no to this. And there are not many ways to do that.
So, why do I call this “The Sorry?” It is very simple. There is no question that Michele Wie has something. I’m not real sure if it is a golf game - we will hopefully find out someday. But, she has that quality. A quality that could do more than anyone to help grow the women’s game. A game that is, in some cases, responsible for her wealth. So, The Sorry is because Michele Wie is no Annika Sorenstam. Hell, at this point Michele Wie is no Michele Wie. The great athletes do for others. The great athletes carry their team on their back. The great athletes put the game first. From all that, they become great. They don’t promote themselves into greatness. THAT IS ALWAYS SHORT LIVED.
I wish, above all else, that Michele would hire me to manage her career. It certainly couldn’t hurt. Send those letters and emails: Boycott the Reno-Tahoe.
The Amazing – I think America has found our next Trip Kuehne.
At 6 years old, a young boy named Jeffrey Edelman began playing golf. Over the next 12 years, Edelman won many, many tournaments and the State Golf Championships at Southlake. He was one of America’s top ranked junior players.
He was offered a scholarship to Duke University. Jeff also happens to be a straight A student. Jeff headed to Duke with his clubs in one arm and school books in the other. During his freshman year, he played in a number of events and kept improving. He was on his way, a great college golfing career and then on to, hopefully, the PGA Tour.
But something happened along the way. Some family problems at home got to the young man. He found college life to be something he truly enjoyed. He starting working out and soon became a workout addict. During the summer of 2007, Jeffrey rarely played or practiced. He was trying to “figure out his life.” He came to a decision that I’m not sure I could have made.
He chose his life over golf. After speaking to his parents and his coach, Hank Haney, Jeffrey went back to school and resigned from the Duke Golf Team. When I asked him why, he said, “Mr. Gribin, I want to enjoy my college experience and get good grades. You can’t do that and play golf also.” Much wiser than his years, Jeffrey Edelman has spent the last 8 months playing one or two rounds of golf.
But Jeff found something during his time off. He found that he still loves to compete. So Edelman entered the US Amateur qualifying field. He spent the last couple of weeks working hard on his game.
This past Monday, with his father on the bag, Jeffrey Edelman won his qualifying tournament at Sky Creek Ranch. He shot 68/74. Walking 36 holes in one day at 103 degrees is hard enough, doing it at 2 under par is amazing.
So good luck Jeffrey Edelman, you enjoy your amateur status and becoming the next Trip Kuehne. Family and friends first, work second and golf third. It is still a great life.
