On Sunday, Beth Daniel, Captain of the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup team announced her team to the world. In addition to the players who qualified straight up, based on their performance over the last two seasons, she also was afforded two "Captain's Picks". Her first pick was probably no surprise - she selected Juli Inkster, who was ranked 16th on the list of qualifiers.
Her second pick,however, was one that was bound to raise some eyebrows and get the media revved up hotter than Ryan O'Neal breathing down his daughter's neck at a funeral. That's right, Beth took the big plunge and selected the heretofore underachieving Michelle Wie. For those of you who have read a couple of my posts, you recall that I am very pointed in my assessments of Michelle Wie - some may call me a "hater",but that's far from the truth. I am nothing more (or less) than a realist - I asses her on how she performs on the golf course, AND the remarks she makes before and after her performances.
Some folks are suggesting that Wie's selection to the Solheim Cup team was forced upon Daniel - that the recent difficulties of the ladies tour only highlight the need for the Captain to do something "marketable and newsworthy". Still others suggest that she was pressured to select Wie by sports behemoth (and Wie sponsor) Nike. Meanwhile, Wie supporters counter that Michelle was handicapped by having the results for automatic selection be based upon two years of results - and her results only reflect one year of preformances on the tour.
Bushwood's stance on Michelle Wie's selection, after considering all of the factors, is that Beth Daniel made a good choice. Wie has performed reasonably well in the events she has played in this year, and obviously wanted to be selected to play for the U.S. in the Solheim Cup. We congratulate Michelle on her selection to the team.
Now the real question - How will she hold up under the enormous pressure that is sure to follow ? Only time will tell for sure...
