From Michelle Wie after shooting a six-over 77 in the first round of the PGA's John Deere Classic:
"It was very uncharacteristic," she said. "Considering that I had the water hazard penalties, considering that I had to call unplayable, considering that I hit my driver like 50 yards right, I felt like I played really well.
Um, OK, except she just described what happens when I play a round of golf. That would be like me saying, "Considering I got two traffic citations, considering I hit a parked car at the office, considering I kept running off the road on the interstate I feel like I had a good drive to work."
I probably should cut her some slack since she is only 16 years old. One problem is that everyone in the media wants to act like she is mature beyond her years and posesses some sort of media savvy. She does not and this quote is evidence of that. When offering your own "spin" on a set of events it always helps to stay fairly close to the truth of what happened so the "spin" itself is credible. For Wie to say she felt she played well when her score and the actual events speak to the contrary illustrates so serious deficiencies where addressing the media is concerned. Of course if you are unable to "spin" the events to your liking just find a good scapegoat:
"I would like to say it didn't, but it bothered me a little bit," she said. "Bugs on me, I hate bugs, and I was starting to get a little aggravated like the fifth time I stepped out. I was a little aggravated, but I felt like I shook it off."
This is just another point that proves Wie would be better off devoting herself full time to the LPGA Tour honing both her golf and public relations skills hopefully in a bug free environment.