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Controversy Envelops Samsung

Published

19 years ago

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Annika declines, Michelle is back, and controversy again ensues between the two at this week’s Samsung World Championship.

The Samsung World Championship was meant to bring the 20 best women golfers in the world together, but heads began to turn when the field was formally announced earlier this week. Michellie Wie who has only broken par once this entire season while fighting injuries was granted a sponsor’s exemption despite her lackluster performance in 2007. This has left Natalie Gulbis on the outside looking in although she rightfully qualified. Another notable "qualifier" was Annika Sorenstam who has missed much of the ‘07 season with an injured neck but was invited into the tournament. Yet, Annika has declined so another player who deserved the spot can compete.

Much of the controversy stems more from the shifting rules the tournament officials at Samsung amend every year to include the most popular women golfers in the world rather than identify them. Sorenstam’s invitation was extended due to a change which extendeds an automatic invitation to any active member of the LPGA Hall of Fame. The rule was previously worded to provide an exemption to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion. Annika’s move garnered tremendous respect from her peers. Lorena Ocha said, "What Annika decided to do, that’s something that I admire very much, I respect. She thought they were wrong to do it," Ochoa said. "That just shows how much class she has and how professional she is." Annika’s actions are even more admirable considering the fact that her management team at IMG runs the Samsung tournament.

Annika’s shining example also stands in stark contrast to Michelle Wie who is yet again in the field of an exclusive tournament despite her peers outperforming her throughout the season. Wie has slipped to 56th on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Even with a last place finish in this tournament, Wie will more than double her meager season winnings of $9,000. Her 2007 season has included a suspcious withdrawl due to injury to seemingly prevent carding an 88 that would have disqualified her for the year. More controversey ensued after Wie’s withdrawl from Annika’s tournament due to injury only to be seen a day later practicing at the next tournament site. Wie has slowly begun losing the respect of her peers and the public. Once again her decision to continue with her sponsor’s exemption hasn’t endeared her to her peers.

Yet Samsung is far from the only sponsor to bend over backwards to accommodate Wie. The McDonald’s LPGA Championship spent 51 years without allowing an amateur into the field until 2005 when it allowed Michellie Wie an exemption inot the tournament. Fast forward a year later, the rules to the McDonald’s LPGA are again changed to provide an exemption to any professional that finished in the top five in any major – any guesses as to who got into the field with that? Even the staunch USGA wilted like a dead flower, allowing Wie exemptions into the U.S. Open rather than forcing her to qualify like all other competitiors. The examples are numerous and her performances are lackluster to say the least. What started out as an incredibly talented teenager attracting huge numbers of fans has quickly regressed to people gathering around to wait for the next train wreck.

So it’s time to play the blame game – who deserves the lion’s share?  As easy (and entertaining) as it would be to place the blame solely on Wie, the Samsung officials should be stepping up to the firing line for their nonsense entry rules and unfair application. While the Samsung officials extended an "invitation" to active LPGA Hall of Famers, neither Julie Inkster nor Karrie Webb (both active LPGA Hall of Famers) were ever offered entry into the tournament. One can only imagine what permutation the rules will take on before next year’s event. Although no one could expect Samsung to retract the Wie’s invitation. One can only hope that no matter what the outcome of this week, they would be far more thoughtful in awarding their exemptions in the future. Yet why stop there? Why not simply increase the size of the field by five players allowing Wie, Sorenstam, Webb, Inkseter and Gulbis all into the field. That would barely dent the winnings per player and allow for a more competitive and exciting field for the players and fans. Samsung has already rewritten the rules each year to tailor the field, why not simply expand the field and stick to them?

 

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Mike K.

    Oct 15, 2007 at 8:11 am

    Wie should have bowed out. Annika once again shows why she is so highly respected. Wie is becoming a farce, and only watch-able to see how bad she does, instead of for her “great” ability. She need to face reality and act accordingly.

    I think if tournaments are going to offer exemptions, then those exemptions should not take a slot away from a player that actually QUALIFIED to play. That way nobody loses face. Nobody will give a hoot about Michele Wie after a few more debacles like this last. She will become a has been before she reaches 20. Really sad actually.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Todd Poston

    Oct 15, 2007 at 7:36 am

    The comparison to Britney is unfounded as she has had a lot of success. Even with the current train wreck that she is experiencing, her latest single is doing pretty good on the charts. What has Wie ever done except show that she may have had potential?

    Samsung was wrong to invite Wie, but I lay just as much blame on Wie for accepting the invite. She knows that her game is garbage and she should have been a professional and said “Thank you, but I need to work my game out before accepting this”. Tough decisions reveal character, and this has revealed the Wie’s for what they are – self centered disrespectful buffoons without any class whatsoever.

    But what do I know – I hear it is a fine line between 88 and 68.

    Reply Report comment

  3. Jason Broan

    Oct 14, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    Michelle needs to learn from Annika’s example. If Michelle can’t qualify like everyone else, she needs to show some maturity and wait until her game earns her a spot.

    Michelle has become the Britney Spears of the LPGA.

    Reply Report comment

  4. John Stovall

    Oct 14, 2007 at 11:54 am

    “20th Michelle Wie Th 79. Fr 79, Sat 77, +19 235”
    Nice choice Samsung & LPGA. You have succeded in exposing this tournament as a farce. Your choice of allowing Wie to participate in this even really devalues the other player accomplishments.

    You’ve sunk to an all-time low.

    Congrats to Annika for her difficult decision to allow a more deserving player to compete.

    Reply Report comment

  5. Andy Brown

    Oct 13, 2007 at 1:40 pm

    I think a lot has been said and written about Michelle Wie accepting the invitation but one thing is for sure whatever happens I am definitely not going to hold her responsible for someone else’s mistake. If the main intention of the tournament was to have a limited field event where the best of the best through the year were to compete then it was completely wrong on their part to dole out any special exemptions in the first place. If they wanted to make the field more exciting then they might as well have increased the field strength like you have rightly suggested but what really bothers me is people looking to criticize Wie for her decision to accept the invitation.

    Considering the sort of year that she has had it is not a surprise that she well try and latch on to every opportunity she is handed out and even though she may have not performed the way she might have wanted to I definitely don’t blame her for giving it a shot. Those who have an issue with talented players missing out definitely need to question the policy of these tournament organizers. It’s about time we cut the young Michelle Wie some slack and also hope that she recaptures some of her form.

    Andy Brown

    Reply Report comment

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News

2026 PGA Championship betting odds

Published

1 day ago

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May 12, 2026

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Scottie Scheffler leads the betting ahead of the second major championship of the year, with the World Number One a +345 favorite to get his hands on a second PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy who won the Masters back in April is a +800 shot to complete half of the calendar slam at Aronimink Golf Club this week, while Jordan Spieth can be backed at +5900 to become a career grand slam winner.

Here is the full betting board for the 2026 PGA Championship courtesy of DraftKings.

Scottie Scheffler +345 – (Check 0ut his WITB here)

Rory McIlroy +800 – (Check out his WITB here)

  • Jon Rahm +1300 
  • Cameron Young +1500
  • Bryson DeChambeau +1700
  • Xander Schauffele +1850
  • Matt Fitzpatrick +1950
  • Ludvig Aberg +2000
  • Tommy Fleetwood +2600
  • Collin Morikawa +3500
  • Brooks Koepka +3900
  • Justin Rose +4300
  • Russell Henley +4600
  • Si Woo Kim +4700
  • Justin Thomas +4800
  • Robert MacIntyre +5300
  • Patrick Cantlay +5300
  • Viktor Hovland +5400
  • Tyrrell Hatton +5500
  • Jordan Spieth +5900
  • Sam Burns +6000
  • Hideki Matsuyama +6200
  • Adam Scott +6400
  • Rickie Fowler +7000
  • Chris Gotterup +7400
  • Patrick Reed +7400
  • Min Woo Lee +7800
  • Ben Griffin +8000
  • Sepp Straka +8400
  • Shane Lowry +9000
  • Akshay Bhatia +9200
  • Maverick McNealy +9200
  • Joaquin Niemann +9200
  • Jake Knapp +9200
  • Jason Day +9600
  • Kurt Kitayama +10000
  • J.J. Spaun +10000
  • Harris English +10500
  • Nicolai Hojgaard +11000
  • Gary Woodland +11000
  • David Puig +11000
  • Michael Thorbjornsen +12000
  • Jacob Bridgeman +12000
  • Keegan Bradley +12500
  • Corey Conners +14000
  • Alex Fitzpatrick +15000
  • Sungjae Im +15500
  • Sahith Theegala +15500
  • Harry Hall +15500
  • Alex Noren +16000
  • Thomas Detry +16500
  • Marco Penge +16500
  • Kristoffer Reitan +17000
  • Alex Smalley +17000
  • Wyndham Clark +17500
  • Sam Stevens +17500
  • Keith Mitchell +17500
  • Daniel Berger +18500
  • Ryan Gerard +20000
  • Nick Taylor +20000
  • Rasmus Hojgaard +21000
  • Dustin Johnson +21000
  • Pierceson Coody +23000
  • Aaron Rai +24000
  • Jordan Smith +24000
  • Angel Ayora +24000
  • Bud Cauley +25000
  • Matt McCarty +26000
  • Jayden Schaper +26000
  • Brian Harman +27000
  • Taylor Pendrith +27000
  • Ryan Fox +27000
  • J.T. Poston +27000
  • Cameron Smith +29000
  • Ryo Hisatsune +29000
  • Michael Kim +29000
  • Max Homa +29000
  • Denny McCarthy +29000
  • Tom McKibbin +30000
  • Rico Hoey +32000
  • Matt Wallace +32500
  • Ricky Castillo +33000
  • Haotong Li +33000
  • Michael Brennan +34000
  • Max Greyserman +36000
  • Stephan Jaeger +37500
  • Christiaan Bezuidenhout +37500
  • Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +39000
  • Aldrich Potgieter +40000
  • Andrew Novak +42000
  • Patrick Rodgers +42500
  • Daniel Hillier +42500
  • Max McGreevy +46000
  • Billy Horschel +48000
  • Chris Kirk +48000
  • Ian Holt +49000
  • Casey Jarvis +49000
  • William Mouw +50000
  • Steven Fisk +50000
  • John Parry +50000
  • Nico Echavarria +52500
  • Garrick Higgo +52500
  • John Keefer+55000
  • Matthias Schmid +57500
  • Austin Smotherman +57500
  • Sami Valimaki +60000
  • Andrew Putnam +60000
  • Lucas Glover +62500
  • Daniel Brown +62500
  • Jhonattan Vegas +75000
  • Emiliano Grillo +80000
  • Mikael Lindberg +85000
  • Adrien Saddier +100000
  • Bernd Wiesberger +100000
  • Elvis Smylie +110000
  • Stewart Cink +130000
  • Kota Kaneko +130000
  • David Lipsky +150000
  • Chandler Blanchet +150000
  • Andy Sullivan +150000
  • Joe Highsmith +180000
  • Adam Schenk +200000
  • Travis Smyth +200000
  • Davis Riley +225000
  • Martin Kaymer +400000
  • Brian Campbell +400000
  • Padraig Harrington +450000
  • Kazuki Higa +450000
  • Jordan Gumberg +450000
  • Ryan Vermeer +500000
  • Austin Hurt +500000
  • Tyler Collet +500000
  • Timothy Wiseman +500000
  • Shaun Micheel +500000
  • Y.E. Yang +500000
  • Michael Block+500000
  • Mark Geddes+500000
  • Luke Donald+500000
  • Bryce Fisher+500000
  • Jimmy Walker +500000
  • Jason Dufner +500000
  • Jesse Droemer +500000
  • Jared Jones +500000
  • Garrett Sapp +500000
  • Francisco Bide +500000
  • Zach Haynes +500000
  • Paul McClure+500000
  • Derek Berg +500000
  • Chris Gabriele +500000
  • Braden Shattuck +500000
  • Ben Polland +500000
  • Ben Kern +50000

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Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

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GolfWRX is on site for the second major of 2026: The PGA Championship from Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The tournament’s location, just outside Philadelphia, and its status as a major championship mean GolfWRXers are in for a treat: WITBs from a strong field, custom gear celebrating the PGA Championship, and the rich culture of the City of Brotherly Love — we have noted a relative absence of cheesesteak-themed items thus far this week, but most of the rest of the usual suspects are well represented.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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How much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship

Published

2 days ago

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May 11, 2026

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Kristoffer Reitan held his nerve at Quail Hollow on Sunday to claim his first PGA Tour victory and the $3.6 million winner’s check that came with it. The Norwegian fended off a packed leaderboard on a dramatic final day, with Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Højgaard both taking home $1.76 million for their runner-up finishes.

With a total prize purse of $20 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Truist Championship.

1: Kristoffer Reitan, $3,600,000

T2: Rickie Fowler, $1,760,000

T2: Nicolai Hojgaard, -$1,760,000

4: Alex Fitzpatrick, $960,000

T5: Tommy Fleetwood, $730,000

T5: Sungjae Im, $730,000

T5: J.J. Spaun, $730,000

T8: Ludvig Aberg, $600,000

T8: Harry Hall, $600,000

T10: Patrick Cantlay, $500,000

T10: Matt McCarty, $500,000

T10: Cameron Young, $500,000

13: Justin Thomas, $420,000

T14: Min Woo Lee, $360,000

T14: Chris Gotterup, $360,000

T14: Nick Taylor, $360,000

T17: Alex Smalley, $310,000

T17: Gary Woodland, $310,000

T19: Austin Smotherman, $242,100

T19: Rory McIlroy, $242,100

T19: Keegan Bradley, $242,100

T19: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $242,100

T19: Kurt Kitayama, $242,100

T24: Patrick Rodgers, $156,643

T24: Pierceson Coody, $156,643

T24: Adam Scott, $156,643

T24: Andrew Novak, $156,643

T24: Harris English, $156,643

T24: J.T. Poston, $156,643

T24: David Lipsky, $156,643

T31: Brian Harman, $114,416.67

T31: Viktor Hovland, $114,416.67

T31: Alex Noren, $114,416.67

T31: Tony Finau, $114,416.67

T31: Nico Echavarria, $114,416.67

T31: Corey Conners, $114,416.67

T37: Sam Burns, $82,187.50

T37: Maverick McNealy, $82,187.50

T37: Akshay Bhatia, $82,187.50

T37: Taylor Pendrith, $82,187.50

T37: Matt Wallace, $82,187.50

T37: Andrew Putnam, $82,187.50

T37: Bud Cauley, $82,187.50

T37: Lucas Glover, $82,187.50

T45: Justin Rose, $60,000

T45: Daniel Berger, $60,000

T45: Ryo Hisatsune, $60,000

T48: Denny McCarthy, $50,000

T48: Aldrich Potgieter, $50,000

T48: Webb Simpson, $50,000

T48: Michael Kim, $50,000

T52: Mackenzie Hughes, $45,187.50

T52: Max Homa, $45,187.50

T52: Brian Campbell, $45,187.50

T52: Jhonattan Vegas, $45,187.50

T52: Matt Fitzpatrick, $45,187.50

T52: Chandler Blanchet, $45,187.50

T52: Jordan Spieth, $45,187.50

T52: Jacob Bridgeman, $45,187.50

T60: Xander Schauffele, $42,500

T60: Robert MacIntyre, $42,500

T60: Ricky Castillo, $42,500

T63: Ben Griffin, $41,250

T63: Sepp Straka, $41,250

T65: Ryan Gerard, $40,250

T65: Si Woo Kim, $40,250

67: Ryan Fox, $39,500

68: Jason Day, $39,000

69: Sahith Theegala, $38,000

70: Sam Stevens, $37,500

71: Hideki Matsuyama, $37,000

72: Tom Hoge, $36,000

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