It's hardly surprising that the four highest-paid female athletes are tennis players; with endorsement dollars and tournament purses on the rise, it makes sense. But No. 5 on the list, the first of three golfers, was a little shocking: Michelle Wie.
Yep, the 19-year-old former phenom-turned-Q-School candidate makes more than anybody else on the LPGA Tour, and since she's yet to win a tournament, her earnings come
According to Forbes.com, Wie has earned $12 million. Annika Sorenstam, 72-time LPGA Tour winner and 10-time major winner, is at $11 million, and Sorenstam's de facto successor, Lorena Ochoa, comes in at $10 million. Weird.
...Sorenstam, Wie and Ochoa have broken into eight-figure earnings territory, a testament to the LPGA's efforts to globalize. The women's tour not only has top golfers from numerous countries (Sorenstam is from Sweden, Ochoa from Mexico, while Wie is Korean-American, born in Hawaii), but has made a point to broaden its international appeal by holding more events for players in their home markets. ...As for Wie, there's this:
A limited schedule this year (injuries, college enrollment) didn't hurt Wie's endorsement career. But if the teen sensation wants to extend her deals with Nike and Sony, she'll need to spend more time on the course in 2009.Winning would certainly help Wie's cause (or, as Shane Bacon pointed out, making it to the weekend), and remembering to sign her scorecard is a good start. I have no issue with Wie teeing it up on the PGA Tour, although it's hard to make the case that playing in the Reno-Tahoe Open will help her get her LPGA Tour card. But, hey, that's what Q-School's for, right?
Hat tip: Waggle Room
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2008 @ 3:05PM
Skippy said...
It's called hype, son. The media built her up to be the next Tiger. Not a female Tiger, mind you. But the next Tiger. The endorsements followed. I would say, don't believe the hype. But why not? In Wie's case, it made her rich beyond dreams.
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7-23-2008 @ 5:06PM
MDT said...
"...since she's yet to win a tournament, her earnings come solely from endorsements."
Yipes.
Did the LPGA move to a winner-take-all system when I wasn't looking, or are they still paying, you know, everybody who makes the cut?
For the record, Wie's made $780,233 in career earnings since she went pro in 2005.
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7-23-2008 @ 6:21PM
v said...
I think Michelle might have been the next Tiger--or close to it-- if her parents had left her alone & let her develop & mature b4 they threw her out onto the tour.She barely had time to be a kid let alone a professional golfer--a WINNING professional golfer at that. Tiger went to college & up thru the amateur ranks & tournaments b4 he went pro--where did she go?/High school & instead of common sense & guidance her parents pushed her out to get on the gravy train.I think they did her more harm than good.
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7-23-2008 @ 8:02PM
PW said...
Yeah, that 12 million dollars she earned this year was a real screw up by her parents. I wonder how many kids out there would trade places with her ? Oh, did I say 12 MILLION DOLLARS ? I can see clearly that the slow road was the better way to go. Take a look at the great names that have taken the slow road and never been heard from again !! It is easy to second guess Wie's parents. I am sure they second guess themselves everyday. But, like all parents, I bet every decision they made was based on what they honestly believed was in the best interest of their daughter. And, like all of us parents, they are not perfect. I wish my mistakes as a parent resulted in my daughters earning 12 MILLION DOLLARS..
7-23-2008 @ 10:14PM
LenSp said...
True. That's a lot of money. But by waiting to mature and not rushing for easy cash, Tiger developed a real game -- one that could earn him $6 BILLION over his lifetime (assuming he comes back from his injury).
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7-23-2008 @ 10:20PM
ryan said...
MDT,
You're right. That should read "mostly", not "solely."
Fixed.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:38PM
AMG said...
It’s been said many times, but Tiger’s family managed his early career very carefully, so that he had a taste of winning and contending in pressure situation. He won at all levels, and moved up when he was ready to win at the next level. Wie’s parents have not been as canny. Money might have been a motivator (the ‘leaving college to get my momma out-da-hood’ syndrome). It seems they want Michelle to do it all—compete with men, play internationally, grow a brand, go to college—everything but win. As is the case with many young actors/tennis stars/figure skaters—it very rarely ends well when your teenager or child is the main breadwinner for the family. I’m not saying that Wie is ready to wander around the course with a Starbucks cup full of vodka—but the story has been written before.
Can you imagine Tiger Woods not signing his scorecard at 19 years of age? Michelle Wie has been competing in golf since a young child—I thought that signing the scorecard after a round was the rule for all levels of tournament, juniors and up? Not a new rule...someone check her Gatorade for vodka…
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