A lot of times, if she hits it 300 yards, you run out of real estate. She often has a lot of decisions she has to make, because her driver can be too much club on LPGA courses. |
Afterward we asked Andy -- who's normally pretty stiff for a kid -- to check the range of motion in his hamstrings by raising his knee to his chest. Well, Andy almost knocked himself out when his kneecap hit his chin. He was that loose. |
Every time she plays, she is under the microscope. There is a lot of pressure on her. Two years ago, it was different. Now she's a pro. Now she's trying to take money out of these guys' pockets. |
From a certain perspective, you might say what Sean went through with his dad got him to where he is right now. There is something to be said for a harder life. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but for Sean it had some beneficial effects. He has a tremendous hunger and love for the game, and he wants badly to get better. He gets excited about trying new things, and I tell him we're going to work very slowly, we aren't going to make major changes. Because he is a hell of a ball-striker. He really flushes it. |
I went to her interview before the Women's British Open, and I couldn't believe how full the room was. It was overflowing. When Annika went in there, it was 25 percent full. The buzz for Michelle was amazing. |
I went to her interview before the Women's British Open, and I couldn't believe how full the room was. It was overflowing. When Annika went in there, it was 25% full. The buzz for Michelle was amazing. |
I'm just going to play as hard as I can (today). Try as hard as I can. |
I'm just going to play as hard as I can (today). Try as hard as I can. You know whatever happens happens, and hopefully it will be a good round. |
If anyone can transcend the gap between the men's game and the women's game, it's Michelle. Other sports are different but if, in golf, you have the ability to hit the ball the same way as a man, there's no reason why you can't score like one. |
If you don't have a club-head speed of about 100 mph, it's a waste of time to try to hit long irons. |
It would be impossible for her to keep improving at the rate she has in the last two or three years, so her goal at this stage is to improve steadily, in smaller increments, ... She already has a great golf swing, and she's going to get stronger, her balance will improve, her shot selection will improve. |
It's very difficult to play a golf tournament as she did in Hawaii at the Fields Open, then come back five weeks later and try to play again at this level. It's tough to find any rhythm in your game when you have to do that. It's what makes what she's doing right now so remarkable. Imagine how well she will play when she takes up golf full-time. |
Look at what strength training did for Annika (Sorenstam). Michelle tended to shy away from it. But once we pointed out the benefits, it's a full program she has to work on. When you've got the talent she has, it's a matter of getting your ducks in a row. She's game for it. She's starting to enjoy it. |
Playing PGA Tour events makes her better. I think she gets psyched watching the guys and seeing their ability. It raises her level. It helps her up the ladder of improvement. |
She has difficult decisions to make on every tee. |