Michelle Wie Losing Was a Sure Bet

If you had heard about a 16-year-old boy who placed 3rd at the Masters, 5th at the U.S. Open and 3rd at the PGA Championship within the same year, you'd be pretty amazed wouldn't you?

Well that's the male-equivalent of what Michelle Wie accomplished this year. Unfortunately, the Michelle Wie hype has effectively numbed people to her achievements, no matter how impressive they may be. Some have even been critical. This kid could cure cancer while walking on water and it still wouldn't satisfy some people.

But sometimes, you can use such irrational expectations to your advantage. Earlier this year, my online bookie took action on the number of majors that Michelle Wie would win in 2006. The Wie hype actually convinced people that she could win majors already! While I think Michelle is a tremendous talent, I just think that it's too early for her to win in the big leagues, let alone the majors.

Back in February, my bookie offered 1-2 odds on Wie not winning any majors. That was just an offer too good to be true. In my mind, that was a guaranteed 50% return over about 6 months. With the stock market going sideways and the real estate market topping out, was there a better investment? I just wish that I had bet the farm instead of a measly 20 clams:


It just goes to show you that it pays to still listen to Public Enemy's classic, "Don't Believe the Hype!"

P.S. FYI, I've added the video of the Tiger Woods SwingVision to the original post. Enjoy!