Lucy Li, 11 youngest to qualify fot U.S. Women's open

[Sportsguy9695]

Lucy Li will make U.S. Women's Open history this year when the 11-year-old will become the youngest to ever participate in the tournament.

Li earned her way into the event by shooting rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course at Half Moon Bay in a sectional qualifier in California on Monday.

She beat second-place qualifier Kathleen Scavo by seven strokes.

The 11-year-old from Redwood Shores, California, already has a victory at Augusta under her belt, having won her age group in the first annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship held in April ahead of the Masters.

Source: ESPN

 

[redseat]

when I first read this I was like wtf... Lucy isn't 11 years old.... But that Lucy LU...

Congrats to this Lucy.. wish her the best!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Keep getting younger and younger it seems, but girls seem to peak much quicker as well.

Wie is kind of defying it as she seems to be getting back to better form, but I think we've seen the best of Creamer, Yani, Pressel, etc. already. This other kid Lydia Ko could become world #1 on that tour and she's like 17 or 18!

 

[HammerDown]

Oh geez. Is this the new name ESPN is going to be forcing down our throats every time we turn the TV on now?

 

[redseat]

Oh geez. Is this the new name ESPN is going to be forcing down our throats every time we turn the TV on now?

Yup... At least until Michelle Wie does a pron.

 

[TobyTyler]

Lucy Li will make U.S. Women's Open history this year when the 11-year-old will become the youngest to ever participate in the tournament.

Li earned her way into the event by shooting rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course at Half Moon Bay in a sectional qualifier in California on Monday.

She beat second-place qualifier Kathleen Scavo by seven strokes.

The 11-year-old from Redwood Shores, California, already has a victory at Augusta under her belt, having won her age group in the first annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship held in April ahead of the Masters.

Source: ESPN

That's too young to be playing in the U.S. Open. Don't think I'd allow my daughter to play at that level at 11 years old.

 

[NEhomer]

It shows how pathetic women's golf is.

Can you imagine an 11 year old boy competing in any men's sport?

 

[ATL96Steeler]

It shows how pathetic women's golf is.

Can you imagine an 11 year old boy competing in any men's sport?

No...but just based on physical maturity etc...this would be the equivalent of maybe a 15 y/o making the mens USO field.

Pathetic...I know a lot guys hate the LPGA and was one them for a long time...it's a different game, definitely not the power or skill of the PGA...what kinda reeled me in was playing a LPGA proam and watching an event on a course I've played.

Pretty much the same tee box we play, (about 6400 yds) yet the top players were in the low 70s to high 60s...but admittedly there were several that didn't break 70 so the fields are not that deep (that's why an 11 y/o can qualify)

These gals are good, but when you equate their games to PGAT players, of course they suck. Just like WNBA players suck compared to NBA players.

 

[NEhomer]

True but I don't think an 11 year old girl could play the WNBA.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

No way...I think no sport where you actually compete against an opponent (vs a golf course) would an 11 y/o survive against pro players. Qualifying on such a large scale doesn't really make the LPGA look too bad, but making the cut would.

I agree with TT on this one though...I wouldn't let my daughter compete in the USO @ 11. Plenty of time for that if she really has the game.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

No way...I think no sport where you actually compete against an opponent (vs a golf course) would an 11 y/o survive against pro players. Qualifying on such a large scale doesn't really make the LPGA look too bad, but making the cut would.

I agree with TT on this one though...I wouldn't let my daughter compete in the USO @ 11. Plenty of time for that if she really has the game.

Yep - not sure about other countries, but in this country you certainly would be robbing a kid of their childhood and experiences that they never can recapture. Also - you are potentially putting a lot of stress on someone who is likely unable to handle it. You are also risking creating someone who will have a huge attitude in the future. I also imagine problems with other kids put in a similar situation who are perhaps not as good. Why the rush?

 

[johnson]

I wouldn't think twice about letting my daughter play in the LPGA if she was 11. I kind of don't believe anyone else who says otherwise. If she's that talented and has already gotten that far so quickly, she should be able to handle the tournament. She just won one (granted, in her "age group", but she handled some serious pressure)

Plus, hopefully her parents have impressed upon her that nobody expects her to win the LPGA and to just go out and have fun.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqIvsMZhuz8]State of Play: Peter Berg on Trophy Kids (HBO Sports) - YouTube[/ame]

Don't know if any of you saw this in the past, but this HBO special points out the dangers of pushing kids too hard in sports. This would be my fear with having these very young kids in some of this tournaments. For every kid like this or Spieth there are tons of other kids who are alright but fail to live up to the hype or parents' expectations. In the process they potentially screw up their kids for a very long time.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I wouldn't think twice about letting my daughter play in the LPGA if she was 11. I kind of don't believe anyone else who says otherwise. If she's that talented and has already gotten that far so quickly, she should be able to handle the tournament. She just won one (granted, in her "age group", but she handled some serious pressure)

Plus, hopefully her parents have impressed upon her that nobody expects her to win the LPGA and to just go out and have fun.

Good points...here's why I wouldn't.

Having seen what Ty Tryon, and Michell Wie have gone thru...Obviously the kid is talented if this is even feasible...but if I really wanted my daughter to play competitive golf, I would want her to have a chance at winning...i.e. playing against kids her age @ 11 y/o.

Even if she makes the cut @ the WUSO, there's no way she's going to contend...not at 11 so the experience of being there is not worth it from a competitive standpoint imo...@ 15 or 16 and she's played well in the US Am, etc. , I would think differently.

 

[NEhomer]

An opportunity for notoriety comes rarely. Even if Wie's early exposure prevented her from achieving her very finest at golf, she's more likely to benefit from the game due to that very fame.

Hell, some of you even think she's hot :rollseyes:

 

[ATL96Steeler]

An opportunity for notoriety comes rarely. Even if Wie's early exposure prevented her from achieving her very finest at golf, she's more likely to benefit from the game due to that very fame.

Hell, some of you even think she's hot :rollseyes:

Wie...I don't think she was playing trying to quailfy for the WUSO as a pre-teen, but from the outset their strategy was about spectacle more than champion and Nike bought in hook line and sinker...long term it's worked out better for Nike here lately. Credit to Wie she didn't take the money and run.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

State of Play: Peter Berg on Trophy Kids (HBO Sports) - YouTube

Don't know if any of you saw this in the past, but this HBO special points out the dangers of pushing kids too hard in sports. This would be my fear with having these very young kids in some of this tournaments. For every kid like this or Spieth there are tons of other kids who are alright but fail to live up to the hype or parents' expectations. In the process they potentially screw up their kids for a very long time.

I didn't see that one, but Tracy Austin, Jennifer Capriati, in tennis...Agassi spoke out about the can't miss syndrome and what it took away from him later in his life...I mentioned Ty Tryon, there are 2 twin girls, Aree and Nree Song....they were teen age touring pros...now barely a blip on the screen.

I think too often parents start seeing $ signs and they push harder than what the kids are ready to handle.

You want to encourage the kid to get the maximum performance, but turning pro as a teen is only for a select few.

 

[RaiderZar]

Even at 11, this the "Open". You have to qualify to get there. I don't see anything wrong with qualifying, then playing in this one. I would hope she would not be allowed to play in other LPGA events on sponsors exemptions at this early age. So, even after the Open, if she completely falls of the planet, this may have been her Happy Gilmore moment. Let's see where she is at 15 - 16.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Even at 11, this the "Open". You have to qualify to get there. I don't see anything wrong with qualifying, then playing in this one. I would hope she would not be allowed to play in other LPGA events on sponsors exemptions at this early age. So, even after the Open, if she completely falls of the planet, this may have been her Happy Gilmore moment. Let's see where she is at 15 - 16.

Yeah, nothing wrong with it...I just wouldn't do it if I were trying to build a championship player...they have a US Jr Am...if she had already won that @ 10, then maybe I would look at it differently.

 

[RaiderZar]

Yeah, nothing wrong with it...I just wouldn't do it if I were trying to build a championship player...they have a US Jr Am...if she had already won that @ 10, then maybe I would look at it differently.

If she wasn't allowed (by parents or coach) to play in the qualifiers, there obviously wouldn't be a story. The fact that she was & actually won, it doesn't make any sense to hold her back now. Your comment about "building a championship player" is a bit strange.