"YOU KNOW THE RULES WHEN YOU PLAY THE GAME"

That was another saying of my good friend Sam. And it certainly applies to all the flap surrounding Michelle Wie's last two golf tourneys.

Michelle was playing badly at last week's tournament, something called the Ginn Sponsored by Annika. She was coming off wrist injuries and high school demands so she hadn't played competively for some time. After 16 holes, she was 14 over par, or about average for most of us. However she's Michelle Wie and that's not supposed to happen. In fact, because of some neo-nebulous rule, and believe me there are hundreds of rules in golf, if she carded an 88, then she would be denied any sponsor exemptions for one year. Which means since she is not a professional, she'd be knocked out of playing in pro tourneys for one calendar year.

Apparently after being informed of this rule by her agent, Michelle started feeling pain in her wrists and decided to withdraw. No possiblility of an 88--no penalty or loss of tourney eligibility.

How the masses squawked, including Annika! "Her wrists weren't hurting; she was afraid by bogeying the last two holes, she would shoot an 88." (Actually, that quote is credited to no one in particular, rather it was a compilation.)

I say bully for her. In a sport, that I love by the way, that has so many obscure rules (the one that gets me the most is that a tv viewer can call in to inform the rules committee of an infraction on an indivdual golfer, when he/she or their playing partners never caught at the time), she was merely taking advantage of the rule. While adhering to the other sacred rules of golf, those who disagree with what Wie did are simply being hypocritical. If it's on the books, then why deny it to her.

Hey, maybe that's why she was 14 over; her wrists did hurt.