"She was like looking at a little kid after you tell them there's no Santa Claus."

Now I should know that when the Brand Lady looks to smooth over something, it warrants further investigation. Especially when we have videotape contradicting her written statement. And for the life of me, why the LPGA is trying to spin this, I have no idea (unless the emails are coming from parents with crying children who have just found out there is no Santa Claus).

According to her "Message from Headquarters" Carolyn Bivens writes:

...there has been some misunderstanding about comments made by Sue Witters, LPGA director of tournament operations and the lead official in this situation.  The initial AP story that ran misquoted Sue. Acknowledging the error, the AP ran a corrected story.  However, for those who only viewed the original story, it is important to know Sue’s comments in the press conference were referencing her own emotion when she had to notify Michelle; the comments were not directed at or describing Michelle.

Here's what the corrected AP story says:

Sue Witters, the LPGA’s director of tournament competitions, disqualified Wie in a small office in an LPGA trailer at the course after asking her what had happened.

“I felt like I was telling somebody that there was no Santa Claus,” Witters said.

Courtesy of Springfield's WAND TV's video viewable here (and below), Witters told the assembled media:

"She was like looking at a little kid after you tell then there's no Santa Claus. She was upset, I don't blame her. We forget how young she is because how well she plays. We gotta remember, she's a kid."

The AP had the quote correct the first time, so I'm not sure why the LPGA sought to have the story retracted?