This post is part of our feature on Money Losers of 2008. See all 20.
When Nike (NYSE: NKE) signed then 15-year-old teenage golf phenom Michelle Wie to an endorsement contract, it and the rest of the golf world envisioned her bringing to women's golf the kind of attention and money that Tiger Woods has brought to the men's game. When she won her first (and only) tournament, her combination of a powerful swing and camera-loving beauty confirmed she was destined for stardom.
And she did succeed -- in gaining endorsement and appearance money, at least. In 2007 alone, she raked in an estimated $19 million, making her number four on the Forbes list of "Top 20 Earners under 25." The only fly in the ointment was that, as her income skyrocketed, her golf game tanked.
Perhaps she was struggling under too-high expectations. As a 16-year-old, she played in the Men's Tour's Sony Open, missing the cut by only four strokes, but generating incredible press coverage. By the end of 2006, however, she was routinely missing the cut by many strokes in each tournament she entered.
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