Prodigy Wie Should Chase Her Dreams

Teenager Faces Obstacles in Competing With Men

Anywhere you go these days, it seems someone in the wide world of professional golf has an opinion about Michelle Wie, the 16-year-old Hawaiian with the sublime swing and a seemingly fabulous future.

The latest to weigh in was defending U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, who was asked last week about Wie being given a sponsor's exemption to play in a European Tour event against the men in September.

"I can go two different ways with this question," Campbell said. "I can be politically correct and say it's wonderful to see Michelle Wie at a European Tour event and promote it. Or I could say she's got to prove herself that she can win on the women's tour before she can have a chance to play on the men's tour.

"Look at Annika Sorenstam, one of the best golfers ever. She deserved to play on the men's tour in the U.S. Unfortunately she didn't make the cut. Michelle Wie is obviously a wonderful talent, but she needs to prove herself."

Campbell, more than most, should know better. He is a Maori by birth, one of the indigenous people of New Zealand and one of the few men of color playing professional golf anywhere on the planet. What if someone had told him as a much younger man not to dream about playing golf because no Maori had ever done that? What if they'd said stick to rugby mate, that's what you're best at, and forget about this golfing pipe dream of yours?

Maybe someone did. But Campbell followed his dream and became a major champion, a guy who got a ticker tape parade when he went back to New Zealand after his triumph last June at Pinehurst No. 2 and is now a national hero.

And now Michelle Wie also is following her dream, and who is anyone to keep her from trying to fulfill it?

I must admit, dear reader, that I've come full circle on this issue. When Wie first starting taking sponsor's exemptions to play in men's events on the PGA Tour when she was only 14, I also questioned the wisdom of heading in that direction. I opined out loud and in print that I didn't believe she was doing the right thing. I thought she'd be far better off trying to win an LPGA event before she started teeing it up against the opposite sex.

But the more I've seen her play on television and more than a dozen times up close and personal from inside the ropes, the more I'm starting to be convinced that the Wie way may be the right way, at least for her.

I know, I know, she still hasn't made a cut in seven attempts on the PGA Tour, though she did accomplish the feat in a Korean men's tournament two weeks ago. I also know that she still hasn't won on the LPGA Tour, though she has come close, finishing a shot out of a playoff as recently as last month in the Kraft Nabisco, the first major of the season.

If I were a betting man, I'd wager she's going to break through and win this year, with a great chance to do just that at the McDonalds LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock next month in Havre de Grace. She finished second in the same event last year the first time she'd ever seen the golf course, shooting 69 on Sunday and finishing three shots behind Annika Sorenstam.

Sometimes we tend to forget that we're still talking about a 16-year-old kid, a soon-to-be junior in high school who doesn't even play a full-time schedule until she starts her summer vacation. We're also talking about a poised, delightful teenager who sparkles in her pre- and post-match press conferences, even if there is still lots of, "like, you know" teen-speak in her often refreshing responses.

Wie has never been shy about expressing her goalsplaying on the PGA Tour, becoming the first woman to qualify for The Masters, maybe even beating all the boys in a tournament every once in a while. She did that just last week, winning her local qualifying event for the U.S. Open in a field of 40 men back home in Hawaii.

Granted, it was not exactly a quality lineup of seasoned PGA Tour professionals, but Miss Wie was the medalist. Now she'll play a 36-hole sectional qualifier in New Jersey the Monday of Bulle Rock week, and while she'll face long odds of advancing to Winged Foot next month, good for her for trying, and grand for her if she can accomplish what would be a historic feat.

One final memo for Michelle Wie from a former skeptic who now believes she really should be chasing whatever she dares to dream: You go girl, and pay no attention to anyone who tells you otherwise.

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Badgerlen@hotmail.com.