Team Wie Blows Prime Opportunity

The LPGA Tour teed off its season on Friday with the SBS Open, a tournament in which Michelle Wie finished second last year. While the LPGA's other hot young stars - Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Ai Miyazato, Louise Stahle, et.al. - were there, homegrown Wie was missing.

Wie will be playing in the Fields Open next week, also in Hawaii, but passed on an exemption into the SBS. And that's a mistake.

What do members of Team Wie talk about after nearly every Wie appearance? Her father B.J. and instructor David Leadbetter (and sometimes Wie herself) talk about ... how difficult it is to find a rhythm playing a tournament here, a tournament there - to find the consistency and comfort zone Wie needs. There's certainly truth in that observation. But this week and next, Wie had the chance to find a rhythm by, for the first time, playing back-to-back LPGA tournaments.

Back-to-back tournaments near her hometown, on courses she's very familiar with, no less. And she passed up that opportunity.

The reasons? Two-fold: Team Wie pointed out that because the two Hawaii events are played Thursday-Saturday rather than the LPGA's usual Friday-Sunday, Wie would have to miss four days of school in two weeks. OK, we'll buy that concern (Michelle's dedication to and enjoyment of her school life seems very sincere and refreshing to see).

But the bigger reason given is this: Michelle has only six LPGA exemptions; if she used both in Hawaii in February, she'd be cutting into her summer schedule, when she is out of school and free to play a lot of events.

And that reason is utterly bogus. Here's why: With the exception of some of the more important tournaments on the PGA Tour, Michelle Wie can get into any tournament she wants. All she has to do is let tournament officials know she'll play if invited, and you can bet an invitation will be forthcoming.

Sure, this summer she would play in one fewer LPGA event than currently planned, had she played in two LPGA events this month. But so what? She could have filled that spot on her calendar with a Ladies European Tour or Japanese or Korean women's tour event; a men's event in Australia, on the Asian Tour, or on the Japanese or Korean tours; a Nationwide Tour or European Tour tournament.

For many reasons - support of golf in Hawaii, support of the LPGA Tour (which placed a second event in Hawaii largely because of Wie) - Michelle should have played both the Fields and SBS. But the biggest reason she should have done it is because playing back-to-back events is what she needs - as Team Wie members themselves frequently point out.

Team Wie, this decision is one you blew.