The Big Wiesy

Hawaii local Michelle Wie was 4-under with four holes to go in the second round of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, and the cut line was set at 3-under, which put her on target to be the first female to make the cut at a men's event in over 60 years. And she's only 15!

But Wie went 3-over on the last four holes, dropping her to 1-under for the tournament and outside the cut. Still a very impressive showing under the circumstances, and she's proving that as she matures and focuses more time to golf, she'll eventually be able to hang with the men, not to mention dominate the women. She's already finished second in a women's major championship (behind the peerless Anika Sorenstam), and taken the lead into the final round of another. And she's only 15!

But as great as her success has been to follow, I worry about her burning out prematurely. Hopefully she really enjoys the touring and isn't being forced into anything by her parents or handlers. We've seen too many prodigal teenage tennis players flame out early in their careers because of domineering parents or an inability to adjust to the lifestyle or pressure. Too much, too fast. She should get a chance to be a girl and enjoy high school. And though I am admittedly biased, I'd also love to see Wie teeing it up in college for her dream school (and my personal favorite), as she says she will. But as her success builds, it's going to be harder and harder to stay amateur. The amount of prize money she's already lost because of her status is substantial, and when you consider the endorsement opportunities...it's safe to predict that she would immediately become one of the top five richest athletes in all of sports, maybe number two behind only Tiger. But that is all waiting for her after college, as it was for Tiger, so hopefully she follows his path and suits up for the Cardinal, but more importantly gets a chance to grow up normally and enjoy being a girl. Did I mention she's only 15?