Finally, A Smart Wie Decision

Ron Sirak reported yesterday that Michelle Wie has decided to opt out of her sponsor's exemption into the PGA Tour John Deere Classic in July. If you're a reader of my weekly column, you may remember me mentioning that I thought her acceptance of the sponsor's exemption should have been a foreshadowing of the ugliness that has recently ensued surrounding her, her parents, and her camp.

When David Leadbetter said publicly that he presumed Wie was dedicated more to the LPGA and women's events this year, it seemed like Michelle had decided to focus on learning how to win rather than gender-bending the PGA Tour. The acceptance of the exemption into the Deere really was not done out of respect for the relationship already born between the Wie family and the Deere. Rather, it was a signal that Wie was not fully committed to the LPGA Tour and learning how to win as a pro.

Then the whole thing with the Ginn event happened - rule 88, no apologies, not knowing which wrist was hurt, etc. She was slammed for the incident by players (Annika, the tournament host, was especially upset), the media, and even the officials from the LPGA demonstrated by how they more stringently applied rules to her at the LPGA Championship. The prevailing wind was for Wie to take a break, play only when she had to, get better in whatever way she needed, and for her parents to get out of the way.

This move addresses the first three parts of that plan of action. Now the Wies just have to fade away and let professional management get their daughter back on as best track as possible.