Wie Plays Against Advice of Brain Trust

Michelle Wie missed the cut at Reno with a two round total of +9. Whatever. What's more interesting is how the decision to play at Reno was considered a bad idea by almost every one of Wie's advisers, except her parents. Steve Elling blogs:

Not only did swing coach David Leadbetter advise against accepting the sponsor exemption, a source close to the Wie camp said her high-profile management group was steadfastly against the idea and made a last-ditch plea to talk her out of it.

A representative from the William Morris Agency personally spoke with the Wies in an attempt to get them to reconsider playing in the Reno event this week, but to no avail.

Leadbetter, who has endured a soap opera the past two seasons as the Wies have ignored his counsel about playing through injuries and other issues, pulled no punches earlier this week regarding her decision. He's nearly reached his limit, he told his staffers.

"There’s far too much negative energy surrounding Michelle right now," Leadbetter said. "She’s getting slated by everyone. She is going to be like a pariah if she is not careful. This is the wrong decision."

As ever, the Wie's are creating controversy wherever they tread. Annika Sorenstam criticized Wie for not attempting to qualify for this week's Women's British Open. Driven, a new book about junior players and golf by author Kevin Cook, offers some unflattering details about the Wie family and their occasionally ridiculous demands of tournament sponsors and others, including Donald Trump.

(Link added by me - the book is a the study of a year at the David Leadbetter Academy.)