there is only one thing that can push wie over the top -- practice on the putting green.
i saw some highlights from yesterday's first round of the lumber 84 in chicago, where wie shot a 77 and is 13 shots back.
the girl can drive with the men. she also has great iron play. they literally showed four or five holes where she absolutely stuck her approach shot. then she missed putts. wie was the only person in the field yesterday who didn't make a birdie.
she has to play more consistently overall, but she must become a better putter if she is going to be successful. she has the skills to be a top-5 finisher on the lpga tour every week. once she learns how to read greens and improves as a putter, she will dominate the lpga and catapult herself into a position where she really can compete with the men. right now, she just can't do it because the putting is holding her back.
a lot of people like to compare her to tiger at this age. it's a natural comparison. but there are differences. tiger was not a pro at this age (he was still three years away), and he wasn't competing against pros every week like michelle is. that competition should help her (it's the same argument in the nba with kids leaving school early). we must remember that when tiger did play against the big boys at this age, he wasn't making cuts either. what separates the two is knowledge of the game and mental toughness. tiger was very bright and more mentally tough than anyone to ever play the game. michelle wie, right now, is more interested in having fun. she hasn't learned the nuances of the game, so people with less talent can still beat her.
i still believe she has a bright future. she's only 16 (maybe 17 now) and has a world of talent. she's not a head case either. her mental game just hasn't caught up with her enormous talent just yet. i don't think she's that far off (look at her finishes in the lpga majors). she's getting a lot of backlash from people because of her ambition. tiger's ambition was matched by his will to win. if wie can ever get to that point, she'll be unstoppable.