Pretending Not to Notice Ms. Wie

That seems to be the proper protocol at the Sony Open this year.
Reports out of Oahu have made it sound like the slightly tarnished, teen sensation has been blending in with the guys with almost no fanfare. Going unnoticed. Almost.

Despite a killer sense of style that generated some buzz during practice rounds, Michelle's Nike newsboy cap, dangle earrings and black satin nail polish have failed to leave a much of an impression now that the first round is well underway, and her game, just not happening. Not happening at all, in fact, There are already those who are speculating she'll withdraw.

A Wie withdrawal would undoubtedly be a source of satisfaction to some; the ones who've been insisting that she shouldn't be playing with the men... the ones who see her PGA quest as a marketing scheme that's being imposed on her by others.

She attempted to answer those charges in an interview earlier this week when she responded, "I guess being the only girl on the baseball team when I was 4 years old was also a marketing plan -- NOT! I enjoy it. It's what I want to do".

And I totally believe that. However Luke Donald doesn't. He happens to be atop the Sony leaderboard right now, and he believes Michelle would be better served playing against LPGA players, rather than finishing close to the bottom in men's tournaments. "I don't think you should just strive to make a cut". he said, "If you enter an event, you should be striving to win it."

Yes, some guys people feel that Michelle will be irreparably damaged by these early defeats, whereas I think she'll be just fine, and that's where I believe Mars/Venus comes in: Most of us acknowledge that women are wired differently from men, and/or that we have very different values culturally imposed upon us. I believe that's what allows Michelle to persevere slowly, patiently - despite defeats and criticism - towards her very long term goal, ego intact...where Luke and most other male players, would be destroyed by repeated, severe losses.

After all, it's got to be hard for a guy like Luke Donald, who's options, I'm guessing, would be quite limited outside of golf, to imagine the myriad prospects available to the fetching 17-year-old Ms. Wie; acceptance to Stanford, uber endorsement deals, a huge international fan base and more than a passing interest from hollywood and the fashion world....yeah, you do the math. I'm just going to watch this recent Omega Video again. I'm pretty sure it'll make me forget all about Michelle's less than stellar round today.