Wachovia Championship preview: Wie's not playing, but again she's the big story

Never mind the Wachovia. Hold the front page, the back page, hold all the pages in between, especially sports. Heck throw in the personal finance and the lifestyle pages. Gardening? Yup, those too.

Michelle Wie has seen the light. Or perhaps more important, her parents have seen the light. We are assured by her coach David Leadbetter that she has given up her manic quest to bash herself against brick walls in men’s events. “Temporarily,” of course. You have to include words like that in the not quite real world this family appears to inhabit. Suffice to say “she hasn’t got any PGA Tour events planned at the moment". Hallelujah.

Reading Leadbetter’s comments suggests he had a heck of a time persuading her parents that learning her craft on the LPGA circuit was the best course. But he clearly imparted some solid home truths about the folly of continuing to enter the wrong competitions. “Playing the 84 Lumber was just crazy,” he says. Instead she is going to play as many LPGA events as she can this year - provided that terribly injured wrist doesn’t get in the way of course - and become a full member next year.

Sense has at long last (too long) prevailed. Weren’t we trying to impart this advice several months ago, to the derision of a certain vociferous lobby? Leadbetter’s comments are a stinging rebuke of those fools (and that’s being very, very kind) who would have had Wie smash her game to pieces to prove some kind of idiotic feminist agenda. Hey, bring it on in a season or two when she has the eight or nine wins a season Leadbetter predicts she can achieve on the LPGA. I look forward to that day. It will certainly be a lot more enjoyable than watching a 17 year-old beat herself up over the manifestly impossible. As Leadbetter says: “Horses for courses.”

Talking of Tiger Woods, is the Wachovia really the course for him? Not at a price of less than 3-1 it isn’t in my book. I think you’ve got to be a bit loopy-loo to back him at those kind of odds when he’s coming off a longish layoff, to a course he has yet to conquer (his poor accuracy off the tee is a distinct negative) and with greater rewards in his sights.

Unfortunately its position straight in front of the Players championship and on the direct flight path to the US Open has turned this into something of a practise pen. So whichever of the top players you fancy, don’t expect them necessarily to be going all out for a win here.

Phil Mickelson: tells us he’s still on a slow burn to renewed greatness. I’m not the only one getting a bit tired of Lefty’s resurrections. Is this the third coming, fourth, fifth … ? His third place last week has got everyone excited, although a fascinating debate on one forum ended divided on whether his swing was half better or half worse as a result of Butch Harmon’s intervention. It is even more clear after his comments this week that his one goal now is erasing the memory of last year’s US Open horror and anything in between is rather incidental. While we’re on incidental, how come no hacks gave him a grilling about last week’s pro-am controversy? Cat got your tongues or PGA got your purse-strings? Call this a democracy?
Ernie Els: is putting his putter to rights. Forget his second place in his last US outing. He’s since flown half way round the world and back to achieve not very much.
Jim Furyk: the defending champion is working on his irons and that, plus his recent wrist trouble and a lacklustre season, put me off him too.
Vijay Singh: if he’s working on anything particular he’s not saying. His game has gone astray of late yet he puts in top 20 finishes with the consistency of a metronome and he’s already got a first and second here. So maybe he is this week’s chosen one

If Luke Donald can slow down a bit he should be a threat too, coming off last week’s disappointing second place. Given the US Open conditions this is said to replicate - firm and fast - a back in form Retief Goosen has to be considered. And if Adam Scott can shake off a little rustiness he should be a factor - third last year.

Two I’m not keen on are Trevor Immelman, second here last year but having a poor season, and Zach Johnson - three missed cuts out of three suggests this is not his favourite course.

Some who stand out from my stats:
Vaughn Taylor: in good form, top ten here twice in the last two competitions and a set of stats well suited to this event.
Stephen Leaney: managed 11th here two years ago, is top ten for greens in regulation and putting and top 20 for accuracy.
Ken Duke: Has been knocking on the door for the last two weeks. Both his irons and putting stand out.
Anthony Kim: I know, look at last week, but if you managed to get out in time he would still have produced a profit on a price of 40. This week he’s 160.
Jerry Kelly: another good result last week so those mind games are clearly working.