In my lifetime there has never been a more talented and promising female golfer than Michelle Wie. Some would argue that there may never have been a more talented 16 year-old golfer, regardless of gender. But it is hard to make that argument because Wie has chosen a path unlike any other teenage wunderkind in memory because she doesn't play against her peers, and her peers have never played against the professional competition anywhere near the extent that Wie does.

Based on her play against LPGA fields, it says here that her talent level is already amongst the top 10 women in the world. Making judgments on her play against men is a little more tricky. Never has a 16 year-old male had so many tries at making the cut in a professional event. That she has come close several times is remarkable. All this is very heady stuff indeed.

But in the past 5 months a disturbing trend has evolved. When the pressure has been greatest, Wie has been choking. In her last 2 attempts in a men's professional event, she has stumbled to the finish line at both the John Deere and last week in Japan to miss the cut by one. In Japan she even bogied a shortish par 5 18th hole. In the Womens US Open - the greatest prize in all of women's golf - Wie entered the final round tied for the lead and shot a horrendous 84.

For now, these collapses can be attributed to the immaturity of a teenager. This is why there were many who opined that she should be playing against her peers. Against fields of other amateurs the requirements to succeed would not be so high. An occasional mistake coming down the stretch might not have such severe consequences. And all the while she would be learning how to handle her emotions under stress.

It is great theater to watch this unfold but it is also a gamble by the Wie camp. Sometimes the mental scars of failure go so deep in the psyche they cannot be overcome.

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