Wie Wise to Enjoy What She's Got

Michelle Wie claimed her first LPGA tournament title Sunday, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. To celebrate she did not mention a desire to be the first woman to play the Masters at Augusta National, did not unveil a plan to join the PGA Tour and did not ask for an exemption to the U.S. Open.

It's a start.

After a final-round 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Paula Creamer in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wie, 20, received a beer shower on the 18th green -- hey, just another college kid in Mexico. She then talked about the relief that came with the victory.

"For sure, it's definitely off my back," she said. "I think that hopefully life will be a lot better."

By all considerations, that will be entirely up to Wie.

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It was never if Wie would win on the LPGA, only a matter of when. That's why when she turned pro at 16 while still in high school, endorsement offers from the likes of Nike and Omega helped turn her into a household name that went beyond golf.

And then she almost ruined it.

Whatever -- parents, maybe? -- fueled the motivation, Wie's insistence on playing against male pros turned her into a novelty act. A few brief performances were just good enough to generate a great groundswell of "wouldn't it be great for a woman to compete against the men,'' but for the most part the attraction was like watching a train wreck. The more she played, the worse she fared.

Some wondered if, in an attempt to hit the ball further on longer men's tour courses, Wie didn't damage what had been a pure and natural swing.

This year, however, suggests it's not too late.

She produced a breakout performance in the United States' Solheim Cup victory, and Sunday's win is something huge on which to build.

"The tour needs somebody like Michelle," former LPGA player Dawn Coe-Jones said after watching Wie's victory on television. "We need someone to take the tour on their back, basically. Maybe now that she has opened the door, this might be the first of many, many.

"I'm happy for her and I'm happy for the tour, because as we know the tour is in need of something exciting. I think this can only help."

Only if Wie commits to the LPGA.

The victory came in her 65th appearance on the LPGA, suggesting that she wasn't exactly ready to dominate the women's tour before taking on the men. Actually, Wie's only significant victory before Sunday was the 2003 USGA Women's Amateur Public Links.

Still, as recently as early this year Wie was quoted saying she still wants to play on the PGA Tour, telling the Korea Times, "I look forward to playing on the LPGA, but if given another chance to play on the PGA I will consider it."

One word: Don't.

"I went through some up-and-downs," Wie said Sunday, looking back on her rookie season played while still attending Stanford. "It was a great learning experience for me this year."

Could the lesson be any more clear?

Creamer, who finished runner-up and Morgan Pressel, both American teammates during the Solheim Cup, rushed the green to suds down Wie after the winning putt. Nothing in sports feels like winning.

"It was just great seeing them come out and pour beer all over me," Wie said. "I've always seen it on TV and I've always wanted people to pour beer on me. It was as great as I thought it was."

Wie can, and should, make it all happen again. Often.

All she's got to do it play. On the LPGA.

"I think maybe she found it hard to fit in," Coe-Jones said. "She'd come and play six times a year, get all this attention, and she had not proven herself to her peers. I think one she proved to her peers on the Solheim team, she has been accepted. And took a lot of pressure off her."

Don't mess it up.