Michelle Wie hovers over projected cut line after blowing 18th hole at LPGA Championship

HAVRE DE GRACE (June 8, 2007) - Michelle Wie is going to have one of those afternoons and early evenings, Team Wie no doubt assumed she’d never have at a major championship (especially a women’s major championship). The LPGA is just something Wie does in her spare time after all, between challenging the men and changing the world.

But now Wie and her entourage wait and hope for the Bulle Rock course to toughen up and move the cut line down at least one from 2 over to 3 over where she sits. Wie had it all in her grasp and then she unleashed one of those wide right Wie drives on 18, scrambled to even make bogey when par probably would have kept her playing on the weekend.

This round wasn’t as gutsy as Wie’s first round 73 when the entire golf press corps in the free world seemed to be following her every wrist massage and many of her peers silently wished for another train wreck. The pressure was racketed down and Wie shot a shot worse while still not taking driver out of her bag once in this LPGA Championship.

Let’s get the wrist drama out of the way. Yes, it’s clear Wie is not 100 percent. Just as it’s clear she could have finished those two holes last week instead of quitting with her William Morris manager Greg Norris talking 88 rule (even Carolyn Bivens has now said that Nared asked about the 88 rule during that Ginn round, though Bivens insists Nared brought it up, not the LPGA). Just as it’s also clear Wie’s fear of her driver isn’t close to all about the wrist.

When asked directly if it was the wrist or a lack of confidence in the club, Wie didn’t even try to deny her driver problems.

“I think it’s both,” she said a short while ago outside the scorer’s tent. “I think I have to work up to (the driver). Right now, I feel very comfortable with my 2-iron. I feel very comfortable with my 3-wood and I feel very comfortable with my irons and putter.”

Wie went as far as saying she was going to do “some club testing” on the driver when she gets back to Florida (which could be as early as tonight if this cut line holds). It wouldn’t be all that shocking if we see Wie with a completely new driver the next time she tees off in another event. Though Team Wie might want to ask David Leadbetter some questions too, considering her swing only seems to be getting more shaky with the big club.

Wie clearly cannot challenge at this level - a level she’s often seemed to discount - if she is unable to hit anything bigger than a 3-wood (and that not that often) off the tee.

She showed some more guts on her back nine today, battling back from 4 over for the second time this tournament. You have to give her credit for fighting, for not giving up.

Wie seems genuinely more happy. She smiled and talked about these two days being “5,000 times better” than last week. The smile is nice to see.

But when was Michelle Wie only supposed to be about battling?

No one of sane mind thought she could challenge for this major. But she should have expected to not be sweating out the cut on the wrong side of the line.