Sure Michelle Wie will have to wait much longer than even Natalie Gulbis did (in terms of tournaments played) to ever even dream of a win. Sure Wie only broke par in one of the four rounds at the Evian Masters. Sure Wie has dropped so far in terms of relevance that the French press didn’t even bother to ask her any fashion questions.

Still Wie made an important step in Evian-Les-Bains.

The often petulant overhyped teen showed traces of humility. Maybe it’s the French translation, but Wie seemed downright humble at times.

She called her second round 71 - her first round under par in a year - “a bit of a breakthrough.” What kind of a pro admits to a one-under being a milestone? Glory-days-remembering good rec golfers like WorldGolf.com’s (near state champion) Brandon Tucker are supposed to celebrate 71s. Not pros with visions of world domination.

It takes some humility to acknowledge that a 71 qualifies as great progress for Wie.

More and more, Wie seems to be coming to grips with the fact that she is nothing more than a struggling fringe player. That her game is in more disrepair than Lindsay Lohan’s rehab schedule. She cannot come right out and say it. Not with Team Wie trying to keep traces of the great myth making alive. But spend any time covering Wie and you’ll come to the conclusion, she knows it.

Oh Wie will still throw in a few lines about there being “a thin line” or a “fine line” between an 84 and a 71, but they often seem to come out by rote. You can bet she doesn’t believe that garbage either.

Wie is acting more and more humble. She seems to know the state of her game makes her a borderline player who just needs to toil in the shadows and try and find herself, even if the super hype will never let that happen.

Michelle Wie’s golf game didn’t improve at all in France. But she may have taken another step in being an easier person to root for.

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