Sandwiched Between Woods and Wie

I've had an eye on the John Deere the past couple of days to see how Michelle Wie plays. Last year, she came close to making the cut. This year, it looks as though she'll miss the cut by a mile. Golf fans seem split about whether or not Wie deserves the sponsor exemptions for PGA events like the John Deere and the Sony. After this week's performance, I've concluded that she needs to take a breather from playing with the men. She's definitely not ready, and the more often she tries and fails, the less historical it will be if and when she ever makes the cut in a PGA tournament.

Wie needs to play and win against women. She's obviously still very young and has loads of talent, but it's getting a bit old to see her swing and miss on Tour.

Tiger Woods is still the most hunted game for regular Tour pros. Like Wie, he's a bit of a sideshow in every event he enters. Therefore, the media clings to every move he makes, just like they have done with Wie. All of the other players are sandwiched between them, searching for their place in golf. Is this right? Is it fair?

These two golfers are thought of as "the future of golf". I disagree. Tiger has a big future on Tour, but he is hearing the footsteps of players who have stepped up their games while pursuing him. By the same token, the regular guys also hear Wie's footsteps -- not that they feel threatened by her from a performance standpoint, but they must be constantly thinking where they are on the leaderboard in relation to her. No one wants to lose to her, and they all want to beat Tiger. Still, I maintain my position that her future in golf is with the women, not with the men.

Who will earn their place closer to Tiger or even above him? Mickelson seems logical, but he has his issues. Others have made some noise, but it's not being heard over the din created by Wie and Woods. Developing...