wie’s future is now

time was never an issue for michelle wie. not when she managed only one important victory as a teenage amateur, not when she flamed out in men’s tournaments, not when she came close without winning in women’s majors, not when she was hampered by injuries, not when she enrolled at stanford. but now at 22, three weeks after graduating with a degree in communications, there’s an increasing sense that the time for wie to prove herself as a player is drawing uncomfortably near. the presumption that “the big wiesy” truly has transcendent ability—which got her sponsor exemptions into men’s tournaments—is being fairly questioned. in 2012 her stroke average in five lpga events is 75.6. thirteen of her 14 rounds have been over par and she hasn’t broken 75 in 10 consecutive rounds. in her native hawaii last week at the lotte championship, she shot 78-76 to miss her third consecutive cut. her putting—long her achilles heel— has been poor, but she’s been just as bad tee to green. she ranks 115th in greens in regulation, 137th in driving accuracy, and most shockingly, 44th in driving distance with an average of 255 yards. although her defenders have maintained that graduation would lead to better play, wie also gave the strong impression that her days at stanford were happy precisely because of the break she got from the rigors and expectations of her heavily scrutinized career. as a full time player again, it would seem that more than ever, wie’s time is no longer later, but now.—Jaime Diaz (@JaimeDiaz24)