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Yet Butch Harmon, former coach to Tiger Woods and current mentor to Adam Scott, is prepared to say what a lot of people think. "The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous," he says. "Michelle has regressed. She is worse now at 17 than she was at 14. To continue telling us that she is getting better by playing with the men is an insult. She says it's a learning experience. What is she learning by finishing last? It's hurting her mentally.
"She should go play with the women and dominate that competition first. But the whole Michelle Wie camp is about money. The biggest difference between Earl [Woods, the father of Tiger] and BJ [Wie, Michelle's dad] is that Earl didn't worry about money. He knew it was more important for Tiger to learn to win and then the money would take care of itself. But Michelle Wie wins nothing.
"You should invite her to the next member-guest competition at your home club and she might actually win something because what's going on now is ridiculous. And it's not good for the game of golf."
OK, so maybe Harmon has a bit of a Wie in his bonnet, maybe he is something of a media showman, but you almost sense a pain behind his anger. Harmon has been through this with Tiger and there is most definitely a right way to do it. Nor is Harmon a petty man.
He may naturally prefer Tiger's old swing plane, but he is ready to acknowledge that Woods is now comfortable with his new swing. "The way he is playing the Grand Slam is definitely feasible this year. You need a bit of luck but the courses suit him."
Yet won't the birth of his first child in the summer be too big a distraction? "He'll be a great dad and it will give him another thing away from golf which is a positive. And he's still getting better, which is very scary for the rest."
We have certainly come a long way since last June. Back then, Phil Mickelson was on the verge of winning his third major champion-ship in a row – a feat that would have earned him the right to be considered the best golfer in the world. He then hit a drive, literally, into the rubbish on the final hole, took a double bogey and hasn't looked forward since.
Mickelson is making his first start of the season at this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, at Palm Springs, California, and everyone is inspecting him for signs of scar tissue.
Mickelson says that he has worked it all out. "That one shot is what really made me go back," he says. Mickelson has had more weight put into the heel of his driver and worked on his swing in the off season.
"She should go play with the women and dominate that competition first. But the whole Michelle Wie camp is about money. The biggest difference between Earl [Woods, the father of Tiger] and BJ [Wie, Michelle's dad] is that Earl didn't worry about money. He knew it was more important for Tiger to learn to win and then the money would take care of itself. But Michelle Wie wins nothing.
"You should invite her to the next member-guest competition at your home club and she might actually win something because what's going on now is ridiculous. And it's not good for the game of golf."
OK, so maybe Harmon has a bit of a Wie in his bonnet, maybe he is something of a media showman, but you almost sense a pain behind his anger. Harmon has been through this with Tiger and there is most definitely a right way to do it. Nor is Harmon a petty man.
He may naturally prefer Tiger's old swing plane, but he is ready to acknowledge that Woods is now comfortable with his new swing. "The way he is playing the Grand Slam is definitely feasible this year. You need a bit of luck but the courses suit him."
Yet won't the birth of his first child in the summer be too big a distraction? "He'll be a great dad and it will give him another thing away from golf which is a positive. And he's still getting better, which is very scary for the rest."
We have certainly come a long way since last June. Back then, Phil Mickelson was on the verge of winning his third major champion-ship in a row – a feat that would have earned him the right to be considered the best golfer in the world. He then hit a drive, literally, into the rubbish on the final hole, took a double bogey and hasn't looked forward since.
Mickelson is making his first start of the season at this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, at Palm Springs, California, and everyone is inspecting him for signs of scar tissue.
Mickelson says that he has worked it all out. "That one shot is what really made me go back," he says. Mickelson has had more weight put into the heel of his driver and worked on his swing in the off season.
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