You know, I get where Michelle Wie is coming from. If I were to live and die as to how I was hitting the ball on a daily basis, I’d be a freakin’ basket case. Of course, I’m not a pro and therefore don’t have to worry about how many birdies and pars I make so I can put steaks on the patio grill – if that were the case I would have given the game up a long time ago for the relative peace and quiet of being a “asset protection” greeter at Walmart.

Still, as hard as I’ve been on Michelle Wie in the past, I really understand where she’s coming from:

“I might not be playing. I might be burned out. I’m not a person who 24 hours a day can only think, live, eat and breathe golf. I’m not that kind of a person. If I did that, I might be fed up with it.”

Unfortunately, the nature of the competition out on the pro tours is that you really do have to think, live, eat, and breathe golf. That’s just the life if you choose to pursue it. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just the way it is. Still, when you’ve completely overhauled your short game as I have, to the point where your holeing 2-4 chips every time you go out to the range, maybe I’d be a little more enthusiastic about playing – after all, 76 putts over two rounds is not going to cut it on any tour – LPGA or otherwise.

It seems Michelle Wie feels she’s lost more than a little of her childhood and growing up being pressured to play golf when all her friends are living the American experience, and it might be good for her to take a year or two off to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Then, if it were to be golf, she can come back screaming with all the innate talent she has. If she doesn’t, that’s OK, the world will still keep spinning. Hopefully, whatever she chooses, she’ll be happy. That’s my hope for her. The way I look at it, life is too damned short to focus all your attention around hitting a little white ball close to the hole unless you’re ready to commit to it 100%.