FanHouse DavidLeadbetter

Over the weekend, Shane Bacon was out at the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International caddying for one of the pros on the LPGA Tour, Erica Blasberg. He documents his journey with his Caddie Tales.

I stood, holding the bag, on the sixth hole Sunday. We had just reeled off two birdies and were staring deeply into a third one on the par-5. It was a short tee and it was inviting us to go for it. We decided on the smaller of the two hybrid clubs. The ball, as cruel as the little bastard can be at times, snuck up on the front of the green for only a second before pausing, only to trickle back in the bunker and lead to a disappointing par.

Michelle Wie is 19, a sophomore at Stanford and, for the first time in her golf career, a card-carrying member of the LPGA. She also seems more mature, which probably has something to do with the culmination of her experiences, perhaps none bigger than the decision to go through Q-School.

Wie is still searching for her first professional victory, but unlike previous years, she appears much more comfortable in her skin.

David Leadbetter has worked with plenty of very successful professional golfers -- Nick Faldo and Ernie Els immediately come to mind -- but he is also Michelle Wie's swing coach.

Wie is arguably just as famous as either Faldo or Els but she isn't even in the same conversation when it comes to acquiring hardware since, you know, she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour. Still, Leadbetter continues to ply his trade, hoping that Wie's on-course talents will eventually overcome the off-course silliness that pervades her life (hi, B.J. and Bo!).

A year ago, he described Wie's situation as "Titanic-like" (but in a good way), and recently, he had more thoughts on Wie's (family's) career strategy that has included playing PGA events with predictable results.

Leadbetter ... on Wie's playing strategy that has included playing PGA Tour events: "It's a shock to me and to her agents that this is happening. I don't think the family is making the right choice. There's definitely more to lose than to gain.

"I've put too much time and effort into Michelle to be able to sit by and watch this happening without saying something. If she doesn't stick to doing what's sensible, we could see one of the greatest potential talents the game has ever known going to waste."

Dottie Pepper agrees with this message. Too bad B.J. doesn't give a crap.

Earlier this week, Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer, two of the LPGA's best players, questioned Michelle Wie's decision to tee it up at the Reno-Tahoe Open, a PGA Tour event starting ... now. At this point, we've all heard the complaints: hey, how about winning on the women's tour first? Why is your dad ruining your life? How can you stand to take a spot in the field from someone truly deserving? So on and so forth.

Well, Wie can't answer all her critics -- she'd have to completely give up golf and drop out of school to do that -- but she did respond to the most recent round of disparagements.

"There are going to be criticisms entering this tournament, but at the same time I'm just doing what I feel like I want to do and it's going to be a lot of fun," Wie said.

Well, that does sound like something a teenager might say. Whatever, David Leadbetter, swing coach to the stars, is still concerned.

This is a pleasant surprise: after two rounds, Ernie Els is tied for ninth at the U.S. Open. If this was 2000-2004, it would hardly be news, but Els, the two-time U.S. Open champion, has recently fallen on hard times, even though he won at the Honda Classic earlier this year.

As I mentioned earlier this week, in the 16 rounds since Els won the Honda -- and prior to the Open -- he's fired one 71, three 72s, four 73s, five 74s, a 75, 76 and a 78.

And all Els does is go out and fire a 70-72 during the first two days at Torrey Pines. Maybe Butch Harmon, who recently replaced Els' longtime coach, David Leadbetter, had something to do with it, or perhaps it's because Els went back to above-the-neck coach and resident "wacko" (Tim Rosaforte's words, not mine) Jos Vanstiphout. Whatever, it's working:

"Mentally, I'm good. Mentally, I'm really up for it. I've got no problem getting myself motivated," said Els ...

How did it feel to be in the hunt at a major championship? First, a stare. Then, a terse, "It feels good," because the answer should have been obvious. Of course, he was happy, because since making his debut in the US Open 15 years ago and winning his first major the next summer, these are the tournaments for which he plays.

Els has three major victories but like every other golfer older than Woods, he's been unable to consistently challenge the world's best player. And while he might not win this week, two solid rounds could go a long way in helping Ernie rediscover his game.

This is from last week, but is still newsworthy given the U.S. Open, the venue for two of Ernie Els' three major victories, starts Thursday. Els, who has struggled in recent years, parted ways with longtime instructor David Leadbetter earlier this spring and enlisted the help of swing coach to the stars, Butch Harmon.

The two have been working together for more than two months now, but Els' game is still floundering. From the May 28 edition of the Dallas Morning News:

Since dropping ... Leadbetter for ... Harmon ... Els hasn't broken 71. He has played six events since changing after winning the Honda Classic in early March. He has missed four cuts in his last six starts.

And since Els isn't playing this week, those numbers still hold. In the 16 rounds since Els won the Honda, he's fired one 71, three 72s, four 73s, five 74s, a 75, 76 and a 78.

Two things: first, Tony Romo can do that. Second, Els should consider himself fortunate Harmon didn't "John Daly" him since his implementing his new strategy of working only with frequent tournament winners.

I guess we'll see how serious Michelle Wie is about playing just the women's tour in 2008. For the first time since 2004, the 18-year-old wasn't offered an sponsor's exemption to the Sony Open, a PGA Tour event in Hawaii usually played in January.

It's more likely that Wie, currently a freshman at Stanford University, will ask for exemptions to one or both LPGA Tour events in Hawaii in February. Her swing coach, David Leadbetter, told the AP that Wie probably won't compete against men until her health and her game get back in shape.

"She's not ready to play in that yet," Leadbetter said of the Sony Open, where Wie first rose to fame by shooting 68 at age 14 and missing the cut by one shot. "Her health is getting better, her game is getting better, the confidence is growing. The plan hasn't been made totally for this year yet, but she's looking to play one or two Hawaiian events against the women. "The whole goal is to get back on track after the debacle last year."

Wie appears to suffer not so much from the constant media attention, but like other teenage phenoms labeled "prodigies", her game is seemingly more affected by her overbearing parents. Who knows if this is actually the case, but it sure looks that way.

Whatever, it sounds like somebody in the Wie camp finally understands that there is plenty of time to play against men. First up, getting healthy, finding her form, and trying to win an LPGA tournament or two. You know, because Wie's next professional victory will be her first.

Hey, finally, some good news for Michelle Wie. After being called out by Dottie Pepper (again), having her agent quit (the second one in as many years), and listening to everybody question Wie's parents' child-rearing skills, a lone voice comes to Michelle's defense. That's right, her swing coach, David Leadbetter, is staying with his client ... even though he described the situation surrounding the 18-year-old as "Titanic"-like:

Leadbetter in no way threw Wie under the bus, nor was he leaving Wie. His reference to the Titanic clearly indicated he was concerned about her. That's the mark of somebody who cares, not somebody who's jumping ship.

"I have every hope that Michelle will come back strong next year," Leadbetter said. "She's physically much stronger. She's not hurting. Now it's a matter of getting her belief system back to where it was, when she played very brave golf and had no fear of failure."

Whatever, I'm glad Leadbetter is staying put. Some people aren't crazy about his coaching style, but right now, a steadying influence in Wie's life is much more important than tightening up her backswing. Besides, have you seen her play recently? I don't think there's anything anybody -- short of Charles Barkley, maybe -- could do to make her more inconsistent.