ASSOCIATED PRESS Michelle Wie improved from a 75 to a 74 yesterday, but still missed the Sony Open cut by seven strokes.

Advice for Wie: Don’t
mess with a good thing

If Michelle Wie ever needs an advisor, Tom Lehman is her man.

Responsible for giving the 15-year-old her nickname, the Big Wiesy, Lehman keeps track of the child prodigy he first played golf with three years ago. He's a firm believer that Wie will be a phenomenal player if everyone just stays out of her way.

"My first impression of her was, let her alone and let her play golf," Lehman said. "Don't nobody get in her way because she doesn't need a whole lot of coaching."

Lehman recalled a story when the great Harvey Penick went to watch 18-year-old Hal Sutton at his father's request.

"He went out on the range and watches Hal hit 50 golf balls and didn't say a word," Lehman said. "He said, 'OK, that's enough. Let's go in.' And had not said another word. He found Hal's dad and Harvey Penick said, 'Mr. Sutton, your son is going to be a fine player. He's got all kind of talent. Don't get in his way.' That was the lesson."

Lehman had plenty of other Wie stories to tell during his session with the media.

"We were talking in our group, when I was 15 what would I have shot here," Lehman said. "And I can promise you that it would not have been 75. She was 12 (the first time he met her). The thing I remember most was we were playing that little pro junior thing, and we were partnered up and I walked over the fairway and I asked her, 'What's the lowest round you've ever shot?'

"And I was expecting, you know, like 69 or something like that. '64.' I went, '64? How old are you?' '12.' 'When did you shoot 64, yesterday? Day before?' 'No, I shot it when I was 11.' Shot 64 when she was 11. It's like, you've got to be kidding me. That's amazing. It's just, I think, a flawless golf swing."

But Lehman also sees some changes that may not be good.

"I think it's very easy to want to get to that next level and so you start making a few changes in order to get better and kind of get away from what made you really good," Lehman said. "She has a natural ability that you rarely ever see. So there's no need for her to make any changes at all, except in the matter of perfecting what she has.

"For example, I noticed her grip is stronger this year than it has been in the past and I don't know why that is and without saying it is good or bad, but it is different. I personally think it's probably not a good thing. She's like a thoroughbred, let her run."

Hawaii disconnections: Wie wasn't the only golfer with local ties to fail to make the cut. Hawaiian Open winner David Ishii missed the 2-over 142 barrier by three shots. He fired a 2-over 72 during yesterday's second round. Also gone are Kevin Carll (155), John Lynch (157) and Jonathan Mathias (150), who did have a 12-stroke improvement from an 81 during the first round to a 69 yesterday.

Two local boys did survive to play another day. Dean Wilson made the most of his last-minute entry with an even-par 70. His two-day total of 1-under 139 left him in a tie for 23rd. Japanese tour player Greg Meyer was two shots back at 141.

Tough cut: With the scoring average at 71.330 over 36 holes, the cut came in with 78 players at 142 or better. Last year, when Wie missed the cut by one shot, it was markedly lower at 1-under 139.

Several big-name players will be around for the weekend, including David Toms (139), Larry Mize (139), John Cook (140), Peter Jacobsen (140), British Open champion Todd Hamilton (140), Jim Furyk (140), Craig Stadler (140), Jesper Parnevik (141), U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (142) and Tom Kite (142).

World No. 1 Vijay Singh survived his 26th consecutive cut. He is second to Tiger Woods, who has survived 134 consecutive cuts. There were three bogey-free rounds --by Jeff Sluman, Paul Gow and Luke Donald.