What Michelle should do next

Ladies' European Tour star Becky Brewerton offers her advice to schoolgirl sensation Michelle Wie IT'S tough at the top you know.

I faced an agonising decision to give LPGA Qualifying School a miss this year, despite thinking for much of 2006 that it was my No. 1 target.

But things change and, as I've explained in the past few weeks, it was not going to be the best thing for my career.

It's been a difficult time for me in that respect with all kinds of thoughts going through my head. So I can empathise very much with what Michelle Wie is going through right now.

Before I go any further, let me say that I believe Michelle has the ability to be the greatest player the ladies' game has ever seen.

Her talent is not in question and her swing, certainly as it was at the start of the year, is one anyone on the tour men or women would like to be the owner of.

She is as talented a player as I have seen in the flesh, and I've seen some pretty impressive ones in my career to date.

But, and I think you could tell there was a 'but' coming, I believe she needs to reassess her priorities for the sake of her short-term career. And, maybe, her long-term career too.

I get the impression she kind of feels the same way, judging by one or two of the things she's said after her last two tournaments.

Things seem to have got a bit on top of her and there is no shame in that.

She's a schoolgirl trying to do well in her lessons and at the same time try to compete alongside the best male players in the world.

Both aspects are pretty scary to me! Try doing them together and you've got a task which is pretty much Mission: Impossible.

We can all remember how difficult it was getting good grades and not allowing yourself to be sidelined by non-golfing distractions. Imagine if those distractions were flying to Switzerland to play in a tour event? And that's before you get to consider the distraction of playing a practice round with Sergio Garcia and then the first two rounds proper with Nick Dougherty!

Somehow, algebra or the poetry of Keats wouldn't be all that appetising after those four hours or so...

So, it is a tough assignment in anybody's book. Given we are talking about a teenager yet to reach 18 and I just think it's asking too much.

It's worth making the point about her age. Think what you were doing aged 17 and then imagine facing the world's press and cameras, playing against Sergio and Paul Casey and having everything you say and do analysed to death.

As I said, it's scary. I can't imagine how I'd have coped. And there was me worrying endlessly about how to get into the Wales side at the same age...

But do you know what will be making everything ten times harder to cope with right now? Not the maths or the photos or the press conferences. Her ball-striking. It's the be all and end all for golfers. If you're playing well, you're happy. You can cope with most things. Probably anything in fact.

If you're not swinging it as you want to, suddenly every little other thing that's not right becomes a huge issue.

And most people agree that Michelle is not swinging it like she can at the moment. She spent loads of time with David Leadbetter at the Women's British Open this summer working assiduously on the range.

From what I hear, she couldn't quite manage to make that work count on the course. She got it round, and all credit to her, but she was almost a mere mortal. Not someone with the world at her feet.

Try taking that kind of form into tournaments on the European and US men's tours and you've got no chance. It's actually cruel because you know from the outset that you're going to play poorly and end up last. Horrible.

The solution? Hard with work with 'Lead' on the range and get your swing and ball-striking back to where it was when you finished in the top three of nearly every Major in which you played.

Then, a reassessment of your schedule. Let the boys play among themselves for a while as you get your confidence back. Maybe make a promise to steer clear of them until you've won a ladies' tour event.

And concentrate on doing just that. Because doing that is not easy. The competition is fierce, and it's getting better by the year.

The good news? At you're best, you're probably the best lady golfer in the world. Go and enjoy proving that that is the case.