A suitable successor to Annika Sorenstam who, as fate would have it, is due to hang up her clubs in the near future.

Sponsors were lining up to throw money at Wie and her path to greatness was carefully plotted out by those put in control of her affairs.

Fast forward a few years and the picture is somewhat different. Wie has plummeted to below 200 in the world rankings and isn't playing at the Women's British Open at Sunningdale this week.

Having failed to automatically qualify, Wie chose not to try to book her place through a qualifying competition in favour of playing, on a sponsor's invite, at a men's PGA Tour event in the USA.

Given that her game has reached a stage where she would do well to win a local club event, this is a baffling decision and shows that whatever advice she is getting, it isn't the best.

Wie has played in a number of PGA Tour events with the novelty value enough to carry her through.

That she has never really been a good enough player to compete has conveniently been drowned out by her publicity machine.

The trouble is that she is in danger of becoming nothing more than a freak show, someone whose hype has badly overstated her ability.

If you put a fish on land it slowly dies. Wie needs to get back to her natural habitat of the women's game and prove she is a worthy professional golfer. As things stand, she is a novelty and, over time, all novelties lose their appeal.