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Appleby says Wie 'not ready' to play men

'I think she came five years too early to try to play the men's tour,' he says

Wie
Michelle Wie has missed the cut in 11 of 12 men's tournaments she has played in.
Matt Dunham / AP
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updated 4:48 p.m. ET Jan. 3, 2007

PGA Tour veteran Stuart Appleby said Michelle Wie tried to compete against men's players years too early and should get more seasoning before she continues, ESPN reported Wednesday.

"She should just let it go for now and come back when she has a more accomplished game," Appleby said Tuesday at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii. "She's just not ready for it. She's certainly not proving anything except that she can't play with the men at her level right now."

Wie has missed the cut in 11 of 12 men's tournaments she has played in.

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"There's no doubt she's going to improve dramatically as a player and mature as a person, but right now it's just the wrong time," Appleby said. "A couple times is nice. It's interesting. But now it's just getting to the stage where she'll get criticized too much.

"I think she came five years too early to try to play the men's tour."

Wie will be attending Stanford University as a freshman in the fall.

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