Charles Howell III saw Wie frequently during her two weeks in Orlando, Fla., over the Christmas break when she worked with David Leadbetter. He saw an extraordinary amount of talent, a swing that doesn’t look out of place on the PGA Tour, but also a senior in high school being stretched too thin.

“I would tell her to ask herself, ’What do you want to do?’ Then choose that and go with it,” he said.

It was no small coincidence that Tadd Fujikawa — a year younger and a foot shorter — became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA Tour, especially with all the attention on Wie the last four years.

She was all but forgotten when Fujikawa went birdie-par-eagle to shoot 66.

That isn’t an embarrassment as much as an illustration. Fujikawa was playing in the Sony Open for the first time, with no expectations. He was having fun, trying his hardest on every shot, feeling no nerves until cheers on the 18th made it hard for him to breathe.

Wie was like that four years ago — nothing to lose, everything to gain, a constant smile.

Now she has something to lose — her image, mainly — and not as much to gain. Given the talent and the number of times she has played against men, not as many people would be as surprised to see her make it to the weekend.

Where does she go from here?

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The plan is to enroll in Stanford this fall, although one has to question how much she will develop if her parents go with her. Having freedom is part of growing up.

As far as golf, the priority is getting healthy and finding a caddie. It hasn’t been easy to find a capable looper to work a limited schedule, meaning her father was carrying the bag at Waialae.

Her 2007 schedule is not set, but there’s a good chance Wie won’t tee it up again until the Kraft Nabisco. The John Deere Classic has an open invitation to Wie, but don’t be surprised if she doesn’t show up this year.

Don’t give up on her because she played poorly on the PGA Tour. The question now is whether she can still contend against the women.