On the sun-baked 18th tee at the Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club, the Wies assume their positions.
The mother, Bo, stands outside the ropes and keeps a watchful eye on her daughter. The father, B.J., crouches behind the ball so he can scrutinize the swing all the way to its moment of impact. As for the star of the show, daughter Michelle, she calmly produces an uphill drive that flies as straight as an arrow shot from a bow.
"Wow," an admiring spectator says. "She plays a game I'm not familiar with."
Most people, even those who wouldn't know a 3-wood from a push broom, have heard of Michelle Wie, the onetime preteen prodigy who went on to play golf against professional men before she could drive a car. But the public's familiarity with Wie and her rise to celebrity also means we know a great deal about her parents. Too much, it seems.
Some nice things have been said and written about B.J. and Bo Wie, but not many. For the most part, the Wies have been portrayed as overbearing control mongers that have done as much harm to their daughter's career as good.
Former LPGA Tour star turned television commentator Dottie Pepper has been steady in her criticism of the Wies saying, "I think it's just sad a child is mismanaged." Others have agreed, insisting the Wies have published the book on "How Not to Raise the Next Tiger Woods."
Has that scared the Wies into hiding? Not at all. They are here at the 2009 CN Canadian Women's Open for as long as their daughter competes. Although B.J. no longer caddies for Michelle, he and his wife will take notes, chat with her new caddy and, most assuredly, make suggestions.
And yet there is a sense - perhaps more a wish - that Michelle Wie, the 19-year-old LPGA Tour rookie in search of her first win, is beginning to assert some independence and become her own golfer, her own person. There were signs of that at the Solheim Cup held last month.
The United States team asked her parents to stay clear. Wie bonded with her teammates, helped the U.S. win, and admitted she had a blast of a time. She followed that with a fourth-place finish at the Safeway Classic last Sunday before coming here, her family in tow, confidence brimming.
"I feel like I'm very close [to winning]" Wie said after yesterday's practice round. "But there's a huge difference between coming in second and coming in first. That leap is a huge leap. I'm working at it. I'm really trying to become a better player. But you know, I'm having fun trying to get there."
From afar, at least, it never seemed as if Wie had much fun playing a game she said she loved. She was always rushing to the next tournament, the next level.
When she was an amateur, she was playing against pros. When she should have been playing against women, she was matched against seasoned men. The results were spiced with some highs (accepting an exemption and playing well at the PGA's 2005 John Deere Classic) and a golf bag full of lows (missing cuts and withdrawing from a PGA Tour event because of dehydration).
In the past two years, Wie has enrolled at Stanford University, overcome a wrist injury, endured the first slump of her career and emerged with a semblance of personality. She can even laugh at her own expense now.
Asked how she liked the Priddis Greens layout, Wie replied: "It's absolutely beautiful. … It's a little tough to walk, I might add. Maybe I'm just lazy."
As for her parents, Wie acknowledged it hasn't been easy having her mom and dad vilified for the way they've influenced her decision-making.
"It's hard to hear stuff being said about your parents. It's so tough," Wie said. "I just don't like when people write stuff when they don't know what they're talking about. But you know, people write what they want to write. Everyone has their opinion and everyone's entitled to it. But I don't think that gives the right to bash anyone's parents."
Winning the Canadian Women's Open against a top-ranked field would curb a bit of the bashing and continue to point Wie in the right direction.
The Solheim Cup showed she can come through under pressure and enjoy the moment, too. Now, she has to carry that over as the master of her own actions. If she does that, she may soon assume the position she was groomed to achieve as the best player in women's golf.