Michelle Wie could use a compass and a map.

Just when it looked as though she was finally headed in the right direction after an 18-month slump, she's veering off course again.

Two days after the Honolulu teen was disqualified from last week's LPGA State Farm Classic for failing to sign her scorecard, she announced she's accepting a sponsor's exemption to resume her quest against the men. She's set to play in the PGA Tour's Legends Reno-Tahoe Open this week.

Wie must know how harshly the tide of public opinion has turned in what many of her fans once embraced as a noble quest against the men.

Wie, who struggled to break 80 on the LPGA Tour after injuring both wrists last year, is 0 for 7 trying to make a cut in PGA Tour events.

The Golf Channel reported that 82 percent of those who voted in its online poll were opposed to Wie playing against the men this week.

Wie faces considerable pressure to make the cut, or dazzle in some way, to prove herself worthy.

A poor performance is potentially another dispiriting setback just as her confidence seems to be growing again. Despite the DQ at the State Farm, Wie impressed with her play. She would have been second going into the final round.

Her decision to play the men again is befuddling because Wie can still be a force on the LPGA Tour. I didn't think it was such a bad deal that Wie's character was tested with so much failure the last season and a half. Things seemed to come too easily and too quickly to her. It caused resentment among LPGA Tour pros who didn't think she paid her dues. I thought her slump made her a more sympathetic figure, and when she did win an LPGA event, she would have proven something overcoming the adversity.

But then she goes and accepts another PGA Tour invite.

She looks suspiciously like an exploited commodity trying to deliver a return to all those companies who invested in her.

I'm not against Wie's quest against the men on principle, but how about making it on the LPGA Tour first? How about mastering the little steps it takes to be a champion instead of trying to skip them all in one arrogant leap?

Wie skipped so many steps on her too-fast climb to fame. She skipped beating her junior peers. She skipped compiling the proven record it usually takes to gain mega endorsement bucks and spots on magazine covers. She skipped all of that in a climb that appeared to be focused more intensely on marketing potential than competitive success.

What's relevant in all of this, though, is that Wie is one brilliant performance from re-igniting the hype. When she wins an LPGA Tour event, the adulation is all back in play. If playing this week's PGA Tour event moves her in that direction, then maybe she doesn't need a compass. If she struggles, well, she'll just look lost and exploited.

Ultimately, this all comes down to the scores Wie posts. Unless, of course, she doesn't sign the scorecard.