One of the things that turning pro was supposed to do for Michelle Wie — in addition to setting up a sweet bank account — was array a solid supporting cast around her.

No more mom 'n' pop operation for the $10 million teen.

With Nike and Sony on board, she would have the best team money could buy from management, instruction and public relations to her caddie. Everything someone portending superstardom should have.

So, three rounds into her pro career, before the swoosh is dry on her logowear, she makes a mistake that eventually brings disqualification for a rules violation?

Turned in by a sportswriter, no less. A sportswriter who, we're told, used to be an occasional caddie.

Which makes you wonder about both the caddie and the Sports Illustrated writer and what they were thinking.

If LPGA rules officials were able to determine from a reenactment that Wie took an improper drop, how come her caddie, Greg Johnston, a veteran of 18 years, didn't grasp the problem while it was happening?

And why didn't the SI guy standing right there, who presumably knows a thing or two about deadlines, call the issue immediately to somebody's attention?

If what he saw was important enough for him to cross-examine Wie in the post-match press conference like Perry Mason, why did it take another 24 hours to finally speak up?

Make no mistake about it, though, the responsibility rests on Wie's shoulders, no matter what her age. And, to her credit, she accepted the decision with a grace and absence of finger pointing beyond her tender years.

But she would have been better served by a caddie who could have kept this from becoming an issue. It was one thing to get tripped up on etiquette when her father, BJ, was forced to learn on the job because the money was coming from family coffers.

It is quite another when, with endorsement checks, there is supposed to come a strong presence on the bag backed by a sharp familiarity with the rules of the game.

A parade of caddies — nine by one count — had accompanied Wie on her amateur rounds, included Mike "Fluff" Cowan and Fanny Sunesson, who worked the bags of Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo, respectively. After them, Johnston was supposed to supply a thoroughness and supporting presence you'd figure a 16-year-old might need as a backstop.

Good help shouldn't be that hard to find when you've got this kind of money to spend.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.