David Leadbetter Doesn't Really Think the Wie's Are Like the Titanic

Hey, finally, some good news for Michelle Wie. After being called out by Dottie Pepper (again), having her agent quit (the second one in as many years), and listening to everybody question Wie's parents' child-rearing skills, a lone voice comes to Michelle's defense. That's right, her swing coach, David Leadbetter, is staying with his client ... even though he described the situation surrounding the 18-year-old as "Titanic"-like:

Leadbetter in no way threw Wie under the bus, nor was he leaving Wie. His reference to the Titanic clearly indicated he was concerned about her. That's the mark of somebody who cares, not somebody who's jumping ship.

"I have every hope that Michelle will come back strong next year," Leadbetter said. "She's physically much stronger. She's not hurting. Now it's a matter of getting her belief system back to where it was, when she played very brave golf and had no fear of failure."

Whatever, I'm glad Leadbetter is staying put. Some people aren't crazy about his coaching style, but right now, a steadying influence in Wie's life is much more important than tightening up her backswing. Besides, have you seen her play recently? I don't think there's anything anybody -- short of Charles Barkley, maybe -- could do to make her more inconsistent.