FARMINGTON, Pa. — She was playing in the 84 Lumber Classic and, for a while yesterday, it appeared Michelle Wie might shoot an 84.

Wie's drives constantly landed short of the big-hitting pros, forcing her to use long irons on her second shots when the men were pulling out 7-irons. Her putts wouldn't drop, either, during a second-round 81 — even those routine 4- to 6-footers most on tour can sink by the dozens.

The Hawai'i teenager keeps talking a good game when opposing the guys, but keeps playing a mediocre one. No wonder some of the PGA Tour players, polite and patient with her until now, are questioning what she's doing playing against men when she doesn't have the game for it. At least not yet.

"She's certainly not scaring anybody around here," said Ryder Cup team member Scott Verplank, who also missed the cut. "To be honest, I didn't even know she was here."

Wie, 16, failed for a sixth time in her short career to make the cut in a PGA Tour event, something no woman has done since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945. But while Wie came close a couple of times, she looked badly out of place yesterday during her second last-place finish in as many weeks against men.

Her rounds of 77 and 81 left her 13 shots away from making the cut and 23 shots behind co-leaders Ryan Moore and Ben Curtis, who were at 9-under 135.

"I'm not going to give up," Wie said. "I feel like I'm progressing, I'm getting better, even though my score didn't show it."

She also finished last a week ago in the European Masters, with scores of 77 and 78.

"I just had a bad two weeks, that's it. No more, no less," Wie said. "My game is progressing ... my shots are feeling solid."

However, it appears she is judging her game against only her performances, not those of the men she aspires to emulate.

"Obviously, she's some sort of phenom being a 16-year-old girl who can play like she can, but honestly there's not a male or female in the world who can compete out here at that age," Verplank said.

"If I was her adviser, I would tell her to go kick all the ladies' tails around for about four years and if she wants to try again when she's 20, 21 and grown up more, and maybe a better player, come on back."

WORLD MATCH PLAY

MICHEEL STAYS ON ROLL

One day after ending Tiger Woods' five-tournament win streak by knocking him out of the World Match Play Championship, Shaun Micheel buried Luke Donald with a barrage of birdies to build a 7-up lead before holding on for a 4-and-2 victory yesterday in Virginia Water, England.

Joining Micheel in the semifinals are Colin Montgomerie, Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson. Micheel will play Karlsson, and Montgomerie will face Casey.

Montgomerie had to go all 36 holes for a 1-up victory over defending champion Michael Campbell, Casey knocked off former Masters champion Mike Weir, 5 and 3, and Karlsson played even par over 33 holes but still had no trouble with Angel Cabrera, winning 4 and 3.