It wasn't hard to imagine Michelle Wie at Stanford. It has been no stretch to envision her someday in graduate school.

A prestigious business school, perhaps, to better prepare Wie to manage her multi millions in endorsements.

But LPGA Tour qualifying school?

Until this year that seemed more unlikely than, well, her flailing away for a "goose" (quintuple-bogey) or getting bounced for failing to sign a scorecard.

But yesterday her father and strategist, BJ, said Michelle will, indeed, take a shot at Q-School next week.

Frankly, it is both welcome — and about time.

The make-or-break challenge, after so many years of free pass exemptions and cherry-picking tournaments, may be just what the soon-to-be 19-year-old needs to rekindle the competitive spark that has been lacking. The go-for-broke test will not only allow her to appreciate the edge the other 99 percent of players live on but, hopefully, summon forth the promise left unfulfilled these past two years.

If nothing else, it offers a lesson in humility.

Going on seven years ago when, as a Punahou School seventh-grader toting her school books with her, Wie began collecting sponsor's exemptions, a preferential path was opened for her to bypass the traditional Q-School route. Mindful of her rising star power, tournament directors tripped over themselves to offer exemptions.

The LPGA offered up a silver platter, too, expanding the amount of possible exemptions — the so-called "Wie rule" — to make its tour more attractive for Wie and easier for both of them to cash in. Golf, especially the women's version, became two-tiered: Wie and everyone else.

It allowed Wie to flit between playing men's tournaments and LPGA appearances, taking exemptions from both and direction from neither. And, in retrospect, while it helped her carve a marketing niche, it never really allowed Wie to find a competitive rhythm or sense of what she was supposed to be doing.

So much so, that even with the maximum six LPGA exemptions, her on-the-course struggles of recent years have left her unable to do either of the main criteria to earn a Tour card: Win a tournament or finish in the top 90 money winners.

This year, with a 12th-place showing her best finish, Wie has won $62,763 — probably about what she spends on earrings — and approximately $30,000 short of what she had needed to crack the top 90.

Of course, if she hadn't failed to properly sign the scorecard in the State Farm Classic or landed the "goose," she would have likely made it. Now, Q-School is her best option.

And the hope is that the path once avoided will instead be one of awakening for Wie.

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