Is it just me or does anyone else wonder what Michelle Wie's life would have been like if she had played on her high school golf team instead of trying to play with adults?

Wie, who turned 18 yesterday, is an exceptional talent, to be sure, and may, at some point become to the women's golf tour what Tiger Woods has become for men's golf.

But it's also increasingly obvious that she has been rushed onto the world stage well before both her game and her ability to process the highs and lows from the game are ready. Wie's parents, the LPGA and officials at certain men's tour events who have granted her exemptions when she clearly wasn't ready for them, are all complicit in what may become another example of a talented young athlete getting too much too soon.

As quaint as it may sound, there really is a benefit for kids to play games with kids their age, even if their abilities are at an adult level. Besides honing their crafts, athletes who are good in a high school setting learn socialization and how to balance wins and losses. Sure, there are injuries that could cost them college scholarships and professional opportunities, but even those provide opportunities for growth and maturity.

Though she's two years younger than Michelle Wie, Centennial golfer Audra McShane might be able to teach her a few things about grace and maturity.