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Subscribe Today!Michelle Wie has heard the criticism of her decision to play in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open this week instead of attempting to qualify for the Women’s British Open.

Reno sports books have made Wie a 500-1 long shot in the second-tier tournament, which opens Thursday. Sorenstam, who failed to make the cut in her only PGA appearance, said at the Women’s British Open earlier this week that if Wie can’t qualify for a women’s major, she has no business playing with the men.

David Leadbetter, who has worked with Wie for years, blamed her family for making bad choices and said she has more to lose than gain by playing at Reno this week.

David Duval, who has shown signs of regaining some of the form that won him the 2001 British Open, said Wie’s playing on the PGA Tour “has never bothered me in the least.”

“I don’t know if the PGA Tour is exactly the place to gain confidence. “All I’m thinking about is trying to play some good golf. How can I limit the number of bogeys I make? Good rounds and low scores can solve everything.”

Tournament director Michael Stearns said Wie and her family turned down several invitations to play the tournament before finally accepting late last month.

Ben Crane, the highest ranked player in the Reno field at 87th, thinks the Montreux Golf & Country Club’s 7,472-yard course through towering pines and mountain streams fits Wie’s game.

Wie admitted to reporters that she still gets butterflies before PGA events, but is excited about the opportunity.

“It’s almost like right before you go on a roller coaster — like kind of half scared, half really excited, knowing everything is going to be all right,” Wie said in a Golf Channel Interview.