Is this a publicity opportunity or is the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open a tune up for the CN Canadian Women’s Open?

Needing $80,000 to earn exempt status on the LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie will tee up on the PGA Tour’s Legends Reno-Tahoe Open.  Wie has one exemption left on the LPGA season and needs to finish at, or very near, the top of the leaderboard to finish in the top 80 on the LPGA money list to earn exempt status for the 2009 season. 

Wie is coming off her best tournament of the season at the State Farm Classic.  Her chances of earning exempt status on the LPGA next season was hurt by the disqualification from not signing her scorecard after the second round.  Wie was told after completing the third round where she was one-shot back of the leaders. 

For the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, it is a great marketing play and has stolen a lot of attention from the primary tournament on the PGA schedule - the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, the last WGC event of the season. 

Opinions are held but the only way to see if this is good or bad, for either Wie or the tournament, is to see where she ends up on the leaderboard.  And, subsequently, the Canadian Women’s Open leaderboard.