Michelle Wie reacts after hitting her tee shot off the green on the third hole at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington, Pa., during the second round of the 84 Lumber Classic Friday. Wie's two-day total of 158 put her 13 strokes from making the cut and in last place.

FARMINGTON, Pa. — Scott Verplank didn't mind talking about Michelle Wie's latest failed bid to prove she can compete against the men. First, though, he wanted to know one thing.

"Did I beat her?" he said.

No problem there. Everyone in the 84 Lumber Classic field that played two rounds beat Wie, the second week in a row that's happened for the 16-year-old against male competition. It's something that might not occur again in what promises to be a lengthy career, as long as she restricts herself to playing against women.

Except that's not going to happen. Wie had bogeys on half the holes during a 9-over-par 81 on Friday, her worst round during the six PGA tournaments she has played against men, but she insisted she's not discouraged.

Wie also hasn't altered her goals of playing in the Masters and consistently finishing in the top 10 against men, even as it becomes increasingly evident she lacks the driving distance, the putting touch and, possibly, the strength to do so.

"I'm definitely going to hit the gym," she said, laughing, before heading back to Hawaii to resume her senior year of high school.

Some PGA Tour pros have a different suggestion, one offered without malice, resentment or any sign of meanness: Hit the ladies tour as often as possible until she can get a full-time LPGA tour card in another 13 months.

Her 84 Lumber rounds of 77 and 81 left her a distant 13 shots away from her perceived goal of making the cut and 23 shots behind co-leaders Ben Curtis and Ryan Moore — huge gaps that probably can't be corrected by a tweak here, an adjustment there.

This tournament wasn't an anomaly, either. She had a 77 and 78 last week while also finishing last in the European Masters, which is not a PGA Tour event.

"I didn't feel like it was actually that bad because I felt like my game was 100 times better than last week," Wie said. "I just feel like I have to work on my putting a little bit and a couple of my tee shots, driver shots and stuff like that. ... I'm getting better, even though my score didn't show it."

Verplank pointed out that not even Tiger Woods was regularly trying to beat the men when he was 16.

"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.