Back when the LPGA was last here, Michelle Wie drew big crowds and big roars, even when she wasn’t playing her best. A Michelle par was as loud as other players’ birdies.

It was like that on the mainland, too, for the teen phenom, in the ’00s.

That’s changed, at least for now. Wie’s small gallery for Thursday’s second round of the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina was often like the kind at an art museum: dead quiet. Especially after she shut down her burgeoning rally with two OBs leading to a 4 over par … on one hole.

That was right after the turn. It severely maimed her hopes to make the cut and shrank the fan base severely. Plenty of room at the front of the ropes.

It wasn’t just one horrific hole, though. Wie the super-hyped prodigy was more interesting than Wie the struggling pro. She’s 22 now, and she’s done for the week, shooting 10 over for two rounds.

Also, in 2009, the drama of when Wie would finally win a pro event was still on the table. Her breaking of that barrier (twice) since the tour left the islands cut into the interest.

Wie’splaying group for the first two rounds was supposed to be one of this inaugural event’s main attractions, the former child star with two current ones. But Wie and 17-year-old Alexis Thompson missed the cut, with the group’s third wheel, Jessica Korda, 19, scoring the best and barely sliding into today’s and Saturday’s money rounds.

Wie has now missed the cut at all three tournaments she’s played in since completing her coursework at Stanford. That is confounding, since finishing school was supposed to give her more time and energy to devote to her profession.

"I’m excited about the fact that I have more time to focus on my game more," she said earlier this week. "I know I’ve always said that I still have a lot of time to practice when I go to school. And I felt like I’ve done a really good job of juggling, but it still is juggling. I’m excited for the fact that I don’t have to do that anymore."

And it makes it harder to give Wie a pass, especially on this week’s performance. She’s not a kid anymore. She’s done with school. She’s playing at home.

There are really no excuses left.

Yes, there was the wind, the stiff breezes that played havoc with all manner of golf and slowed the pace so much you could drink an entire hot latte between shots at Lotte. But everyone in the field has to contend with nature. Conceivably, Wie was better equipped for it since she’s played Ko Olina many more times than just about everyone here.

Things got so bad for her on Thursday that the standard bearer must have run out of black numbers to post her score on both sides of the sign. That was actually a blessing. You only want double-digits advertised if they’re red.

There’s one bit of good news for Wie. Take away that 9 and it’s not a terrible round — four birdies and four bogeys for par on the other 17 holes.

Despite her poor play headed in, Michelle Wie was supposed to be the homecoming queen this week.

Instead, she gets a couple of days off — again.