SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- Wannabe book publishers, gather round.

Over the past few months, a Florida-based sports writer has been working on a book about Michelle Wie, which seemed like a terrific idea not long ago. At the rate things are going for the crestfallen teen phenom, both personally and professionally, the odds of it becoming a bestseller aren’t looking too good, the author admitted Saturday.

Michelle Wie is 6 over for her second round when she withdraws. (Getty Images)

The discussion eventually turned to the book's possible title, with several sarcastic nominations offered, including, The Michelle Wie story: From Cheers to Tears in Six Painful Months.

Choking back her emotions, Wie walked off the course midway through her second round at the U.S. Open on Saturday, her short-term future and long-term prognosis equally in doubt.

Seemingly overnight, Wie's career has gone from page-turner to obituary. At this rate, if and when the book is published, it should be sold in the fiction department. It can’t possibly be true.

Ranked No. 2 in the world a year ago this week, Wie hopped into a courtesy car piloted by her father after completing only 27 holes at Pine Needles Lodge, their direction and her future whereabouts very much in question.

Her ailing left wrist encased in an ice bag, Wie was visibly choked up and annoyed about the latest turn of events in what’s been an utterly forgettable year, which began with a wrist fracture in January. She spoke about heading to Florida for a few days, which seemed appropriate, since her once-promising game went south a while ago.

"So, definitely going to reevaluate and the last thing I want to do is withdraw, but it left me no choice," she said, her eyes moist and voice cracking.

Wie aggravated the injury Saturday with a tee shot on the 17th tee, her eighth hole of the day. She then missed the fairway on the 18th hole, and after hacking her approach shot out of the rough, Wie’s therapist, Leanne Quinn, came scurrying to her side to rub out the pain. It didn’t help.

Wie, who finished 17 over through 27 holes, withdrew moments later after hitting another shot from the rough on her 10th hole. Long on questions and short on answers, she offered no guesses as to when she might next play again.

For her own sake and sanity, "2008" might be the best answer.

Sure, Wie has been injured and her abysmal results are largely attributable to doing too much, too soon. But the scar tissue in her wrist is being compounded by the potential damage to her professional psyche, not to mention her reputation.

Consider that, before the injury, Wie had a handful of sexy, salable attributes, and the endorsement money and adoration flowed freely. First, she was unusually long off the tee for a female player. In light of the injury, however, her distance has fallen precipitously and she’s been bunting around off the tee for weeks.

Secondly, she was indisputably the best teenage prodigy since Tiger Woods. Well, Wie turns 18 in October, and there are plenty of others in line with similar birth certificates. Through 36 holes at the Open, four of the five players atop the leaderboard were teenagers and the other was a ripe old 20. So, that novelty is about to expire, too.

Third, the rank-and-file LPGA players have grown tired of the John Daly-style circus that accompanies her of late. She's become something of a spectacle, and it's as though David Leadbetter’s one-liner has been proven true. Wie’s swing coach, in a joking aside made in early June, said, "I hope they aren't NASCAR fans coming for a crash."

Stubbornly, Wie has tried to play through her injury and only seems to be making matters worse. Wie said her doctors have cleared her to play, but insinuated Saturday that there’s “little ongoing problems” with regard to the damage. Whether it’s a tendon injury, cartilage problem or a hamate-bone issue, nobody outside the Wie camps knows.

"It was definitely enough pain to bring tears to my eyes," she said.

And grimaces to fans’ faces. Typically, Wie has played in the Evian Masters and Women’s British Open in the past, consecutive tournaments that begin in Europe on July 25. The British Open will be held at historic St. Andrews, a first for the women.

"At this point, I’m not really sure," said Wie, who shot an 11-over 82 in the first round, of her next stop.

Wie, who is not a member of the LPGA tour, played this week on an exemption because she finished in the top 20 at the Open last year -- meaning at this point, she will have to go through open qualifying or be given special dispensation by the USGA to play in the national championship next year. She finished third at the Open last year. Complicating things somewhat is that Wie is scheduled to enroll for her freshman year at Stanford in September, which will also impact her future schedule.

Wie said her predicament is doubly frustrating in that she needs to regain strength in the wrist by playing and hitting balls, but whenever she pushes too hard, she aggravates the injury. Seemingly unable to take a full swipe at the ball because of the uncertainty, she was 0-for-7 in hitting fairways in her second round and a nightmarish 4-of-21 for the week, even though she didn’t hit driver all that often. Short and crooked is a bad combination. Worse, she hit 6-of-27 greens for the week.

It marked the second withdrawal in three events since she returned from a four-month layoff caused by the injury. In the lone tournament she managed to complete this year, the LPGA Championship, she finished dead last by 10 shots among the players who made the cut.

Under the adage of adding insult to injury, when she pulled the plug, Wie had fallen one shot behind 12-year-old Alexis Thompson, who finished 36 holes in 16 over.

In full public view, a player drawing an estimated $15 million annually in endorsement income has gone from prospect to spectacle in six months. From "can't miss" to "can't play." At this point, the likely best option is not to play, period.

For all her millions and ethical lapses as a pro, as she attempted to explain her latest setback without her tear ducts going into overdrive, Wie was a sympathetic figure Saturday. She has become a sob story.

"It's trial and error," Wie said.

More like trials and tribulations.