ASSOCIATED PRESS Michelle Wie shot her third straight 70 in yesterday's final round of the SBS Open at Turtle Bay Resort. Wie tied Cristie Kerr for second place.

Wie impressive runner-up

History will have to wait for Michelle Wie.

The 15-year-old amateur came up just shy yesterday in her attempt to become the youngest golfer ever to win an LPGA Tour event, but she served noticed to her professional counterparts that the day of reckoning may be close at hand.

In blustery and often trying conditions at the Turtle Bay Resort, Wie fired her third consecutive round of 70 in the SBS Open, the first LPGA Tour event of the season. Her 6-under-par total of 210 was good for a second-place tie with Cristie Kerr and only two shots back of winner Jennifer Rosales.

It was Wie's best finish in 18 starts on the LPGA Tour, as well as her most consistent performance. She was the only golfer in the field to break par all three days.

"This is the best finish I've had, and it feels great to have it in my home state," she said.

Wie began the day trailing Rosales by five shots, and although she never seriously challenged for the lead, she played impressively down the stretch, closing with three birdies on the back nine, including one at the final hole.

Her most costly mistake came at the par-5 ninth, where she pulled her second shot left, overshot the green with a wedge and then three-putted for her second -- and last -- bogey of the day. The miscue was doubly unfortunate because she was coming off a birdie at the eighth, where she rammed in a 35-footer to pull back to even par for the day.

"I got a little greedy," she said of her second shot at the ninth. "I should have hit a 5-wood to get it up to the front of the green, but I hit a 3-wood and it just turned out bad."

But Wie was more than pleased with her overall effort. Earlier in the week she said that she needs to win this year, and yesterday's performance provided a strong indication that she is more than ready.

What will it take to get her over the top?

Many of Wie's critics feel that her putting is holding her back, but in difficult conditions at Turtle Bay her touch was steady, although not spectacular. She three-putted only twice during the tournament and yesterday had 28 putts, the lowest total of the top four finishers.

For the week, Wie had 90 putts, three more than Rosales and four more than Kerr.

Television golf analyst Mark Rolfing thinks Wie's putting will improve when she starts getting her approach shots closer to the hole.

"She has problems gauging her distance on her short irons," he said. "But that's also something Tiger Woods had to overcome."

Wie acknowledged the problem.

"Hitting the ball close to the hole would certainly make things a lot easier," she said. "I'm going to work a lot on my wedges the next two weeks before going to Phoenix. I'm going to really focus on dialing it in ... I just have to eliminate those stupid mistakes and make a lot more birdies."

Wie will play seven more LPGA Tour events this year, and if she does eliminate those mistakes -- watch out.

"She's an amazing player," Rosales said. "There's no doubt about it. She's going to give us a lot of challenges and make us work harder."

Said Kerr: "She's already a veteran at 15. I just hope the Tour is ready for her."