GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
14-year-old Michelle Wie played in the Pro Junior Golf Challenge on Tuesday, but plays in the Sony Open today.
The Punahou student
will be the center of attention
at her first PGA event
B.J. Wie walked across the Waialae Country Club parking lot yesterday with no entourage in tow.
Who: PGA Tour players
Where: Waialae Country Club, 7,068 yards, par 70
When: Today and Friday, 7 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.
Total purse: $4.8 million
Defending champion: Ernie Els
Tickets: Daily passes $15 at gate
TV: ESPN, live
Usually, the father of golf phenom Michelle Wie has at least someone by his side, tugging at his shirtsleeve, hoping for a moment of his and his daughter's time. But despite the onslaught of press that came his way in 2003, he still greets members of the media with a handshake and a smile.
"This is how I like it, though," B.J. Wie said. "I don't like being in the spotlight. We've achieved a perfect balance for Michelle this week. Everything is in the right place."
Michelle Wie will take another big step on the national stage in today's opening round of the $4.8 million Sony Open in Hawaii. She is part of the morning contingent and is sure to garner plenty of attention, locally and nationally.
The only female in the field of 144 won't attract as much attention as Annika Sorenstam did last May at the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, but there are still plenty of people across the land wondering how this 14-year-old will fare on a golf course she knows almost as well as her parents, who will be following along today.
"It's a lot different from other tournaments because it's the Sony Open," Michelle Wie said. "It's a men's PGA event. But I think I'm just going to go in with the same attitude that I go into the LPGA tournaments and the amateur tournaments. It's just that I'm playing against different people."
She's arguably playing against the best field of golfers of her entire career, including defending champion Ernie Els, who she had a practice round with on Tuesday, and last week's Mercedes Championships winner, Stuart Appleby.
Add three of the four Grand Slam winners of a year ago and a variety of golfers competing in the first full-field event of the PGA Tour, and it's easy to see why Wie should be nervous, but knowing her, she'll remain calm.
"You can only tell a story like Michelle's once," Appleby said. "If she plays great, there's no point inviting her back to more tournaments, because she's so young that she should really focus on being young and being herself and remembering the latter part of her teens.
"My teenage years and everybody's teenage years, and even the early 20s when you're turning pro, they are the best years and she doesn't need to have all of this attention and doesn't need to have all of the pressure.
"I feel like once this is done, it really doesn't become a place for -- there's no other stories to write about women's golf in men's golf. Annika has done it and she did a fantastic job, and Michelle, whatever way she does it will be fine and it's great exposure. We can't beat that drum anymore."
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Honolulu's Michelle Wie has been popular with the media at the Sony Open.
Wie finished last in a Nationwide Tour event in 2003. With that in mind, Appleby was asked what realistic shot did she have here this week.
"I think it's a lot to ask," Appleby said. "I wasn't even playing golf at her age. So, you know, she could beat the hell out of me with one arm. I shot 120 my first round of golf when I was 14, somewhere around 120. I would be last anywhere.
"What's realistic? I think if she shot, if the weather stays, let's just say, half decent, if she can shoot two scores in the 80s, that would be good. Two nice scores in the 80s."
That's not a number that will make the cut, but even so, the Punahou School ninth-grader already has helped put the tournament in a national spotlight that transcends just another stop on the PGA Tour.
Still, her career could be fraught with peril if she continues on this national pace. Appleby made reference to that as well.
"I've seen more kids fall on the wayside, more young, really young guns fall on the side of the road than go through and just go gangbusters," Appleby said. "There's thousands of kids who can play and there's dozens constantly who really can play, and then only one or two end up coming through. The ratio is not good. It's not a very good success rate."
Wie wasn't the only story during yesterday's pro-am that was cut short by the bad weather. While it didn't blow as hard as it did on the windward side, it still dumped some rain, cut the power briefly and left a few broken tree limbs scattered across the course. The weather forecast calls for better conditions today, which is good news for all 144 golfers trying to be in the winner's circle come Sunday.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Michelle Wie applied some body English on a drive during Tuesday's Pro Junior Golf Challenge at Waialae Country Club. Wie was scheduled to tee off at 8:59 this morning.
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Sony Open tee times
TODAY
First tee
7:20 a.m., Guy Boros, John Maginnes, Cameron Beckman. 7:29 a.m., Carlos Franco, Jeff Brehaut, Grant Waite. 7:38 a.m., Esteban Toledo, Pat Perez, Dean Wilson. 7:47 a.m., Matt Kuchar, Frank Lickliter, Spike McRoy. 7:56 a.m., Paul Azinger, Scott Hoch, Jonathan Byrd.
8:05 a.m., J.P. Hayes, Stuart Appleby, Jeff Sluman. 8:14 a.m., Davis Love III, Craig Perks, Vijay Singh. 8:23 a.m., Duffy Waldorf, Michael Allen, John Senden. 8:32 a.m., Dan Olsen, Daniel Chopra, Kenichi Kuboya. 8:41 a.m., Arjun Atwal, Vaughn Taylor, David Branshaw. 8:50 a.m., Greg Meyer, Jason Dufner, Brad Lardon. 8:59 a.m., Kris Cox, Lucas Glover, Tetsuji Hiratsuka.
11:45 a.m., Joe Ogilvie, John Riegger, Scott Simpson. 11:54 a.m., Brett Quigley, David Peoples, Skip Kendall.
12:03 p.m., Aaron Baddeley, Omar Uresti, Stephen Allan. 12:12 p.m., Chris Riley, Gene Sauers, Chad Campbell. 12:21 p.m., Peter Jacobsen, Joe Durant, John Huston. 12:30 p.m., Kenny Perry, Shigeki Maruyama, Tim Herron. 12:39 p.m., Robert Gamez, Shaun Micheel, Retief Goosen. 12:48 p.m., Heath Slocum, Zach Johnson, Jeff Maggert. 12:57 p.m., Mark Hensby, Jason Bohn, Ken Duke.
1:06 p.m., Tjaart Van der Walt, Ryan Palmer, Hideto Tanihara. 1:15 p.m., Tripp Isenhour, Hunter Mahan, Myung Jun Park. 1:24 p.m., Richard Barcelo, Bobby Kalinowski, Andre Stolz.
10th tee
7:20 a.m., Russ Cochran, Tom Pernice Jr., Rodney Pampling. 7:29 a.m., Brian Gay, Briny Baird, Blaine McCallister. 7:38 a.m., Notah Begay III, Pat Bates, Carl Pettersson. 7:47 a.m., Craig Stadler, Tommy Armour III, Fred Funk. 7:56 a.m., Loren Roberts, Jonathan Kaye, Jerry Kelly.
8:05 a.m., Bob Burns, Steve Flesch, Corey Pavin. 8:14 a.m., Rory Sabbatini, Ben Curtis, Darren Clarke. 8:23 a.m., Woody Austin, Craig Barlow, Brenden Pappas. 8:32 a.m., Hirofumi Miyase, Roland Thatcher, Jonathan Ota. 8:41 a.m., Ted Purdy, Kevin Muncrief, Yusaku Miyazato. 8:50 a.m., Brian Bateman, Brian Kortan, David Ishii. 8:59 a.m., Craig Bowden, Kevin Hayashi, Michelle Wie.
11:45 a.m., Bart Bryant, Olin Browne, Richard S. Johnson. 11:54 a.m., Stephen Ames, Hidemichi Tanaka, John Morse.
12:03 p.m., Danny Briggs, Todd Fischer, Harrison Frazar. 12:12 p.m., James Furyk, Chris Smith, Tom Lehman. 12:21 p.m., Ben Crane, Ernie Els, John Cook. 12:30 p.m., Charles Howell III, Adam Scott, Luke Donald. 12:39 p.m., Patrick Sheehan, Tim Petrovic, Brent Geiberger. 12:48 p.m., Tom Byrum, Tom Carter, Jesper Parnevik. 12:57 p.m., Bo Van Pelt, Bob Hamilton, David Morland IV.
1:06 p.m., Chris Couch, Wes Short, Ron Castillo. 1:15 p.m., Scott Hend, Kevin Na, Dave Eichelberger. 1:24 p.m., D.J. Brigman, Roger Tambellini, Boyd Summerhays.
TOMORROW
First tee
7:20 a.m., Bart Bryant, Olin Browne, Richard S. Johnson. 7:29 a.m., Stephen Ames, Hidemichi Tanaka, John Morse. 7:38 a.m., Danny Briggs, Todd Fischer, Harrison Frazar. 7:47 a.m., James Furyk, Chris Smith, Tom Lehman. 7:56 a.m., Ben Crane, Ernie Els, John Cook.
8:05 a.m., Charles Howell III, Adam Scott, Luke Donald. 8:14 a.m., Patrick Sheehan, Tim Petrovic, Brent Geiberger. 8:23 a.m., Tom Byrum, Tom Carter, Jesper Parnevik. 8:32 a.m., Bo Van Pelt, Bob Hamilton, David Morland IV. 8:41 a.m., Chris Couch, Wes Short, Ron Castillo. 8:50 a.m., Scott Hend, Kevin Na, Dave Eichelberger. 8:59 a.m., D.J. Brigman, Roger Tambellini, Boyd Summerhays.
11:45 a.m., Russ Cochran, Tom Pernice Jr., Rodney Pampling. 11:54 a.m., Brian Gay, Briny Baird, Blaine McCallister.
12:03 p.m., Notah Begay III, Pat Bates, Carl Pettersson. 12:12 p.m., Craig Stadler, Tommy Armour III, Fred Funk. 12:21 p.m., Loren Roberts, Jonathan Kaye, Jerry Kelly. 12:30 p.m., Bob Burns, Steve Flesch, Corey Pavin. 12:39 p.m., Rory Sabbatini, Ben Curtis, Darren Clarke. 12:48 p.m., Woody Austin, Craig Barlow, Brenden Pappas. 12:57 p.m., Hirofumi Miyase, Roland Thatcher, Jonathan Ota.
1:06 p.m., Ted Purdy, Kevin Muncrief, Yusaku Miyazato. 1:15 p.m., Brian Bateman, Brian Kortan, David Ishii. 1:24 p.m., Craig Bowden, Kevin Hayashi, Michelle Wie.
10th tee
7:20 a.m., Joe Ogilvie, John Riegger, Scott Simpson. 7:29 a.m., Brett Quigley, David Peoples, Skip Kendall. 7:38 a.m., Aaron Baddeley, Omar Uresti, Stephen Allan. 7:47 a.m., Chris Riley, Gene Sauers, Chad Campbell. 7:56 a.m., Peter Jacobsen, Joe Durant, John Huston.
8:05 a.m., Kenny Perry, Shigeki Maruyama, Tim Herron. 8:14 a.m., Robert Gamez, Shaun Micheel, Retief Goosen. 8:23 a.m., Heath Slocum, Zach Johnson, Jeff Maggert. 8:32 a.m., Mark Hensby, Jason Bohn, Ken Duke. 8:41 a.m., Tjaart Van der Walt, Ryan Palmer, Hideto Tanihara. 8:50 a.m., Tripp Isenhour, Hunter Mahan, Myung Jun Park. 8:59 a.m. Richard Barcelo, Bobby Kalinowski, Andre Stolz.
11:45 a.m., Guy Boros, John Maginnes, Cameron Beckman. 11:54 a.m., Carlos Franco, Jeff Brehaut, Grant Waite.
12:03 p.m., Esteban Toledo, Pat Perez, Dean Wilson. 12:12 p.m., Matt Kuchar, Frank Lickliter, Spike McRoy. 12:21 p.m., Paul Azinger, Scott Hoch, Jonathan Byrd. 12:30 p.m., J.P. Hayes, Stuart Appleby, Jeff Sluman. 12:39 p.m., Davis Love III, Craig Perks, Vijay Singh. 12:48 p.m., Duffy Waldorf, Michael Allen, John Senden. 12:57 p.m., Dan Olsen, Daniel Chopra, Kenichi Kuboya.
1:06 p.m., Arjun Atwal, Vaughn Taylor, David Branshaw. 1:15 p.m., Greg Meyer, Jason Dufner, Brad Lardon. 1:24 p.m., Kris Cox, Lucas Glover, Tetsuji Hiratsuka.
