RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. » It seems a lifetime ago when Michelle Wie played in the final group with Annika Sorenstam at the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship and tied for ninth - as a 13-year-old.

A lot has happened to the Stanford University sophomore, both good and bad, since she received a sponsor's exemption to this prestigious event. With all the controversies and injuries that have followed her like a stalker, one thing has remained constant for Wie as she prepares for her sixth appearance at the LPGA Tour's first major - she loves the Mission Hills Country Club course.

In her first four appearances on the par-72, 6,702-yard layout, Wie finished tied for ninth, fourth, tied for 14th and tied for third. She missed the popular tournament in 2007 and 2008 because of injuries, and finished tied for 67th here last year.

The main reasons Wie played so poorly here in 2009 were a windy second round that led to an 81 and a nagging wrist injury that left her at only 70 percent, according to famed swing coach David Leadbetter, who said earlier this week that his prized pupil is fit for duty.

Wie has fond memories of the place that seemingly suits her golf eyes, but the 20-year-old wasn't ready to concede that she's the favorite.

“;I think it's hard for me to say if a golf course fits my game or not,”; Wie said. “;It all depends that week how I play. When you're playing well, every golf course seems like it's perfect for you and vice versa.

“;But it's a fun golf course. It's not an easy one. You have to keep it in the fairways. The rough is very healthy, very green. So I'll try to keep it in play and make some putts.”;

The powerful Punahou product is doing a much better job this year keeping it between the OB posts without losing any distance. Through three events, Wie is second on tour in driving distance, averaging 269.3 yards off the tee. Only Laura Davies at 271.6 is hitting it farther. More importantly, Wie is tied for 57th in driving accuracy, landing it in the short stuff 67.9 percent of the time.

She is tied for 42nd in greens in regulation (.597) and tied for fifth in putting, averaging 27 a round. Wie opened with a ho-hum trip to Asia, where she tied for 22nd at the season-opening event in Thailand and tied for 15th at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. Last week, she tied for sixth at the inaugural Kia Classic, and she believes she's rounding into form for the Kraft Nabisco.

Wie is paired with defending Kraft champion Brittany Lincicome in the opening two rounds. She tees off at 9:12 a.m. Hawaii time off the first tee today and at 5:42 a.m. Hawaii time off the 10th tee tomorrow.

Like Lincicome did last year as the winner, Wie would like nothing better than to take the traditional dip into Poppi's Pond that guards the 18th green on Sunday.

“;I think definitely one of the best feelings I've felt in my career was walking down 18 and walking down by that green on the huge grandstand, and you know, people cheering for you,”; Wie said. “;I think that has to be one of my fondest memories.

“;Obviously, when I was 13, I got to play with Annika, I think that was really neat as well. You know, just a lot of good memories. I think it's just a very special tournament. It has a lot of tradition. When you walk down 18, you see all the past champions; you know, the tradition of jumping into the water, seeing all the caddies in the white suits. It makes a statement.”;

Wie enters this week's event No. 9 in the world rankings. The only American in front of her is Cristie Kerr at No. 5.

A win this week would erase a lot of the doubts that still surround Wie. Is she the savior of the LPGA Tour or one of the most over-hyped players in the history of golf?

Winning her first major would ease some of the distractions that go with her game, including last week's $78,000 gaffe of grounding her club in a hazard. She recently signed deals with Kia Motors and McDonald's, proving her drawing power is still strong in the eyes of corporate sponsors.

The pressure is on for her to perform at the highest level.

“;I put a lot of pressure on myself,”; Wie said. “;I expect a lot out of myself. I think it's great when there's a lot of pressure from my fans because it's nice to know that they have high expectations of me.

“;But the only thing I can control is how I try, how I play and how I perform, and you know, just having fun out there. That's really all I can do.”;