By the time golfer Michelle Wie turned
pro in October 2005 -- days prior to
her 16th birthday -- she had already
proven herself worthy of competing
against both men and women on the PGA
and LPGA tours. Wie began playing golf
at the age of four, and at the age of
10 became the youngest-ever player to
qualify for a USGA amateur
championship. In 2003 she became the
youngest-ever winner of the US Women's
Amateur Public Links Championship.
That same year, at the age of 13, she
made her first appearance in an LPGA
Major tournament, competing against
the likes of Annika Sorenstam. Known
for her height (she's 6' tall) and her
long drives, Wie has also competed
against men, including the PGA Sony
Open and the Hawaii Pearl Open in
2003, missing the cut but making
impressive showings that put her in
the middle of a pack of professionals.
By the time she was 14 she had made
the cut in seven LPGA Tour events (out
of seven attempts), including two
finishes in the top ten and four in
the top 20. In 2005, while still an
amateur, she tied for second at the
LPGA's SBS Open in February, and in
June finished second to Sorenstam at
the LPGA Championship. When she turned
pro, Wie already had multi-million
endorsement deals from Nike and Sony
and was being compared to Tiger Woods,
for both her talent and her ability to
draw audiences to the sport.