The Change Mariner

An Education With Hard Courses

New York Times:

Nobody questions Michelle Wie's talent, or her potential as a golfer. Wie is 6 feet tall with a lean athletic build, drives the ball close to 300 yards and already has a top-10 finish in an L.P.G.A. major championship. Last year, at age 13, she became the youngest golfer to win an adult United States Golf Association title, capturing the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

Professionals who have seen her play marvel at her ability.

"She has probably one of the best golf swings I've ever seen, period," said Davis Love III, one of the world's best players.

But at age 14, is Wie taking on too much, too soon? That is a question being posed to Wie, and her parents, as she prepares to compete in the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday.

Though the Tour does not keep official age records of competitors, Wie is believed to be the youngest player to compete in a Tour event, and the youngest girl. Wie is following in the footsteps of Annika Sorenstam, who became the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA Tour event last year, when she captured the country's attention while missing the cut at the Colonial in May. Suzy Whaley also played on the PGA Tour last year, when she missed the cut at the Greater Hartford Open.