Mercedes Pro-Am invites Wie

Advertiser Staff and News Services

Punahou sophomore Michelle Wie has been invited to play in the Mercedes Championships Pro-Am next Wednesday at Kapalua Bay's Plantation Course. The PGA Tour's season-opening event features the winners of this year's tournaments.

Wie

Annika Sorenstam, the LPGA player of the year and Associated Press female athlete of the year, will join Scott McCarron, Chris Smith and Bill Kratzert as the other professionals for the 35 Pro-Am teams entered.

Wie has received an exemption to play in the Sony Open in Hawai'i the following week (Jan. 13 to 16) at Waialae Country Club. She missed the Sony cut by one stroke this year.

That showing helped the 15-year-old place seventh in GolfWorld's annual ranking of the "Top 100 Newsmakers of The Year." The list, which appears in the Dec. 17 issue, has Mickelson No. 1, followed by Singh, Woods, the European Ryder Cup team, Els and "Shinnecock follies."

Five rookies — Todd Hamilton, Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, Andre Stolz and Vaughn Taylor — won last year to qualify for Mercedes. It is the largest number since the tour began keeping such records in 1970.

Hamilton will be featured on the next Golf Hawai'i show, Tuesday on The Golf Channel. Host Mark Rolfing interviews Hamilton, who was a 38-year-old rookie this year when he won the Honda Classic. Four months later, he outlasted Els at the British Open.

NOTES

Golf Hawai'i is in its 10th year. It will be shown at 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, and re-airs Thursday, Jan. 6 (9 a.m. and 7 p.m.), and Friday, Jan. 8 (7 a.m.).

Five golfers have won more than $1 million at Mercedes, led by Ernie Els with $1,667,997. The others are Tiger Woods ($1,461,500), Jim Furyk ($1,377,800), Vijay Singh ($1,306,975) and Stuart Appleby ($1,208,155).