The Punahou School freshman will be bolting out of the starting blocks early this year, playing in the Sony Open, the PGA Tour's first full-field event, thanks to a sponsor's exemption. Expect Waialae Country Club to be a madhouse in a couple of weeks.

Before that, the tour's 2003 winners will get an early heads-up on Wie at the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua's Plantation Course, where she will be playing in the pro-am. Sponsoring Mercedes got a wahine two-fer deal, with Wie and Annika Sorenstam, the top-ranked women's golfer in the world, both making an appearance.

Yes, Vijay Singh will be there, too.

It's all about publicity, so you can't blame Sony and Mercedes officials for extending invitations.

No wonder that BJ Wie has received more than a dozen sponsor's exemptions for his talented daughter to play in LPGA Tour events this year.

Wie will play in the maximum six allowed, according to her father.

They haven't decided which six. But one they hope to play in is the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where last year Wie shocked the golf world by playing in the final Sunday group after shooting a 6-under 66, tying the record for lowest score by an amateur in an LPGA major.

"They won't make any announcements until late January but with her top-10 finish I'm confident they'll invite her back again," BJ Wie said.

The other LPGA events she will play in will be determined by her school spring break and also by the USGA events she will be competing in during the summer.

"Her main focus will be in the major USGA events," he added.

One event that Wie is especially looking forward to is the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship in Williamsburg, Va., in which she is the defending champion.

"I think it's a great experience to defend a title. It's going to be awesome," said Wie, who at 13 last summer became the youngest player to win an adult USGA event.

She definitely will play in the U.S. Women's Open the following week in Massachusetts and the U.S. Women's Amateur in Erie, Pa., and possibly the U.S. Junior Girls in Fort Worth, Texas. The U.S. Junior Girls is only tentative, because she'd rather play in the Men's Amateur Public Links days before, if she can qualify.

BJ said the family, which includes mom Bo, learned a lot from last year's 20,000-mile golf tour.

"This time, we'll take more breaks in between," he said. "She won't be playing three weeks in a row like last year."

Nor do the Wies at this time plan to accept any more exemptions to men's events. So Sony figures to be her one and only this year.

There also won't be a golf trip to South Korea this year, said BJ, because his sabbatical leave from the University of Hawai'i ends in August.

Still, it's a crowded, if less taxing, golf schedule for the young phenom, who again plans on playing in the Hawai'i Pearl Open and perhaps the Hawai'i State Amateur in which she finished tied for fourth last year.

There is still the matter to be decided about playing for her high school golf team — the girls' team not the boys' — in her first year of eligibility.

BJ Wie says he will talk to the Punahou golf coach after the Sony Open because his daughter will be missing some high school competition as a result of her LPGA commitments.

Wie said she hasn't come up with any New Year's resolutions as yet. But as far as golf is concerned, she just hopes to play better than she did last year.

"I've got to work on my stamina and get stronger," said the 6-foot Wie. "And I've got to practice my putting."

Growing up playing on Hawai'i's grainy Bermuda greens, Wie said she found putting difficult on the faster greens she played on the Mainland. "I got used to it after a while. But this time I hope not to be surprised by the bent greens."

It'll be an interesting year of golf watching Michelle Wie, who appears to be maturing as rapidly as her golf game.