Two days before the tournament starts at Waialae Country Club, an unusually large and intrigued crowd gathered to watch Els and Wie play a morning practice round. The defending Sony champion and the Punahou School freshman with equally outrageous supplies of talent and temerity traded magical swings and 2-under-par 68s in a match made in golf-publicist heaven.

Then they shared a press conference.

Els came in, sat down, stretched his 6-foot-3 frame and tucked a microphone into his shirt.

Wie came in a moment later, sat, stretched her 6-foot frame, tucked and beat him to the microphone hook-up.

Els invited Wie to join him in the practice round at last week's Mercedes Championships. Yesterday, Wie said she looked forward to playing with Els more than playing the tournament.

It was easy to see why. For all the talent the world's third-ranked golfer possesses, Els is, beyond all else, charming. He opened yesterday's press conference by saying all the right things. He closed it by offering Wie fatherly advice and encouraging her to chase her limitless dreams.

Els never approached the touchy subjects hovering over Wie's appearance — on a sponsor's exemption — in the PGA Tour's first full-field event of the year. He never questioned Wie's ability to be competitive or wondered if the year-long trend to include women in men's events should have run its course. He welcomed her to the PGA — after she "goes through Tour School."

"To be honest with you," Els said, "I don't think I've ever seen a lady golfer swing the club as good as Michelle does. Annika (Sorenstam), obviously, swings it great, but I think when Michelle gets down into her stride, she's going to be hitting the ball as long as any woman has ever hit it before.

"Michelle, a lot of what she did today reminds me a lot of what Tiger (Woods) used to do. As a woman golfer, she's going to take it to the next level definitely."

Does her sweet swing truly mimic the effortless grace of his?

"Yeah, she's got beautiful rhythm. She's got it all," Els said. "Rhythm is probably the most impressive thing of all."

He also praised the poise and personality of a 14-year-old taking her golf bag where no young girl has gone before. Wie might be the youngest male or female to ever play in a PGA Tour event, though the tour cannot confirm it because historical records were not kept.

"Everything you have been writing about her is pretty much true," Els said. "She's a true phenomenon and a great, great person. We had a fun morning."

He volunteered that Wie had "shown me a couple shots out of the thick stuff" surrounding Waialae's greens, out-driven him twice and played the front nine in 3-under. He openly rooted for high winds this week, theorizing that Wie would be more comfortable in the big breeze on a familiar course and will find it easier to make the cut if it is near par.

When she was asked what Els needed to work on, he smiled at her, saying "That will be interesting to hear."

She accommodated: "Usually when I see him play, he's putting really well. Today, he missed a couple of putts, but it was coming along good."

From the start of Wie's dramatic rise she has insisted that she perceives no limits. She believes she can beat men, women and children, wants to play in college and on both the LPGA and PGA tours.

Her ultimate goals are to play in the Masters and defeat Woods. She jokes of signing an endorsement contract larger than Woods' and feels unabashedly welcome in the new world Els described yesterday as he contemplated her future.

"Ten years ago," he said, looking directly at Wie, "you would never have thought that you or a girl or a woman would ever have the opportunity or even the talent to play with us. Michelle is 14. Give her another couple years to get stronger. She can play on this tour. If she keeps working, keeps doing the right things, there's no reason why she shouldn't be out here.

"To get out here will be a long, hard journey to travel and maybe it will be easier — a lot easier — for her to play on the LPGA Tour. But it's there for her."

Wie has always known that. Nothing that has happened in the last three extraordinary years has changed her mind. Nothing this week will change it.

"I will do it," she said. "I think times are changing. I'm not saying I'm playing here so other women should play in men's tournaments, too. I think I'm just kind of the oddball here. I just want to play in the men's tournament. ... It doesn't have to become a trend. It's just a few oddballs here and there might play."

SHORT PUTTS: Michelle Wie will play with Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year Kevin Hayashi, Mauna Kea Resort's teaching pro, the first two rounds. They tee off on the 10th tee at 8:59 a.m. tomorrow and at 1:24 p.m. off the first tee Friday. ... Yesterday, the Wie family accepted an invitation to play in the LPGA's first major of the year —Êthe Kraft Nabisco Championship. BJ Wie also said his daughter had accepted an invitation into the Wendy's Championship for Children. ... The Wies have now accepted three of the six sponsor exemptions allowed by the LPGA. ... Wie finished in a tie for ninth at last year's Kraft Nabisco, playing in the final group Sunday with Annika Sorenstam and champion Patricia Meunier. ... Wie's caddy this week will be Bobby Verway, Gary Player's nephew and former caddy. Verway, who used to play on the Sunshine Tour, is a close friend of Gary Gilchrist — Wie's coach.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.

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