The 15-year-old Kaua'i High School sophomore teamed with 2002 Sony Open champion Jerry Kelly to win the First Hawaiian Bank Pro-Junior Golf Challenge yesterday at the Waialae Country Club by shooting even par in the six-hole, alternate-ball format.

They won by a stroke over pro Chris Riley and Allan Baab, another Kaua'i junior golfer, despite a bogey at the par-5 18th hole, which played dead into a southwest wind.

Wie and pro partner Paul Azinger were tied for third at 2-over-par with Jeff Sluman and Travis Toyama, last year's winning junior with Tom Lehman. Vijay Singh and Stephanie Kono were plus 3, while Lehman and Mari Chun bogeyed the first four holes before parring out.

The turnout was the largest in the three-year history of the pro-junior format, according to Walter Dods of the sponsoring First Hawaiian Bank.

"It's the Michelle Wie Factor," he said.

Certainly Wie was the draw as the hundreds of youngsters in the gallery were yelling, "Michelle, Michelle," and seeking her autograph at every hole.

Many of them were oohing and aahing at the first tee, surprised at their first sight of the 6-foot Punahou phenom.

But it was Watabu who stole the show as far as a very impressed Kelly was concerned.

"I can see him winning like he did not long ago. He's got all the tools," Kelly said. "He's better than I was at that age. I was always a late bloomer. He's already won. I've never won until real late," added Kelly, who won the Sony Open in his 200th career start on the PGA Tour.

"He can take it to any level he wants to take it. It's all a matter of work and in between the ears."

Watabu's fine bunker shot got his team going with a birdie at the opening hole, the par-4 10th, and then he sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the 478-yard 13th hole, a par-5 in the days of the Hawaiian Open.

The slender lefthander got off a huge 310-yard drive at the dog-leg left 18th.

"Huge. He killed it, man," said Kelly, whose second shot found the right greenside bunker. It took three more to get down with Kelly doing the honors with a tap-in.

But it was still good enough to beat Riley and Baab, who had double-bogeyed the par-3 17th to go from 1-under to 1-over.

His older brother, Casey, who's a junior on the University of Nevada golf team, is still Kellen's golf hero. But now he's rooting for Kelly as well.

"He's an unreal golfer. I hope he wins this week," he said.

It was an unreal experience for Watabu.

"I told my mom (Iris), 'What if I win the Tournament of Champions. I can get to play in the Pro Junior,' " Watabu said.

Kono, the state women's open champion and at 14 the youngest player in the event (about a month and a half younger than Wie), said she felt a little nervous but enjoyed herself. As did the other youngsters.

For Wie, though, the fun part is over, she said. Now it's all business as she tees it up tomorrow and Friday on a sponsor's exemption to become what is believed to be the youngest player in a PGA Tour event.