Wie watched in 1 million homes

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Michelle Wie and playing partner Kevin Hayashi celebrated Wie's 50-foot birdie on No. 11 during Friday's round when she made a strong run at the cut in the Sony Open in Hawai'i. Eric Risberg • Associated Press

Friday's round drew a 1.13 rating, according to an ESPN spokesman. According to Nielsen Media Research, a single ratings point represents 1,084,000 households in the United States.

Wie, a 14-year-old Punahou School freshman, shot a 2-under-par 68 Friday that gave her a two-day 140. She fell one stroke short of becoming the first female to make a PGA Tour cut in 58 years.

With Friday's spike, the ratings for the first two days of the tournament combined were up 27 percent over the first two days of the 2003 tournament.

Wie's showing in the Sony Open has drawn the interest of at least one other PGA tournament.

Officials at the Booz Allen Open, a PGA event at Potomac, Md., plan to extend an invitation to Wie.

But the dates of the event coincide with the Women's Amateur Public Links Championships, where Wie is the defending champion. The PGA event is scheduled for June 24 to 27. The USGA public links event is June 22 to 27, in Williamsburg, Va.

"Her intention is she wants to defend," Wie's father, BJ, told the Associated Press.

Steve Lesnik, the chief executive officer of Kemper Sports, which runs the event at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, told the Baltimore Sun that the decision to invite Wie on a sponsor's exemption came in response to her startling performance in the Sony Open.

Her performance was better than what LPGA star Annika Sorenstam did at the Colonial last May (5-over 145 to miss by four strokes) and club pro Suzy Whaley did at the Greater Hartford Open in July (13-over 153 to miss by 13 strokes).

"It has been the buzz of the day in the golf industry," Lesnik told the Sun.

Lesnik will try to have one of his representatives extend the invitation to Wie while they are in Hawai'i next week on business for next year's Maui Invitational basketball tournament, which Kemper also manages.

Wie has committed to play in the Safeway International, March 18 to 21, and the Kraft Nabisco Championships, March 25 to 28. BJ Wie also told ESPN his daughter will play at Evian-les-Bains, France, in the LPGA Evian Masters, July 21 to 24.

After the Women's Public Links Championship, Wie is scheduled to play in the U.S. Women's Open in Massachusetts and the U.S. Women's Amateur in Erie, Pa., and possibly the U.S. Junior Girls in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Baltimore Sun and Associated Press contributed to this report.