Honolulu's Michelle Wie blew through the third round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship yesterday without a bogey or seemingly a care. She goes into this morning's final round of the LPGA's first major two shots off the lead.

That a 14-year-old Punahou freshman is in contention is mind-boggling. That it is happening for the second straight year here is mind-blowing.

"Played with Michelle for the first time today and she is incredible," said Grace Park, the co-leader at 8-under-par 208. "She is more than what you all know. She really impressed me and not only in her golf game, she was such a sweet 14-year-old that I really enjoyed playing with her."

The feeling was mutual. Wie found herself trying to mimic the wonderful "rhythm" of Park's game, which has lifted her to four LPGA victories and into third on last year's money list. Park birdied four consecutive holes in the middle of the round and shot a 5-under 67 to pull into a share of the lead with 17-year-old Aree Song (69). Jung Yeon Lee (71—209) gives South Korea a sweep of the top three.

Song, born in Thailand to a Korean father and Thai mother, is a South Korean citizen.

Wie's second 69 in three days has her heading into the final day of her spring break sharing fourth with two-time LPGA Player of the Year Karrie Webb.

With a what-me-worry shrug and an ageless golf game, Wie birdied the first two holes yesterday at Mission Hills Country Club. She hit every green in regulation until the ninth hole, which has given her problems this week.

In three days, Wie is 1-over on the 508-yard par-5 — and has had to one-putt it every day to do that well. It is the third-easiest hole for the rest of the field. Yesterday, it was the site of her only bad swing. She called it the "turning point" of her round.

From 90 yards out, she "totally sculled" her shot and watched in shock as it soared over the green toward the grandstands. There was a loud "thunk" as it hit a cardboard trash can and kicked back into the high grass behind the green.

"I was really fortunate there, very lucky," Wie admitted. "But, like, the sound that the trash can made, it sounded like someone's bone was crushed. I thought I killed someone. So I was freaked out."

For about three minutes. Then she lofted the ball softly out of the grass and rolled it down within four feet of the hole to save par.

Wie birdied the next hole from 15 feet. She parred in, one-putting the last two holes as she found a greenside bunker at 17 and two fairway bunkers at 18.

In between, the tournament's largest gallery drew its collective breath every time she took her club back on the tee. Wie blasted the ball with near-perfection for five hours. She found all but five fairways — barely missing those. She has yet to three-putt on these dangerous greens.

In short, Wie is playing exceptionally well, even for her.

"This is the best round I've seen her play," said Gary Gilchrist, her coach from the David Leadbetter Academy. "Everything today is so solid. That 66 she shot last year was fantastic, but there's more pressure on her this year."

No one told her that. Wie is focused and, by all appearances, pressure-free, unlike her first trip here when she admitted playing the final round with "idol" Annika Sorenstam was a "little bit strange." Wie closed with a 76 then, including 38 putts.

While she came here last year without a specific goal in mind — "I didn't know how well or how bad I could shoot" — this year she's talking top five, at least. She's also walking the walk.

"I've known Michelle since she was 12," Park said. "She's always been sweet, funny, like to joke around. But on the golf course (yesterday) she was dead serious. There was not a sign that showed that she was 14 years old. And that was really impressive."

Wie put it this way: "I taught myself how to control my mentality and focus kind of thing. When you're, like, about to hit, you're, like, the most focused. You can't really focus for, like, the whole round. Because you'll get, like, so drained out. So I'm trying to, like, focus and then, while I'm walking, I'm just trying to relax and focus again. It's been working quite well."

Can it work again today, when the pros play for the $240,000 first prize and Wie attempts to seize their moment, and make more history?

"I think I've grown up a lot from last year," Wie said. "I've grown up a lot. I think that this year I can handle myself."