Posted on: Saturday, February 26, 2005

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

KAHUKU — The morning sky had turned a sullen gray, unleashing a chilling, hard-slanting rain on the ninth hole at Turtle Bay's Palmer Course yesterday when Michelle Wie strode to the green to begin lining up a putt.

When her 12-footer dropped for a birdie, evoking a roar from the umbrella-huddled gallery, the fierce rains halted, the clouds parted and the sun suddenly, as if on cue, appeared.

It turns out that four birdies yesterday have indeed left Wie in a position to shine in today's final round of the inaugural SBS Open at Turtle Bay, perhaps as never before.

At a tender 15 years old, back-to-back rounds of 2-under-par 70s have given Wie, five strokes back of two-day leader Jennifer Rosales, an opportunity to come of age on the LPGA Tour well before the Punahou School sophomore gets a driver's license.

Not a golden one, perhaps, but an opportunity not to be overlooked or dismissed, either. Not with Rosales flailing in the wind.

In 18 tournaments on the tour, only once, at the Kraft Nabisco last March, has Wie, the pony-tailed prodigy, been better positioned to win her first professional title. Back then, Wie was two strokes back after three rounds and finished fourth.

But that was in Rancho Mirage, Calif. This is in her backyard with friendly faces, a prevailing hopeful spirit and a decided gallery advantage. And, Kraft was a year ago, a significant passage of time for one so young whose game seems to grow by leaps and bounds.

There are five players — all more experienced in final day situations — to be overtaken and and several more to be fought off. There are no limit of challenges to be surmounted today. No discounting, either, the pressure building to tee time.

But after the disappointment of Waialae seven weeks ago, where Wie missed the Sony Open cut by seven strokes after three-putting the sixth hole on the second day, this is an opportunity to be relished by someone who admittedly thrives on the daring.

Annika Sorenstam, the reigning queen of the circuit with eight victories in 2004, is away this week leaving a vacuum the width of which is unlikely to be found over the rest of Wie's announced LPGA schedule this year.

With six Top 20 LPGA finishes in seven Tour events last year, Wie has proven she belongs. She has amply demonstrated she can hang in with the big girls and drive with some of the men.

What we and, indeed, the golf world have been waiting to see is when she can put it all together and, by winning a tournament, make the age-gap breakthrough. For any other 15 year old it would be unimaginable. But Wie has not only taught us she is unlike any other but to look for more one day.

Ever since the ninth-place finish at Nabisco in 2003 as a 13-year-old, we've known the day was coming for Wie to win one. We've had our eyes opened and sense of history awakened.

Now, the questions become: Is this the one? Will this be the day she shines?

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.