She may be the first professional female athlete to legitimately compete against men.

And it all comes in a package that turned 16 today.

In the most anticipated professional golf debut since Woods in 1996, Michelle Wie will earn her first paycheck at the Samsung World Championship this week.

When she tees off at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert on Thursday, she will bring with her the expectations of being a seminal figure in sports and questions about whether it's all coming too fast and too soon for a junior in high school.

"There is no question that all eyes are on her," said Terry Wilcox, tournament director of the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage. "And I think they are on her with everyone wanting her to succeed."

Wie ended months and even years of speculation Wednesday about when she would turn pro, signing endorsement deals with Nike and Sony reportedly worth $10 million.

Interest in Wie ranges from her 6-foot-1 frame to her booming 300-yard drives to her Korean heritage. It's a combination of demographic appeal never seen in women's golf and not seen in golf in general since Woods brought new life and new demographics to the PGA Tour as a 19-year-old.

One of the young golfers inspired by Woods was Wie, who was just 6 at the time but grew up with a poster of Woods on her bedroom wall.

But even by leaving Stanford University after two years, Woods was merely doing what other golfers had done, albeit with far less fanfare. Wie is poised to craft a freelance golf career never witnessed before.

Still a junior in high school, Wie won't try to join the LPGA immediately or challenge its age rule of 18 for membership. Instead, her schedule will be a smorgasbord of men's and women's events, both in the United States and abroad.

Casey McIntosh, 15, the top player on the Palm Desert (Calif.) High School's golf team, says she and other players do talk about Wie.

"I've talked to players who have talked about being in the same tournament with her, and they are planning on doing the same things," McIntosh said. "But mostly we talk about our favorite players and stuff. She's so much our age, it's weird to talk about her as someone we look up to."

For all of Wie's golf prowess, including hitting drives like male competitors and making the cut in 19 of her last 20 LPGA starts since 2003, it is Wie's marketing potential that excites many. Like Woods, Wie could bring younger golfers and minority players into the game.

Wie seems to have everything she needs for success. But until she wins an LPGA event or makes the cut in a men's event, some fans and critics still will question her abilities or the wisdom of turning pro while still in high school.