For somebody who delights in doing the unexpected, the surprising, Michelle Wie's next move, for all its groundbreaking significance, will be none of the above.

After months of swirling rumors, the latest a soon-to-be Golf World cover, and watching the pieces slowly fall into place, there is little doubt that she is turning pro sooner rather than later. Or that she needs to.

Indeed, the only real shock will be if she doesn't sign on the dotted line of a professional contract between now and Oct. 11, her 16th birthday, picking up one real sweet 16 check in the process.

The question isn't whether she will turn pro at such a tender age, but how many armored cars will be involved in making the delivery. Pick a number — and everything from $8 million to $15 million is said to be in play — and be assured it will be more than any female golfer has made.

With her performances this summer, most notably in the U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Amateur Public Links, Wie has leveraged her position almost to the hilt. With three second-place finishes and a third, she has pushed her potential about as far as it can go. Short of winning the first couple LPGA events in 2006 or qualifying for The Masters, there is little upside to be immediately gained and much that could be wasted.

The top sports agents, driven by her soaring marketability, have spent the past several months pitching their plans to Team Wie. The William Morris Agency, one of Hollywood's biggest, has wooed a top PGA official over to handle Wie's account. All with the timing of her 16th birthday in mind so that there is danger in losing some of her marketing bang if Wie doesn't act soon.

Should she struggle in 2006, her value could nosedive. Sad to say, but even at 16, the next phenom could be just around the corner. Such is the growth industry that Wie's own success has helped inspire.

Indeed, the backbiting quip around the LPGA circuit is that Team Wie isn't afraid of playing against the men or the women pros — just other teenagers and amateurs. True or not, it is perception.

So much so that speculation was that the reason Wie didn't play the U.S. Women's Amateur (eventually taken by Morgan Pressel) was that it was a no-win situation. If Wie won it, well, that was expected after the summer she had. If she didn't, she'd lose some of the considerable luster she spent all summer building.

Never mind that Team Wie cited transportation complications in getting from the Women's British Open the week before to Roswell, Ga., site of the U.S. Women's Amateur, as the reason for pulling out, everything has been about positioning.

From appearances in the Sony Open in Hawai'i and John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour, to the LPGA majors and guest spots on David Letterman and "Good Morning America," Wie has been building toward signing on the dotted line.

Team Wie has adroitly succeeded in putting the Punahou School junior in a place like no other in her sport. She is a gender barrier-busting, age group-crossing wonder who can carve a place on both the LPGA and PGA tours. With her ethnicity and stage presence, she has opened up previously unimagined marketing possibilities.

When the plans that have taken Wie to this position were first contemplated perhaps only Team Wie knows for sure. But there's no doubt what the next step will be. Or that it can't be far off now.

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