KAHUKU — At 19, it feels like Hawai'i's Michelle Wie has already lived through a golf lifetime of expectation and devastation. Today, she has an opportunity to fulfill all the promise she first flashed as a precocious 10-year-old at Olomana Golf Links.

The LPGA "rookie" went out in 35-mph winds yesterday and fired a 2-under-par 70. She shares first with three-time winner Angela Stanford going into today's final round of the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. It was a remarkable round under brutal circumstances and put Wie at 8-under 136 after two breezy days at Turtle Bay's Palmer Course.

This is the first time the Punahou graduate has taken a lead into the final round since the 2006 U.S. Women's Open. That was so long ago Wie couldn't remember. She finished so early yesterday she would not even contemplate the possibilities.

"A win would be great," Wie said. "I just don't want to get that ingrained in my head just yet. I feel like everyone has been asking me that and there's still a day left. I just want to do the same thing, play as hard as I can ... I'm just going to try and have fun out there."

Yesterday's conditions were hardly fun. Only 14 of the 136 golfers broke par in sometimes wet and relentlessly windy conditions. That included Stanford, the first-round leader who somehow ground out a bogey-free 71, and Angela Park (68—137), who fired the only round in the 60s. Only 14 golfers are under par for the tournament.

The cut came at 6-over 150. Kapalua's Morgan Pressel (76-149) just made it. Waikoloa's Cindy Rarick and Turtle Bay's Dorothy Delasin, who had one of 18 rounds in the 80s, did not.

What might have been the most compelling element of Wie's round was that 70 was probably the worst she could have shot. She drained a pair of 30-foot-plus monster birdie putts, but most of her morning was spent barely missing.

"There is a fine line between what I shot yesterday (66) and what I did today," Wie said. "I just feel that I left a lot out there and hopefully I'll pick them up tomorrow.

"I had a lot of shots out there that I felt like I executed very well. You would hit perfect shots and still be 40 feet from the hole. It was one of those days where you hit the shot exactly where you wanted to and sometimes it's like 40 feet long because the wind just blows."

Her long putts — and there were plenty on a day when the wind grabbed the ball and pushed it all over the green, or off it — were more accurate than her short ones. Both bogeys were the result of three-putts, caused in part by a wind that caused the ball to "shake" on the green and the difficulty in stabilizing herself over the ball.

After making the turn even, Wie chipped in for birdie on the second hole, dropped a 9-footer for birdie on the next and drained a 30-footer to make it three in a row and surge into first at 9-under. Her gallery, which started with about 200, began to mushroom.

"All day today I was hitting such good shots and such good putts and didn't really get in the hole," Wie said, "and finally it (the chip-in) kind of burst the door open so it felt really refreshing."

She had more chances coming in, missing from inside 10 feet on the next hole and nearly holing out from the seventh fairway before missing a birdie putt from inside 5 feet. She left with few regrets.

"I have to say I'm satisfied because I did shoot a solid round," Wie said. "I feel like I left a couple shots out there, especially the short putts at the end, so that's in my mind right now, but I feel good about today. I was patient. It was hard conditions and I really kept cool, wasn't greedy out there. I had a lot of fun so mission accomplished."

Her focus on patience and playing conservatively was ideal on a day so difficult even the water hazards had three-foot breaks rolling in.

"It was pretty tough out there," Wie said. "The wind was blowing pretty hard yesterday and I woke up and went out to look today and was almost blown off my feet."

Wie excused herself 10 minutes into dinner Thursday and went to bed before 8 p.m. She looked rested and ready yesterday, managing her game with the wisdom of an eight-year veteran — which she actually is though she did not earn fulltime playing privileges until December's Qualifying School.

This is her 48th LPGA start. She has made millions in endorsements and won more than $800,000 since turning pro just before her 16th birthday.

"I'm not surprised (at Wie) in that she's probably very comfortable here and she's not a rookie," said Stanford, at 31 the world's eighth-ranked female golfer after winning twice in her final six starts last year. "But I am surprised in that all eyes are on her and she is a 'rookie' and this is her first official event as a member of our tour."

Wie's last win was at age 13, when she captured the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship. Since, she has authored 13 top-10 finishes and a phenomenal 2006 when she was in the top five at three majors. But, particularly after the last two years of injury and controversy, only a win will do now.

Wie knows it. Under those intense expectations, her frame of mind appears sound.

"I just wanted to have fun out here and be patient because I knew the wind would blow, and just try my hardest," Wie said. "That's the only expectation I have of myself. If I try my hardest and things go my way, then great. If they don't, I know that I tried my hardest."

The crowd will have her back. Wie's galleries have been large, warm and welcoming to a Stanford sophomore they have seen precious little of in person the past few years.

"You know they're pulling for her, but that doesn't mean they're pulling against me," said Stanford, who tees off with Wie at 10:50 a.m. "They're going to be great fans and it's going to be fun for them if she wins. It's going to be fun if I win.

"I am a big believer in you learn how to win, but she's a little different in that she's such a great talent. The learning curve for her gets smaller because she is so talented. I think there are ways to win a golf tournament and there's certain things you have to do to win. Well, she makes up for what she doesn't know with her talent."

NOTES

The SBS Open is the first event where U.S.-born players can earn 1.5 times the points toward a spot on the this year's U.S. Solheim Cup team. Paula Creamer holds a commanding lead as top points earner, but more than 25 players have a shot at one of 10 automatic spots on the team. Beth Daniel, 2009 U.S. Solheim team captain, will select two additional players.

The U.S. leads the overall competition, 7-3, and has never lost the Cup on home soil. This year's Solheim is Aug. 21 to 23 in Sugar Grove, Ill. Teams will be announced Aug. 2.

Of the 21 rookies this year, 15 are international players. Seven are from South Korea, with two each from Canada, Japan and Thailand and one each from Spain and Sweden.