RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Michelle Wie's untraditional path to a professional golf career will take a decidedly traditional turn today when she tees off in a sectional qualifying tournament, the first step toward earning her LPGA Tour card.

Wie, of Honolulu, will play the first stage at Mission Hills, site of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she first rose to fame at age 13 by playing in the final group of the LPGA's first major.

The 18-year-old Stanford student is among 164 players in the 72-hole tournament who are competing for about 30 berths into the final qualifying tournament in December.

Stacy Lewis, who finished tied for third at the U.S. Women's Open in June, is also in the field.

Golfers will play both the Dinah Shore Course and Palmer Course the first two days before the cut. The final two rounds Thursday and Friday will be played at the Shore Course.

Wie was unable to earn her card this season through sponsor exemptions, not having made enough money to finish the equivalent of 80th on the LPGA Tour money list.

Wie has played well at Mission Hills, where she was ninth in the Kraft Nabisco in 2003, fourth the next year, then 14th in 2005.

In 2006, playing the event for the first time as a pro, she missed a 10-foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have put her in a playoff with Lorena Ochoa and eventual winner Karrie Webb.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TEXAS A&M QB HAS SPRAINED SHOULDER

Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee is throwing again after spraining his shoulder, but coach Mike Sherman hasn't decided if he'll play against Miami on Saturday.

McGee was injured early in A&M's game against New Mexico on Sept. 6, and sophomore Jerrod Johnson stepped in to lead the Aggies (1-1) to a 28-22 victory.

Sherman said he would see how things go in practice the next couple of days before deciding on McGee's status for Saturday. Even if McGee is healthy, Sherman wouldn't commit to starting him.

OREGON QB OUT 2 TO 4 WEEKS WITH KNEE INJURY

Oregon quarterback Justin Roper will be out two to four weeks because of a partially torn ligament in his left knee.

Ducks coach Mike Bellotti said Roper injured his knee late in a 32-26 overtime victory at Purdue on Saturday and that preliminary reports indicate a partial tear of Roper's medial collateral ligament.

Roper was picked to start for Oregon (3-0) in the week before the team's opener against Washington when projected starter Nate Costa injured his left knee in practice. Costa had surgery and is expected to miss the season.

The No. 17 Ducks host Boise State on Saturday. The team is expected to use backup Jeremiah Masoli, a Saint Louis School alum, and true freshman Chris Harper at quarterback.

ECU LOSES KEY LB FOR NORTH CAROLINA STATE

East Carolina linebacker Quentin Cotton is likely out for the season after injuring his right knee during the Pirates' recent victory over Tulane.

Cotton, one of East Carolina's top defensive players, was hurt in the second quarter during a goal-line stand in the Pirates' 28-24 win Saturday.

The senior had started 15 games over the past two seasons and all three games this year for the 15th-ranked Pirates, who travel to in-state rival North Carolina State on Saturday. Cotton has two interceptions and 1 1/2 sacks this year.

East Carolina (3-0) will also be without left tackle Stanley Bryant, who is out indefinitely after injuring his knee. Bryant started all three games this season.

HORSE RACING

KENTUCKY PREPARES TO REGULATE WHIPS

State racing regulators are preparing to impose new restrictions this month on the use of whips in harness racing, and changes could follow at thoroughbred meets after a Kentucky track finishes an experiment on different types of whips.

A safety and welfare panel yesterday voted to outlaw certain kinds of whips and riding crops that have a snapper — strands of material at the end that can leave welts on horses.

It also recommended restrictions on the way in which a driver can hit a horse. One-handed whipping would be banned, and a new rule would require drivers to keep both hands in front of the body during a race.

A driver could be suspended 10 to 30 days or fined up to $13,000 for a first offense, with stiffer penalties for additional violations. Using a whip with a snapper could result in a sentence up to one year and a fine up to $20,000.

BRIEFLY

UNC Asheville's Kenny George, at 7-foot-7 the nation's tallest college basketball player, might not play this season because of a foot injury. George had two surgical procedures on an infected right foot and remains in a Chicago hospital, the school said. The senior is not expected to return to school this semester. ... The University of Arizona has reported a possible NCAA recruiting violation by men's basketball coach Lute Olson. Athletic director Jim Livengood said yesterday that Olson had sent a letter to basketball boosters asking for a donation to Jim Storey's Arizona Cactus Classic basketball tournament, held last May at Arizona's McKale Center. NCAA rules prohibit institutional representatives or boosters from arranging financial assistance for potential recruits.