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HONOLULU -- A steady 25-mph trade wind buffeted Michelle Wie on the ninth tee at Waialae Country Club. A rainsquall approached from nearby Diamond Head, threatening to further dampen enthusiasm behind anyone's swing.
Wie blasted a drive within 15 yards of practice partner Sean O'Hair's, keeping her ball below the brunt of the wind. O'Hair looked with a raised eyebrow at Wie's coach, David Leadbetter.
"I told Sean, 'Don't miss any of your tee shots,'" Leadbetter said.
"I told her not to beat me too bad this week," O'Hair said. "She can do whatever she wants as long as she's behind me."
That's a sentiment shared by most in the Sony Open's field of 144 players, who've embraced Wie not so much as a novelty anymore but as a newly minted pro. Albeit a 16-year-old girl looking to make history at their expense.
Should Wie crack the top 70 plus ties after Friday's round, she'll be the second woman to make the cut in a PGA Tour event, after Babe Zaharias in 1945.
"A lot of people have high expectations of me, but I have high expectations of myself," Wie said. "All the players this week are saying, 'Congratulations on turning pro,' and asking me how it felt different. It was pretty cool. I am starting to feel the difference. I am like, 'Wow, I am one of them now, sort of. I am actually a professional.' It is quite amazing. I feel really grateful."
Wie has failed to make the cut in six tries against male pros but said she doesn't feel any extra pressure this time. She lives nearby and grew up playing against the island zephyrs while practicing on Waialae's 7,060-yard course.
"She might be more used to this than we are," Vijay Singh said. "It's her hometown; everybody's looking forward to seeing her play. I hope she plays well. I hope she makes the cut."
Her ability to survive the cut here depends on her skill in controlling the trajectory of her shots. Lose it, and Wie's score might balloon along with her golf ball.
"She likes the wind," Leadbetter said. "That's one of the huge differences between her and any other LPGA player I've worked with. She's able to flight the ball and hit these low, burning trajectory shots. You just don't find that happening with girls. She's got the strength and technique to be able to do that."
*TV: Today, 6:30-9 p.m. ET, ESPN. Wie's tee time: 1:40 p.m. ET.
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