WAIKOLOA, Hawaii, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The LPGA Tour season begins Thursday with Annika Sorenstam on hand and finding her challengers getting younger and younger.
Michelle Wie, a 12-year-old Hawaiian, will be part of the field that will take part in the Takefuji Classic.
Wie is the latest youngster to storm the LPGA Tour, following in the footsteps of Natalie Gulbis, Aree Wongluekiet and Kelli Keuhne. But none have been able to threaten Sorenstam, the best player in the world.
Although she is a seventh grader, Wie does not look or play like one. She stands 5-10 and has a powerful swing that enables her to drive with some of the heaviest hitters on the tour.
Wie is not turning pro -- yet. She qualified for this tournament by shooting an 83 in winds reaching 50 miles per hour on Monday. She became the youngest to qualify for an LPGA event on a Monday, surpassing Natalie Gulbis, who was 14 when she qualified for the 1997 Longs Drugs Challenge. Gulbis is a tour rookie and is entered.
Wongluekiet is the youngest to make a cut and finish in the top 10 in an LPGA event, doing so at the 2000 Nabico Championship. She and her twin sister made the field on a sponsor's exemption.
Sorenstam is coming off the best year in tour history. She won eight events and became the first player to win more than $2 million in a season. She won the Vare Trophy with a record scoring average of 69.42 and her fourth Player of the Year award. She also became the first LPGA Tour member to break 60.
Last week, Sorenstam let everyone know -- including Karrie Webb, her main competition -- that she is not ready to rest on her laurels. In the Australian Ladies Masters, she ended Webb's four-year reign as champion by beating her on the fourth playoff hole.
