Later in 2003, Wie became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.
Even at 13, Wie was already one of the longest hitters to appear on the LPGA Tour, knocking her drives 20-40 yards past most other players on tour. She regularly knocks the ball 300-plus yards, and her driving average for the 2003 Nabisco was in the 280s (or about 25 yards more than Sorenstam's average).
Wie, already nearly 6-feet tall, was born in Honolulu on Oct. 11, 1989. An excellent student, her hobbies include reading, drawing and computers.
She began playing golf at the age of four. According to an Associated Press profile, Wie was winning nearly every junior event she entered by the age of 11. She told the AP that she plays golf for about four hours a day on weekdays and seven hours a day on weekends. In tournaments, her father serves as her caddie.
At the age of 10, she shot a 64.
Also at the age of 10, Wie became the youngest player ever to qualify for a USGA amateur championship when she made the field for the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
She advanced to the semifinals of the same event two years later (2002), the youngest semifinalist ever in a USGA amateur championship.
At the 2002 LPGA Takefuji Classic, Wie became the youngest ever to Monday qualify for an LPGA Tour event. Her appearance in the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship included a round of 66, tying the record for low amateur round in an LPGA major.
Wie has also attempted to qualify for the PGA Sony Open, playing in Monday qualifying rounds. In 2003, she finished tied for 47th in a field comprised of 97 men, and playing from the same tees as those men.
Tom Lehman, who played with Wie in a pro-am, bestowed the nickname "Big Wiesy" (rhymes with "Big Easy") on her because her swing resembles that of Ernie Els.
--About.com
UNITED STATES