Michelle Wie is one of the most recognizable and popular golfers in the world. Her short career is already punctuated with many highlights. Michelle first qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at the age of 10 and won the championship at the age of 13. In this past year, she finished second in LPGA events on three occasions and was third in the Women’s British Open. Tune in this week as we talk to 16 year old golf phenom, Hawaii’s own, Michelle Wie.

» Wie turned pro on October 5, 2005.

» Signed her first two endorsement deals, one with Nike and one with Sony. Combined, the value of those two deals - estimated at around $10 million a year - makes Wie the highest-paid female golfer in the world in terms of endorsements, and the third highest-paid female athlete in any sport in terms of endorsement money. By comparison, Annika Sorenstam is believed to make $6 million a year from endorsements.

» Michelle was first introduced to the PGA TOUR at the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii. Playing at the Waialae Country Club, on a course she had played many times before, and in great conditions, Wie put together rounds of 72-68 for an even-par 140, missing the cut by just one shot. And she did it at the age of 14. At the 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii, Michelle played well but failed to make the cut in windy conditions.

» She made her first appearance in an LPGA major - the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship - at the age of 13. And she managed to play well enough to make the tournament's final pairing, playing alongside Annika Sorenstam and eventual winner Patricia Meunier-Lebouc.

» 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 average distance with the driver for the 2003 Nabisco was in the 280s (or about 20 yards more than Sorenstam's average). For the 2004 PGA Tour Sony, her average off the tee (including some 3-woods) was in the 270s, just below the field average.

» Wie, already over 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 and was winning nearly every junior event she entered by the age of 11.