Some would suggest the novelty of Michelle Wie is growing old as she grows older. The atmosphere surrounding her third Sony Open in Hawai'i this week suggests something very different.

Wie, 16 years old and "hopeful" of getting her driver's license next week, is decidedly different. There are no more bold pronouncements about becoming the best golfer on the planet — man, woman or child — and playing The Masters.

The outrageous dream is still there, don't get her wrong. But as she tees off in her seventh men's tour event tomorrow, looking to make her first paycheck as a pro, Wie's words are more subtle and her goals less specific and astonishing.

"I've been trying to tell myself that results are not the most important thing," Wie said. "How you get there is the most important thing. My parents would say that and I would think it's the results that matter, but as I get older, I'm realizing it's the road that you take that's the most important thing.

"You're learning a lot even if you don't play well. That's the most important thing. There is so much to learn from the guys. They have so much to offer and I'm soaking it all in."

Wie is now very "hopeful" — she used the word three times in one sentence at her press conference yesterday. She is less "awesome" — spitting out that favorite adjective three times in the opening moments, then closing with just two more.

The more subtle Wie is not designed to eliminate interest. She couldn't if she tried. At this point in her remarkable life, she draws a crowd at Costco. Wie was probably the only high school student in America to have classmates follow her with "Quiet" paddles and caddie costumes at Halloween.

The buzz surrounding her here does not seem to be tempered at all.

More than 200 press credentials will be handed out this week at Waialae Country Club. The Golf Channel is planning an extra show Saturday if she makes her first men's cut. Her meeting with the media yesterday drew the usual overflow, multi-lingual crowd. She was the only golfer with any semblance of a gallery during her practice round.

When it was over, Wie's entourage was all but alone in Waialae's restaurant. At a PGA Tour event sponsored by one of her multi-million dollar sponsors, the Punahou junior was shooting the breeze with mother Bo, manager Ross Berlin, swing instructor David Leadbetter and a table-full of Nike representatives, looking out for the millions they paid their teenage golf terror. Wie will model Nike Golf's spring line, due in stores in July, this week at Waialae. Her first print ad is already in Golf for Women magazine.

Life is still good and fairly fascinating, even if your friends at school refuse to ante up if you forget your lunch money these days.

"They have been making fun of me with all the money jokes," Wie said, "but it's been pretty normal."

As normal as it can be for a girl not getting strokes from the best golfers in the world and coming tantalizingly close to winning against the best women.

Wie's 2006 schedule has still not been finalized, though decisions regarding LPGA appearances could be made this week. "It's not a problem," father BJ Wie said, "but we need to make good decisions." The Wies expect it to be similar to 2005 and "hope" for a breakthrough win on the women's tour, where she finished among the top three in half of her eight starts.

The goal this week apparently is more along the lines of becoming the first female in more than 60 years to make a cut on the men's tour, and soaking up all the excellence these guys have to give.

"I am going to relax," Wie said, "have a good time, play my hardest and what happens, happens."

The most dramatic difference in Wie's game this year is a more compact swing — Leadbetter felt being "too flexible" led to problems last year — and an increased focus on strength training to give her more distance. When trainer Paul Gagne came to Hawai'i to work out with Wie for the first time, she was so sore she couldn't lift her arms high enough to wash her hair.

That is no longer a problem, but trying to make a cut on a tour you play once or twice a year is. Wie came within a shot of playing on the weekend here two years ago, a performance that ultimately led Sony to pony up as a sponsor. The eyes of the golf world are on Wie again this week, and apparently for as long as it takes.

"Making a cut would be a remarkable accomplishment," BJ Wie said. "Even Tiger missed a cut. She plays only one or two PGA tournaments a year so the possibility of her getting in the right week and right time are very small. Even for people playing week after week it is difficult. We will see. People need to understand it is quite difficult."

His daughter rarely takes on anything that isn't.

NOTES

Wie pairing: Michelle Wie will be paired with two former University of Florida standouts in the first two rounds of the Sony Open in Hawai'i. Wie will tee off on the 10th tee at 8:40 a.m. tomorrow and on the first tee at 1:10 p.m. on Friday. Her playing partners will be Chris Couch of Gainesville, Fla., and Camilo Villegas of Medellin, Colombia. Couch, 32, graduated from Florida in 1995; Villegas, 24, in 2004.

Weather watch: The PGA Tour's weather report predicts strong tradewinds continuing through Friday then weakening "slightly" for the weekend. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph tomorrow and Friday.

Hawai'i connections: As players chase the leader and the cut Friday, five of the final seven groups out will have Hawai'i players. Aloha Section PGA Player of the Year Kevin Hayashi (1:10 p.m.) and Beau Yokomoto (1:29 p.m.) go off the 10th tee. Parker McLachlin (1:01 p.m.), Michelle Wie (1:10 p.m.) and Brandan Kop (1:29 p.m), the only amateur in the field, start on the first tee. Dean Wilson and David Ishii start late tomorrow on the first tee and tee off early Friday from the 10th.

Sponsor exemptions: Sony gave one sponsor exemption to Michelle Wie and four more to players from the Japanese tour. Tadahiro Takayama ranked eighth on the JGTO last year, while Kaname Yokoo was 17th, Kiyoshi Miyazato 27th and Yusaku Miyazato 43rd. The Miyazatos' sister, Ai, was the medalist at the LPGA Qualifying School.

Moving up: All 21 of the players who graduated from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA Tour this year are playing Sony. Jason Gore was the tour's Player of the Year and Troy Matteson set a single-season earnings record, with $495,000. First prize at Sony is $918,000.

Champions Tour: Jay Haas, Mark Johnson, Mike Reid, Loren Roberts, Ron Streck and Ben Crenshaw will be playing in their first MasterCard Championship at Hualalai, next week on the Big Island. The tournament opens the Champions Tour season.

Haas, Johnson, Reid, Roberts and Streck won a combined six events last year — including two majors — to qualify for MasterCard. Crenshaw received one of four sponsor invitations.

Four senior players are at Sony this week — Haas, Roberts, Peter Jacobsen and Craig Stadler, who tied for ninth here a year ago

Waialae No. 9: Last year, only six of the 990 holes on the PGA Tour played easier than Waialae's No. 9, one of only two par-5s on the tournament course. Defending champion Vijay Singh eagled the ninth in the first two rounds last year, then birdied it both days on the weekend.

Pro-Am Tee Times

Today

First Tee

6:50 a.m.—Adam Scott. 7—Chad Campbell. 7:09—Craig Stadler. 7:18—Stewart Appleby. 7:27—Charles Howell. 7:36—Jay Haas. 7:45—Jim Furyk. 7:54—Joe Ogilvie. 8:03—Jason Bohn. 8:12—Shigeki Maruyama. 8:21—Bart Bryant. 8:30—Vijay Singh. 11:30—Kenny Perry. 11:39—Stewart Cink. 11:48—Hidemichi Tanaka. 11:57—Brad Faxon. 12:06 p.m.—Tom Pernice. 12:15—Jesper Parnevik. 12:24—Bo Van Pelt. 12:33—Justin Rose. 12:42—Peter Jacobsen. 12:51—Jerry Kelly. 1—Jeff Brehaut. 1:09—Woody Austin. 1:18—Jeff Sluman.

10th Tee

6:50 a.m.—Sean O’Hair. 7—Mark Calcavecchia. 7:09—Michelle Wie. 7:18—Billy Mayfair. 7:27—Lucas Glover. 7:36—Carlos Franco. 7:45—Carl Pettersson. 7:54—Peter Lonard. 8:03—Vaughn Taylor. 8:12—K.J. Choi. 8:21—Olin Browne. 8:30—David Toms. 11:30—Fred Funk. 11:39—Tim Petrovic. 11:48—Rich Beem. 11:57—Tom Lehman. 12:06 p.m.—Heath Slocum. 12:15—Shaun Micheel. 12:24—Jonathan Kaye. 12:33—Mike Weir. 12:42—Jason Gore. 12:51—Ryan Palmer. 1—Pat Perez. 1:09—Robert Gamez. 1:18—Dudley Hart.

Alternates—1, Joe Snyder. 2, Joe Durant. 3, Wes Short. 4, Charles Warren. 5, Aaron Baddeley. 6, Harrison Frazar. 7, Brett Quigley. 8, Arjun Atwal 9, Steve Lowery. 10, Arron Oberholser.

First-round tee times

Tomorrow

First tee

7:15 a.m.

Rory Sabbatini

Frank Lickliter II

Arron Oberholser

7:24

Paul Azinger

Craig Barlow

Bo Van Pelt

7:34

Craig Stadler

Harrison Frazar

Joey Snyder III

7:43

Robert Gamez

Woody Austin

Jeff Sluman

7:53

Brad Faxon

David Toms

David Duval

8:02

Carl Pettersson

Olin Browne

Tim Petrovic

8:12

Brent Geiberger

Stewart Cink

Shaun Micheel

8:21

Jeff Brehaut

Stephen Leaney

Tag Ridings

8:31

Will MacKenzie

Vance Veazey

Thaworn Wiratchant

8:40

Henrik Bjornstad

Daisuke Maruyama

Kevin Hayashi

8:50

Kris Cox

Bubba Dickerson

Steve Schneiter

8:59

Jon Mills

Alex Aragon

Beau Yokomoto

11:45

Jesper Parnevik

Corey Pavin

Richard S. Johnson

11:54

Todd Fischer

Dean Wilson

John Riegger

12:04 p.m.

Aaron Baddeley

Mathew Goggin

Jerry Smith

12:13

Stuart Appleby

Vijay Singh

Jonathan Kaye

12:23

Mark Calcavecchia

Peter Jacobsen

Craig Perks

12:32

Bart Bryant

Vaughn Taylor

Adam Scott

12:42

Tommy Armour III

Chris Riley

D.J. Trahan

12:51

Shigeki Maruyama

Charles Warren

Troy Matteson

1:01

Jeff Gove

D.A. Points

David Ishii

1:10

Ron Whittaker

John Engler Jr.

Jeremy Tucker

1:20

Jimmy Walker

Charley Hoffman

Charlie Wi

1:29

Shane Bertsch

J.B. Holmes

Kiyoshi Miyazato

10th tee

7:15 a.m.

Joe Ogilvie

Greg Chalmers

Patrick Sheehan

7:24

Tom Byrum

Alex Cejka

Arjun Atwal

7:34

John Cook

Jeff Maggert

Brett Quigley

7:43

Kenny Perry

Todd Hamilton

Chad Campbell

7:53

Heath Slocum

Sean OçHair

Tom Lehman

8:02

Peter Lonard

Loren Roberts

Rich Beem

8:12

Jason Gore

Jim Furyk

Mike Weir

8:21

John Huston

Daniel Chopra

Ryan Moore

8:31

Roger Tambellini

Nathan Green

Parker McLachlin

8:40

Chris Couch

Camilo Villegas

Michelle Wie

8:50

Bill Haas

Bubba Watson

Brad Elder

8:59

Nick Watney

David Branshaw

Brandan Kop

11:45

Jerry Kelly

Pat Perez

Hidemichi Tanaka

11:54

Charles Howell III

Jay Haas

Michael Allen

12:04 p.m.

Tom Pernice Jr.

Steve Lowery

James Driscoll

12:13

K.J. Choi

Jason Bohn

Steve Jones

12:23

Lucas Glover

Wes Short Jr.

Ryan Palmer

12:32

Fred Funk

Carlos Franco

Billy Mayfair

12:42

Joe Durant

Paul Goydos

Ryuji Imada

12:51

Dudley Hart

Justin Rose

Thomas Levet

1:01

David McKenzie

Jason Schultz

Shiv Kapur

1:10

Steven Bowditch

Robert Garrigus

Tadahiro Takayama

1:20

Hunter Mahan

Eric Axley

Kaname Yokoo

1:29

Nicholas Thompson

Jeff Overton

Yusaku Miyazato

Alternates—1, Matt Hansen. 2, Mike Sposa. 3, Ryan Hietala. 4, Greg Kraft. 5, Bill Glasson. 6, Michael Connell. 7, Brett Wetterich. 8, Mathias Gronberg. 9, B.J. Staten. 10, Boyd Summerhays.

Second Round

Friday

First Tee

7:15 a.m.

Jerry Kelly

Pat Perez

Hidemichi Tanaka

7:24

Charles Howell III

Jay Haas

Michael Allen

7:34

Tom Pernice Jr.

Steve Lowery

James Driscoll

7:43

K.J. Choi

Jason Bohn

Steve Jones

7:53

Lucas Glover

Wes Short Jr.

Ryan Palmer

8:02

Fred Funk

Carlos Franco

Billy Mayfair

8:12

Joe Durant

Paul Goydos

Ryuji Imada

8:21

Dudley Hart

Justin Rose

Thomas Levet

8:31

David McKenzie

Jason Schultz

Shiv Kapur

8:40

Steven Bowditch

Robert Garrigus

Tadahiro Takayama

8:50

Hunter Mahan

Eric Axley

Kaname Yokoo

8:59

Nicholas Thompson

Jeff Overton

Yusaku Miyazato

11:45

Joe Ogilvie

Greg Chalmers

Patrick Sheehan

11:54

Tom Byrum

Alex Cejka

Arjun Atwal

12:04 p.m.

John Cook

Jeff Maggert

Brett Quigley

12:13

Kenny Perry

Todd Hamilton

Chad Campbell

12:23

Heath Slocum

Sean OçHair

Tom Lehman

12:32

Peter Lonard

Loren Roberts

Rich Beem

12:42

Jason Gore

Jim Furyk

Mike Weir

12:51

John Huston

Daniel Chopra

Ryan Moore

1:01

Roger Tambellini

Nathan Green

Parker McLachlin

1:10

Chris Couch

Camilo Villegas

Michelle Wie

1:20

Bill Haas

Bubba Watson

Brad Elder

1:29

Nick Watney

David Branshaw

Brandan Kop

10th Tee

7:15 a.m.

Jesper Parnevik

Corey Pavin

Richard S. Johnson

7:24

Todd Fischer

Dean Wilson

John Riegger

7:34

Aaron Baddeley

Mathew Goggin

Jerry Smith

7:43

Stuart Appleby

Vijay Singh

Jonathan Kaye

7:53

Mark Calcavecchia

Peter Jacobsen

Craig Perks

8:02

Bart Bryant

Vaughn Taylor

Adam Scott

8:12

Tommy Armour III

Chris Riley

D.J. Trahan

8:21

Shigeki Maruyama

Charles Warren

Troy Matteson

8:31

Jeff Gove

D.A. Points

David Ishii

8:40

Ron Whittaker

John Engler Jr.

Jeremy Tucker

8:50

Jimmy Walker

Charley Hoffman

Charlie Wi

8:59

Shane Bertsch

J.B. Holmes

Kiyoshi Miyazato

11:45

Rory Sabbatini

Frank Lickliter II

Arron Oberholser

11:54

Paul Azinger

Craig Barlow

Bo Van Pelt

12:04 p.m.

Craig Stadler

Harrison Frazar

Joey Snyder III

12:13

Robert Gamez

Woody Austin

Jeff Sluman

12:23

Brad Faxon

David Toms

David Duval

12:32

Carl Pettersson

Olin Browne

Tim Petrovic

12:42

Brent Geiberger

Stewart Cink

Shaun Micheel

12:51

Jeff Brehaut

Stephen Leaney

Tag Ridings

1:01

Will MacKenzie

Vance Veazey

Thaworn Wiratchant

1:10

Henrik Bjornstad

Daisuke Maruyama

Kevin Hayashi

1:20

Kris Cox

Bubba Dickerson

Steve Schneiter

1:29

Jon Mills

Alex Aragon

Beau Yokomoto

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.