Statistically, Michelle Wie has been all over the golf map in her three Sony Open in Hawai'i performances.

This year was the 16-year-old's best for driving at Waialae Country Club. She averaged 286 yards off the tee — 15 better than her first appearance in 2004, when she missed the cut by one, and almost 20 yards longer than last year, when she missed by seven. The rest of the Sony field averaged 293.3 yards the first two days.

Wie hit fewer fairways this year (50 percent), but more greens in regulation (58.3 percent) than in any previous appearance. Her putting — an average of 1.762 per green — was better than last year (1.895) but not as good as 2004 (1.700).

In contrast, Wie hit more fairways than the field average here the first two days this year (43.9), and putted better (1.811). Her greens in regulation were below the average (64.4).

Wie's roller-coaster performance this year — an opening-round 79 followed by a 68 — inspired her to wonder if she was "possessed" Thursday. Friday's sub-par round brought her back to reality, at least the way the Punahou School junior sees it.

She was the first woman to shoot in the 60s in a PGA Tour event when she did it two years ago. Now she is also the second.

"Today I think I felt a lot better than when I shot a 68 two years ago," Wie said Friday. "I just felt a lot more comfortable today. You know, I think I'm getting better. Yesterday I didn't show it at all. Even though I played bad yesterday, I still think I had something inside and it showed today so I'm glad."

According to Wie, her next tournament will be next month. There have been no announcements or commitments yet, but the LPGA opens in Hawai'i next month. The SBS Open at Turtle Bay, where Wie finished second to Jennifer Rosales last year, is Feb. 16 to 18. The inaugural Fields Open in Hawai'i at Ko Olina — one of her home courses — is Feb. 23 to 25.

Until then, she'll catch up on schoolwork and try to calm her nerves for her driver's license test Tuesday.

She is not worried about the people who believe she should start winning LPGA events before she returns to the PGA.

"I respect what they say. I mean it kind of makes sense in a way," Wie said. "But you know, this is what I want to do and I think that what I want to do is most important and I feel like, you know, my goal is definitely to win in the LPGA, win a major. My goal is definitely to make the cut and to compete out here."

BIG DRIVES FOR WATSON

Even if Fred Funk was taller than 5 feet, 8 inches, he would have looked pretty small to Bubba Watson, his longball-hitting third-round partner in yesterday's Sony Open in Hawai'i.

Watson, whose average drive was 318.9 yards yesterday, said he was out-driving Funk by "50 to 40 yards" on average.

And, Funk is, "already pretty small," said the 6-3 Watson.

Watson, a PGA Tour rookie, led the Nationwide Tour in driving distance with a 334-yard average last year, second longest in Tour history.

Asked if Funk mentioned anything about the difference in distance, Watson said, "No, he tried to stay away. No, we didn't even (talk about it). I mean, he knew it. I knew it. We didn't even talk about it."

Not that the situation is exclusive to Funk. "If I hit it like I want to, I haven't seen a person yet (that can match his distance) that's on Tour," Watson said.

WIE ARE WATCHING

Thursday's opening round of the Sony Open earned its highest rating in its three years of having Michelle Wie in the field.

Despite her 9-over-par struggles, an ESPN spokesman said the network's opening round drew a 0.70 rating, equating to roughly 630,000 households for the 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Eastern time block.

Last year's opening round drew a 0.60 and 2003 a 0.67.

This is the final year ESPN will do the Sony Open. Beginning next year The Golf Channel will show the event through at least 2010.

SHORT PUTTS