On Wednesday 15-year-old Michelle Wie from Honolulu, Hawaii made the move. At a press conference she made the announcement the golf world had been expecting; she was turning pro. As she spoke to the media, she was joined by representatives from Nike and Sony. Wie signed endorsement deals with the two companies which are worth roughly $10 million a year. It’s incredible to think a girl who has yet to turn 16 or get her driver’s license will make more from endorsements than Annika Sorenstam who is one of the greatest women golfers the game has ever seen.

Wie has the talent and the looks to do for the LPGA what Tiger Woods has done for the PGA. She finished in the top three in two of this years LPGA majors and has competed in several men’s tournaments. It’s only a matter of time before she is dominating the women’s game and competing at a higher level with the men. How long will it be before she wins a men’s event? I bet she’ll do it before her 20th birthday.

Over the next couple of years Wie will play a light tournament schedule so that she can finish high school. Once she graduates and is able to concentrate on golf full-time, the world of golf better watch out.

The LPGA is really catching on. I even had my TV on split screen today while watching the PGA. I see a lot of young girls/women becoming interested in golf in the near future. Just look at the success of some of the younger women golfers. In the LPGA Championship that finished today, Michelle Wie, a 15-year-old amateur, finished in 2nd place. Paula Creamer, who just graduated from high school, tied for third after winning her first tournament just a few weeks back. Both of these young women are beautiful and are great faces for golf. Natalie Gulbis, who is one of the most attractive women in sports and another young talent at the age of 22, finished tied for 5th. Add in Annika Sorenstam, who has dominated the LPGA over the last few years while winning 6 of the 8 events she has entered this year, and women’s golf is quickly becoming a hot item in more ways than one.