Wie aims to change face of golf forever

"I'm the kind of person where if I really want to do something I just have to do it," said the Hawaii-born American. "If I accomplish that dream, golf is going to change because that will be the first woman to play in the Masters."

A 14-year-old's fantasy? Not quite. The reality is that a path is already being beaten to the gates of Magnolia Lane.

Those engaged in an acrimonious debate on whether Wie deserved a special exemption from qualifying for next month's US Women's Open, granted by the United States Golf Association, appear to be blind to the bigger picture.

Wie will be a genuine challenger for the US Open title - she was fourth in the Kraft Nabisco major earlier this year - and that will draw valuable media and spectator interest to the Orchards club in Massachusetts on 1-4 July.

But the advancement of women's golf will be served even better by this willowy 6ft prodigy sending booming 280-yard drives beyond the reach of some of her older male rivals in the Masters.

Wie's ticket to Georgia is victory in the US Public Links Championship, being staged at the Rush Creek Golf Club in Minnesota on 12-17 July, which earns an automatic invitation to the Masters.

However, qualifying for the Public Links - traditionally contested by men but open to women - takes place at the same time as qualifying for the US Women's Open. Conveniently, that clash has now been avoided. Koreabornuniversity lecturer BJ Wie confirmed his daughter will now attend the Public Links qualifying round next week.

There, the task facing this ninthgrade student will be rather more difficult than anything she might have been set for homework.

At Wie's qualifying venue, the Manada course in Hershey, Pennsylvania, 87 players will be chasing just two spots in the 156-player final.

That number is set to be reduced to 64 after two rounds of strokeplay golf. Assuming she still survives, Wie will then have to win six matchplay rounds to earn that precious invite.

The reigning US Women's Amateur Public Links champion - Wie won the title at the age of 13 to become the youngest winner of an adult tournament in the USGA's 109-year history - remains undaunted.

Wie said: "Even though it's hard, and I'm going to have to practise really hard, I really want to achieve it."

Swing guru David Leadbetter, whose coaching helped Wie produce rounds of 72 and 68 to miss the cut by just one stroke at the "men's" Sony Open in January, has no doubts his charge is Masters-bound.

"It could happen sooner rather than later," he said. "If Michelle has anything to do with it there will be a woman player at the Masters before there's a woman member at Augusta."

There's a lot of ifs, but it certainly will be fun watching this phenomenon progress.