Wie, already familiar with fame, should land many endorsements

Everywhere she goes, people can't help but notice Michelle Wie.

As a 13-year-old warming up on the practice range for a junior pro-am at the Sony Open in Honolulu, she drew the attention of PGA Tour players who stopped to watch her launch tee shots that approached the 300-yard marker.

Now 15, Wie is on the verge of commanding top money. The junior at Punahou School in Honolulu is about to turn pro, and endorsements estimated to be worth as much as $10 million a year await.

Two sources close to Wie, speaking on condition of anonymity because she is still an amateur, said the announcement will not be made until endorsement deals are signed.

That could be done before the Samsung World Championship, which starts Oct. 13, two days after her 16th birthday. It will be the eighth and final LPGA Tour event Wie plays this year.

"There is nothing to say until everything is completed," her father, B.J. Wie, said Wednesday.

He added that "we are getting close," but said her decision to turn pro would not be related to Samsung.

"It doesn't have to be associated with a tournament she would play," the father said. "There is no target date we have to meet."

When it happens, she could become the highest-paid female golfer in the world.

One deal that is nearing completion is with Nike, which is no surprise. Wie has been playing its irons and golf ball the last two years, and often wears the swoosh on her clothing. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal could be worth anywhere from $4 million to $5 million a year.

She also is working on a deal with an Asian-based electronics company that could be worth about $3 million a year.

Annika Sorenstam, the best player in women's golf, makes about $7 million a year in endorsements. No other female golfer is remotely close.

"Did I hear she might make $10 million a year?" David Toms said Wednesday. "I'd like to get half that much. And I've won a tournament."

Projections were that Wie could command up to $20 million a year in endorsements.