Aiming at the men: will Michelle Wie's success affect the future of women in professional sports?

At 16, Michelle Wie is already a star, attracting the attention of sponsors and players alike. But her age isn't the only thing that has people talking: Unlike other female golfers, she considers Tiger Woods her competition, not women's tour star Annika Sorenstam.

This summer, Wie, a native of Hawaii, became the first woman to qualify for a men's United States Golf Association championship and fell just short of receiving an invitation to the Masters, one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. Successes like these have left Wie convinced of her place as one of the boys and less excited about being a star among women.

But not everyone approves of her playing against men. Some Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) players worry that her playing in the PGA would delegitimize their own tour. Pro golfer Nancy Lopez even called Wie's obsession with the men's tour "a little insulting," given that she hasn't won a women's tour event.

TITLE IX'S IMPACT

Why is one teen's whim so important? For some, Wie embodies a spirit of inclusion and equality, showing how far society has come since Title IX--a 1972 federal law that prohibits gender-based discrimination in schools receiving federal funds and has greatly expanded sports opportunities for girls.

"She is a perfect example of the state of gender in our society as far as having access and opportunity," says Jeff O'Brien, an expert on gender issues in sports at Northeastern University. "Girls are growing up believing they can do whatever they want."

ROLE MODEL OR SETBACK?

But for others, Wie's enamored view of the PGA plays into cultural biases in sports, reflecting a greater focus on men's sports in American society. "By the TV deals and the endorsement money, dunk highlights on ESPN, and the salaries male athletes are paid," says O'Brien, "society is inherently saying what we value: men's sports."

So the Wie conundrum raises the question: Is she a role model for women, a potential setback for the LPGA Tour, or perhaps both?

Selena Roberts covers sports for The Times.