This has certainly been the Year of Hawai'i in the headlines:

Barack Obama. Bryan Clay. Shane Victorino. Parker McLachlin. Ken Niumatalolo. Clay Stanley. Natasha Kai. Waipi'o Little League World Series champions. And, oh yes, University of Hawai'i's first BCS appearance with nearly 10,000 fans going to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl against Georgia on New Year's Day. Never mind the outcome.

But the one name missing is one we all thought not very long ago would surely have been the biggest newsmaker of them all in this or any other year — Michelle Wie.

Well, Wie still has time before the year ends to join the other notable newsmakers by earning an exemption on the LPGA Tour exemption in 2009 at this week's national qualifying tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. It would be a great finish to the Year of Hawai'i.

It won't be easy. If she thought Stanford was tough, it's nothing compared to the five-day qualifying — golf's school of hard knocks — in which one mistake can be magnified because you're shooting the works for a chance to qualify and play on the tour for a full year. Talk about pressure.

A lot is riding for Wie in her most important week of the year. It's a chance to silence her detractors once and for all by doing it the hard way — earning it. No soliciting sponsor's exemptions, currying special favors or tweaking eligibility rules to get into tournaments.

That said, I thought BJ and Bo Wie had chosen the right career path for their only child. Even the initial idea of playing against men. A dumb move? Not at all. It intrigued sponsors and resulted in millions of dollars in endorsements for Michelle, something which Annika Sorenstam couldn't command even as the greatest women's golfer.

Besides, Wie nearly earned her way on to the LPGA Tour by going the pick-and-choose route in using the six allowed sponsor's exemptions. She would have earned enough money to be exempt for 2009 had she just signed her scorecard after the second round of the LPGA State Farm Classic. She was 17-under par after rounds of 67-65-67 and only one stroke off the lead when she was notified of the costly oversight and disqualified.

There's no question that the Wie, who burst on the national scene as a young golf prodigy with elan, has already proved she has more than the potential to become a dominant player in women's golf. She earned $816,708 in LPGA events, although unofficial money because she's not a member of the tour. And she collected that amount only after turning pro in late 2005. It's not counting any money she could have earned with seven top-10 finishes, including in four majors, if she weren't an amateur.

Wie has been around with us for so long — she played in her first LPGA event, the 2002 Takefuji Classic, at Waikoloa as a 12-year-old — that it's hard to imagine that she just turned 19 in October and will still be regarded as an LPGA rookie next year if . . .

It's a big IF, of course, getting through Q-School successfully. She first needs to be among the top 70 players and ties after the 72-hole cut, and Wie got off to a solid start yesterday with a 3-under 69 that put her in a tie for sixth. She'll then need a top-20 finish to gain full exempt status for 2009. Those finishing 21 through 40 can get into tournaments, according to a nonexempt priority ranking, but the chances of playing are slim to none as nine of the 31 official money events next year will have a limited field. So making it through the Q-School this year is more important than ever for Wie and the rest of the LPGA wannabes.

You've got to like Wie's chances this week. She has already proved herself in women's golf, probably having more LPGA tournament experience than most of the other 142 players in the final qualifying field. The talent's there, and I think the motivation as well, especially after two years mired in a metaphorical rough, which often was literal because of tee shots as maddeningly erratic as some of the field-goal attempts by UH's Dan Kelly this season.

But you know what? I think Wie's short game and putting have improved markedly as a result of having to go up and down to save par after missing so many fairways the past two years. Maybe it's all part of a maturation process for the one-time phenom who's realizing that merely driving for show isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

So let's hope she succeeds this week. I'm sure I'm not the only one pulling for her to succeed. If anything, the LPGA also needs Wie to make it to help boost the women's tour, especially now that Sorenstam has retired and new television contracts need to be negotiated. And, hey, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Cristie Kerr and the other Americans need some help fending off all those South Koreans when Lorena Ochoa isn't winning.

Stacy Lewis, another up-and-coming American star who's also trying to get her playing card despite finishing tied for third in the U.S. Women's Open, said in pre-tournament interview: "Michelle is definitely a draw ... Everywhere she goes, there is a crowd, so I think it would definitely help the LPGA but that's also a lot of pressure for her."

It would also help golf locally, especially the LPGA events at Turtle Bay and Kapalua next year. A Michelle Wie Sighting would make their day.

First things first, though, and it's the Q-School this week. Here's hoping it'll be a good outing for Wie and not another detour. Her parents might have burned a few bridges along the way, but none of them has led to nowhere. Failing Q-School isn't the end of the road for her. She'll just have to take the same well-traveled path of asking for exemptions and trying to gain an exempt status by either winning a tournament or finishing among the 80 top money winners.

This time, though, you know she won't forget to sign her scorecard.