Michelle Wie's next golf sighting comes in two weeks when she plays the $1.5 million J Golf Phoenix LPGA International in Arizona. The Punahou graduate is finishing her fourth quarter at Stanford and will trade dorms for her driver after that, taking the spring and summer off to pursue her other passion — golf.

Wie earned LPGA playing privileges by finishing seventh at December's Qualifying School. She was second to Angela Stanford in her debut as a member, at last month's SBS Open at Turtle Bay. She returned for her sophomore year at Stanford and hasn't played since.

If Wie wins at Phoenix, or is in the Top 30 on the money list when it is over (she is currently ninth), she qualifies for the Kraft Nabisco. The year's first major is the following week.

SBS was Wie's 48th LPGA start, with the previous 47 coming through exemptions and at majors where she earned her way in. She has 14 Top-10 finishes and a proven ability to create rare excitement.

Her appearance at Turtle Bay inspired a 28 percent ratings bump for The Golf Channel from last year, when Annika Sorenstam won. The final round was the fourth-highest LPGA event ever viewed on TGC, according to GolfWorld.

The http://www.lpga.com site had 52 million page views during this year's SBS, up 55 percent from last year and the second-best page view total for a non-major. The best was the 2006 Evian Masters, where Wie was also second.

She is No. 84 in this week's Rolex World Rankings, one of 23 Americans in the Top 100.

Wie and the William Morris Agency LLC talent agency have parted ways after four years, according to a Bloomberg News report. Wie, 19, signed with the agency in October 2005 shortly after launching her pro career.

At the time, she was the only athlete at the Los Angeles-based talent and literary agency that dates to 1898 and has represented actors such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

Signing with the company was "solely" Michelle's choice, her father, BJ, said then. "Michelle is very excited about this season and a fresh start," BJ wrote in an e-mailed response to questions about the split. "Michelle enjoyed working with WMA, and has nothing but positive things to say about the company. This is a fresh start for Michelle on the course and off."

Neither Wie's father nor the agency would provide details about the split. Michelle is expected to sign with IMG, according to a Golfweek report. IMG's list of LPGA clients includes Paula Creamer, Sorenstam, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel and Se Ri Pak.

Wie ranked fifth on Forbes magazine's 2008 list of highest-paid female athletes, with $12 million worth of deals, primarily with Nike Inc. and Sony Corp.

She was the youngest to qualify for a USGA amateur tournament at 10 and youngest to win one at 13. She played the 2004 Sony Open in Hawai'i at 14 and became the first female to shoot in the 60s (68) at a PGA Tour event, missing the cut by a shot.

She was runner-up at half the LPGA majors in 2005 and turned pro near her 16th birthday, but injuries sidetracked her career much of the past two years.