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Here is a young athlete whose dreams are only limited by her own imagination, not by those who make judgements against her or by a society not accustomed to men and women competing against each other. Here is a school girl who has set her goals to play on both the men's and the women's golf tours and already has. Here is a courageous individual who has shared with the world – despite the skeptics and criticism – her dream of being the first woman to play in The Masters, staged each year at an all-male membership club, Augusta National. Wie has already become the first female to be a medalist in a local qualifier for the Men's US Open. She later competed against 152 players in the final stage of the US Open qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey, where she finished 59th. Wie was also the youngest female to make a cut in any professional male tour event when she qualified at the 2006 SK Telecom Open on the Asian Tour.  All eyes on the green. Just this week, Wie tied for second in the Evian Masters. In March, she tied for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship. In May, she tied for fifth in the LPGA Championship, and in June, Wie tied for third in the US Women's Open. Her upcoming schedule is an integrated mix of challenges and includes the women's British Open and the Samsung World Championship on the LPGA Tour, and the 84 Lumber Classic on the PGA Tour. She will become the first woman to play in a men's European Tour event when she competes in the Omega European Masters. The girl possesses the skill of hitting a golf ball better than 99.9 per cent of the people in the world, male or female. She has shown the grace, charm and wisdom of a person three times her age and experience. And most importantly, Wie has displayed the kind of mental toughness she will need to endure the critics, to handle the rigors of the game and survive the public scrutiny that will follow her. Yes, she has already earned millions and will continue to be compensated nicely for her heroics. Michelle's journey has come at a time when her labors and visions can be rewarded financially, when talent agencies, sports marketers and promoters can put a value on her talents and reap the rewards along with her. That may be the biggest difference between the heroes and visionaries of the past who broke down barriers without earning huge dollars, and a prodigy like Michelle Wie who can follow her dream and earn big pots of gold along the way. But never underestimate how difficult her journey will be. The pressure on her to win tournaments, Majors, and make cuts on the PGA Tour will only intensify. The expectations on her to satisfy the masses, who are intrigued by her, will expand. And the requests and infringements on her personal life will multiply. She will continue to be scrutinized, questioned and criticized. She will be more under the microscope than Tiger Woods, who has learned to guard his privacy and take criticism for it. As she gets older and wiser, she will need more strength and energy to handle the challenges and pressures associated with breaking down barriers. And although she may not know it for years to come, her journey will have a tremendous impact on our society, open up opportunities for other young women who dare to be different and inspire boys and girls to set goals and work hard to attain them. And most importantly, her success and refreshing mindset will teach more people to think innocently, limitlessly and without exclusions. Ann Liguori earned 16 Varsity Sports letters in high school. She played on the boy's tennis team because there was no girl's team at the time. As a pioneer herself in the sports broadcasting industry, Ann has played ball with the boys her entire career and adores playing golf with them. You can contact her at
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