By DAVID BROWN, Standard-Times staff writer American teenage golf sensation Michelle Wie waves on the third hole during the final round of the US$600,000 SK Telecom Open at Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 7, 2006. Wie made her first cut in a professional men's tournament Friday after shooting a 3-under-par 69 in the Asian Tour's SK Telecom Open. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) NEWPORT, R.I. ?Michelle Wie, go to Newport Country Club. Do not pass a qualifier, just go directly to the U.S. Women's Open. The U.S. Golf Association said yesterday that Wie, golf's 16-year-old man-beating phenom, has accepted a special exemption into this year's Open, which will be held June 29 through July 2 in Newport. The field already included LPGA stars Annika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb, but tournament organizers were ecstatic to add Wie, a player whose popularity transcends the average golf fan, tournament co-chairman Brenda Carlin said yesterday. "They call it the 'Michelle Factor,'" Carlin said. "That's going to really get attention. That's huge." MORE INFO Open Season What: The 2006 U.S. Women's Open When: June 29-July 2 Where: Newport Country Club What's at stake: A total purse of $3.1 million, $560,000 for the winner. Tickets: Starting at $40 for a one-day pass, they can be purchased by calling (877) 325-GOLF, through the Web site www.2006uswomensopen.com or the 2006 U.S. Women's Open Public Shop at 71 Long Wharf in Newport. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just a junior in high school, Wie may already be the most popular female golfer in the world. She gave up her amateur status in October (a week before her 16th birthday), and has drawn considerable attention for competing in eight men's events. Wie made a men's cut for the first time earlier this month at the SK Telecom Open in South Korea. Yesterday, she won a first-stage local qualifier in Hawaii for the men's U.S. Open. Wie, believed to be the first woman to win a local qualifier, still has to get through a sectional qualifier in New Jersey next month to make it to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York. "Playing in two U.S. Opens, the men's and the women's, I think that's remarkable," Wie said. Wie's appearance at Newport CC is sure to draw comparisons to another budding golf superstar who left his mark on the same course. Tiger Woods, then 19, won the second of three straight U.S. Amateur titles at Newport in 1995. This is Wie's second free pass into the Women's Open (she also had an exemption in 2004), and this one is all about the money, the USGA said. "It was based on one reason, one criteria ?money earned as a golf professional," USGA Executive Director David Fay said yesterday in Newport. "To not exempt her into the U.S. Women's Open, given the amount of money she made this year, would have been a form of age discrimination." The USGA awards automatic exemptions to the top 35 money winners on the LPGA Tour each year. Wie is not old enough to join that tour, but she has won $181,449 as a pro in 2006, which would be good for 16th on the list. "It was not a difficult decision to make," Fay said. "It was strictly money." Still, some players have said that Wie should have to go through the conventional qualifying process to play in the Open. "I don't see why she shouldn't, or why she should be afraid, or expect an exemption," said Morgan Pressel, who tied for second in last year's Women's Open. Speaking yesterday in Newport, last year's Open champion, Birdie Kim, said Wie deserves the exemption. "I think she has the experience to play and she's (currently) No. 2 in the world rankings. I think she's qualified," Kim said. "She's been playing well and I believe that even if she'd gone through the qualifying, she'd do well enough to qualify." Wie also accepted a sponsor's exemption yesterday into the Omega European Masters, another men's event. The USGA gave another special exemption to Kelly Robbins, who finished second in the 2003 Open, third in 2004 and had to withdraw from last year's tournament because of a back injury that caused her to miss most of the 2005 season. Although she can't join the LPGA Tour until she turns 18, Wie made the cut in all four women's majors last year. She would have earned $697,144 if she'd been a pro in 2005, enough to finish 12th on the money list. She already has two third-place finishes in LPGA events this year and hasn't missed an LPGA cut since she was 13. After qualifying for last year's Women's Open, Wie was tied for the lead heading into the final round, but shot an 82 to slip to a 23rd-place finish. If she's in the hunt again this year, it could put a lasting stamp on the event, Carlin said. "The caliber of the women that are going to play here are going to be incredible, so whoever is in (the final group) it's going to be fabulous," said Diana DiBari, Carlin's co-chair. "But it wouldn't hurt to have Michelle here (in the final group) on the final day," Carlin replied. "Or Annika," DiBari said. "Yeah, or Annika," Carlin said. Information from the Associated Press was used for this report.