She played conservatively at times Thursday, leaving herself with several putts from 40 feet.
"If I make it to Saturday, I'm going to go at every flag," she said, her eyes lighting up.
For a while, it looked like Wie was headed for a high score.
She was 3 over par after a bogey on No. 1, and she pulled her tee shot into a deep bunker on the par-3 fourth, blasting out some 20 feet past the hole.
She made it for par -- the longest putt she made all day -- then recovered from a three-putt bogey on No. 5 with a shot that defines her potential.
Wie pulled her drive into the left rough, where it nestled down so low a marshal had to mark it with a tiny flag.
From 201 yards away, she hit a knockdown 3-iron that came out low and hot, then rolled up to 25 feet, setting up an unlikely birdie.
Wie finished her round in style, blasting out of the greenside bunker on the par-5 ninth to 10 feet and holing it for birdie and a 72 -- one stroke worse than Sorenstam's opening round at Colonial.
She was one stroke better than Dean Wilson of Hawaii and Scot Hoch, and three shots better than Kevin Hayashi, whom she calls "Uncle Kevin." He qualified as the top club pro from the Aloha Section, and when the round was over, Hayashi presented Wie with a purple lei.
"I'm not the only guy she's going to beat," Hayashi said after his 75. "The only thing we have in common is our age. I'm 41, she's 14. At least we've got the same numbers."
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