The Associated Press

HONOLULU - Michelle Wie hardly looked out of place Thursday at the Sony Open. Give her time, and the 14-year-old might prove she belongs on the PGA Tour.

Wie, believed to be the youngest player ever on the PGA Tour, made three birdies in a respectable round of 2-over 72.

The ninth-grader made quite an impression beyond the two drives she hit more than 300 yards.

"I looked at her today as another player," said Craig Bowden, her playing partner, who posted a 70.

Only when they chatted did Bowden realize this was no ordinary player on a sponsor's exemption.

"We don't have a lot in common," Bowden said. "I asked her when she was going to get her driver's license."

Wie is the third female to play on the PGA Tour in the last eight months, following Annika Sorenstam at the Colonial and Connecticut club pro Suzy Whaley at the Greater Hartford Open. Both missed the cut, and Wie probably will do the same.

She was 45th among the 72 players who had morning tee times at Waialae Country Club, but Wie was not in the top 100 as the first round headed for a conclusion.

The top 70 and ties qualify for the weekend.

Wie said she probably would have to shoot a 66 - her best round at Waialae is a 65 - to make the cut. Whatever happens, she has no reason to stop pursuing her dream of playing on the PGA Tour someday.

"I can play here, but I have to work harder on my game," Wie said. "I never felt out of place."

Carlos Franco, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, made an eagle on No. 9 and was flawless on the back to shoot 63. That gave the early lead and a two-shot lead over three others, including David Ishii of Hawaii.

Vijay Singh recovered from a double bogey on the par-3 fourth hole to shoot 69.

OLDEST PGA MEMBER DIES: Harold Sanderson, the oldest member of the PGA and the organization's second-longest serving member behind Gene Sarazen, has died at 100.

Sanderson died Dec. 31, 2003, at the Roanoke United Methodist Home in Virginia, the PGA said on its Web site.

Sanderson was a PGA member for 77 years, second only to Sarazen's 78 years of service.

Sanderson was a touring pro briefly in the l920s before the PGA Tour was organized. His best finish in a major was a 49th in the 1932 U.S. Open, won by Sarazen.

Sanderson is survived by two daughters, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

He was buried in Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge, N.J.