Youngster Song growing up quickly in Tour atmosphere

Adam Candee

Monday, April 12, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

Here is the list of entries for this week's LPGA Takefuji Classic, which is scheduled to be played at the Las Vegas Country Club from Thursday - Saturday:

Anna Acker-Macosko

Shi Hyun Ahn

Kristi Albers

Amy Alcott

Helen Alfredsson

Danielle Ammaccapane

Donna Andrews

Beth Bader

Marisa Baena

Tina Barrett

Jean Bartholomew

Beth Bauer

Patricia Baxter-Johnson

Isabelle Beisiegel

Luciana Bemvenuti

Allie Bloomquist

Nanci Bowen

Heather Bowie

Ashli Bunch

Audra Burks

Brandie Burton

Jeanne-Marie Busuttil

Catherine Cartwright

Clarissa Childs

Il Mi Chung

Dawn Coe-Jones

Jane Crafter

Diana D'Alessio

Eva Dahllof

Heather Daly-Donofrio

Jenna Daniels

Dorothy Delasin

Annette DeLuca

Lisa DePaulo

Laura Diaz

Moira Dunn

A.J. Eathorne

Dale Eggeling

Michelle Estill

Cindy Figg-Currier

Allison Finney

Amy Fruhwirth

Akiko Fukushima

Jackie Gallagher-Smith

Tonya Gill

Vicki Goetze-Ackerman

Kate Golden

Natalie Gulbis

Sophie Gustafson

Carmen Hajjar

Lisa Hall

Penny Hammel

Hee-Won Han

Candy Hannemann

Tracy Hanson

Marcy Hart

Nancy Harvey

Riko Higashio

Juli Hilton

Maria Hjorth

Jamie Hullett

Pat Hurst

Juli Inkster

Becky Iverson

Brandi Jackson

Jeong Jang

Seol-An Jeon

Nicole Jeray

Angela Jerman

Chris Johnson

Cathy Johnston-Forbes

Rosie Jones

Lorie Kane

Soo-Yun Kang

Laureal Kean

Cristie Kerr

Denise Killeen

Christina Kim

Mi-Hyun Kim

Soo Young Kim

Young Kim

Emilee Klein

Carin Koch

Kelli Kuehne

Candie Kung

Kelly Lagedrost

Jung Yeon Lee

Siew-Ai Lim

Yu Ping Lin

Stephanie Louden

Marilyn Lovander

Hilary Lunke

Mardi Lunn

Kathryn Marshall

Catriona Matthew

Michelle McGann

Jill McGill

Mhairi McKay

Janice Moodie

Soo Young Moon

Laura Myerscough

Miriam Nagl

Liselotte Neumann

Gloria Park

Grace Park

Jenny Park-Choi

Kristal Parker-Manzo

Mikaela Parmlid

Karen Pearce

Dottie Pepper

Joan Pitcock

Stacy Prammanasudh

Reilley Rankin

Cindy Rarick

Michelle Redman

Deb Richard

Laurie Rinker

Jennifer Rosales

Kim Saiki

Cindy Schreyer

Nancy Scranton

Pearl Sinn-Bonanni

Aree Song

Charlotta Sorenstam

Angela Stanford

Sherri Steinhauer

Suzanne Strudwick

Karen Stupples

Nadina Taylor

Rachel Teske

Kris Tschetter

Sherri Turner

Lee Ann Walker-Cooper

Wendy Ward

Shani Waugh

Maggie Will

Kim Williams

Ashley Winn

Chiharu Yamaguchi

Young-A Yang

Sponsor's exemptions Linda Ishii

In-Bee Park (amateur)

Monday qualifiers

To be determined

Alternates

Russamee Gulyanamitta

Jinny Lee

Sunny Lee

Jessica Reese

Amy Chin Huei Hung

Jen Hannai

Katherine Hull

Carrie Roberts

Angela Buzminski

Diane Irvin

Kristen Samp

Celeste Troche

Kris Lindstrom

Stacy Snider

Vikki Laing

Michele Vinieratos

Carri Wood

Angie Rizzo

Krista Bartless

Leslie Spalding

Kelly Cap

Hidden somewhere behind the peripheral curiosities that frame Aree Song is the misplaced point: A heck of a 17-year-old professional golfer sports the game and the poise to become her very own big story in the LPGA.

Song confidently punched her way into that position just two weeks ago, with the fist pump that punctuated a 35-foot eagle putt on the final hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. That stellar effort nearly forced a playoff with eventual champion Grace Park, and it certainly announced Song's arrival in her first major as a card-carrying tour pro.

It certainly was not her first major, though -- Song, then using her mother's name of Wongluekiet, played in the final group of the Nabisco in 1999 as a 13-year-old. She also finished fifth at the U.S. Women's Open in 2003 and has not missed a cut in six majors played. That and a number of other tour appearances as an amateur helped Song's fast start as a pro, which she hopes to continue at this week's LPGA Takefuji Classic at Las Vegas Country Club.

"I think because I'm used to growing up playing against people older than me, it's not really a pressure thing," Song said.

Song does not turn 18 until May 1, so she petitioned the LPGA for an exemption allowing her to go to Q-School last August to earn her tour card. LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw met with her and left impressed by Song's mental preparation for handling tour life at a young age.

"Aree has demonstrated the ability to compete at the highest level in LPGA events as an amateur during the past four years," Votaw said in a statement at the time.

Song finished tied for fifth to make the tour. That is quite a way from her beginnings in golf just a decade earlier, when 7-year-old Aree reluctantly began playing while the family still lived in Thailand.

"I would rather spend my afternoon inside playing with Barbies than going outside in the sun," Song said.

A little bit of success quickly changed Song's attitude toward the sport.

"Once I started winning all these tournaments, it was a lot more fun," Song said.

Song and her sister, Naree, played together growing up and became a dual sensation as the Wongluekiet twins. They dominated the amateur ranks, though Aree began to emerge as more advanced in the early teen years as she earned either top national junior or amateur honors from 2000-03.

That perspective makes it interesting for Song to observe Wie, as the young 6-foot Hawaiian grabs plenty of attention and scrutiny. Song is fast becoming a popular target for questions about what Wie's experience is like.

"It's fun to watch her play," Song said of Wie. "She plays a really different game to most people. I sort of get a feel for what she is going through."

Both Song and Wie are pupils of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Song's family moved to the United States soon after the girls began playing golf and headed for the renowned golf school in Florida, where they spent most of their lives in junior and amateur golf.

The Wongluekiets switched to their father's more fan-friendly name of Song at the 2002 U.S. Women's Open, also choosing to list their home country as their dad's native Korea at the same time. (The family actually just moved from Bradenton, Fla., to Orlando this winter.)

Naree had already decided to play at the University of Florida when Aree qualified for the tour, separating the Thai-born duo for the first time. Naree has since left school to play on the Futures Tour, the LPGA's minor-league circuit.

Although the family is separated -- their mother travels with Naree and their father with Aree, with their brother playing golf at Georgia Tech -- Aree still feels that her bond with Naree is strong.

"It keeps us both motivated practicing and playing against each other," Song said. "We also support and push each other when we need it."

The drive, however, stays on the course for the Songs, a pleasant surprise that Aree credits for her ability to stay focused when she plays.

"When we're off the course, we don't spend much time talking about golf," Song said. "I'm sharper that way."

Song has been plenty sharp in her first pro season, starting with a tie for fifth at the season-opening tournament in Tucson. She followed that with a tie for 19th in Phoenix before just missing an improbable chance at a major the next week.

Song, however, sees her pro career as much more of a marathon than a sprint.

"The main thing is to learn about the courses we play and the travel," Song said, adding that it is important to "try and stay healthy and not get burned out toward the end of the season."