Natalie Gulbis started playing golf at the age of 4. Even at that young age she was able to hit the ball 100 yards off the tee, a sign of things to come. By the time she was 10, she was making huge noise in Hawaii. At that age she made her first try at qualifying for the PGA tour event held there. While she did not come close to qualifying, shooting an 84, it was still an amazing achievement. That year, 2000, she also became the youngest girl to ever qualify for a USGA event, in this case the US Women's Public Links Championship.

By the time she was 12, Wie had grown to nearly six feet in height, and was frequently blasting drives in excess of 300 yards. The PGA pros that got a look at her were astonished; Tom Lehman gave her the nickname 'The Big Wiesy', because, like Ernie Els (aka the Big Easy), her swing was smooth and powerful. In January of 2002, she made history again by qualifying for the LPGA's Takefuji Classic, the youngest to ever do so. Though she missed the cut, it was a good learning experience for her.

In 2003, she tried again to qualify for the Sony Open. This time she shot a 73 and finished 47th out of 96 players. This got her so much notoriety that she was offered a plethora of LPGA sponsor exemptions throughout the season.

This, combined with an amazing 9th place finish at the Nabisco Championship a few weeks later, propelled Michelle into the media spotlight; she is arguably the best known of all the players on this site, though she is still (probably) years away from turning pro!

Michelle ended up playing many LPGA events throughout the year, making the cut in all but one of them. She also played two men's events, though she did not come close to making the cut in either one. Unfortunately, she played relatively few amateur and girl's events, but did manage to win one of them, the prestigious Women's Public Links Championship (again the youngest ever to do so). This was her first significant national level title.

In 2004, the PGA's Sony Open finally decided to give her a sponsor's exemption into the event. She made it count, shooting 72-68 to miss the cut by only a single stroke, garnering yet again more headlines. A few months after that, she put herself into contention at the first LPGA Major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, eventually finishing 4th, and she also had a good finish at the US Women's Open later that year.

2005 was another great year for Wie. Although she did not do so well at her second attempt at the Sony Open, later in the year she was given another PGA exemption into the John Deere field. With just a few holes to go in round 2, she was several shots below the cut, and looked assured of making it. But then she made a couple of key mistakes, and once again just missed the cut. She had another chance against the men a few months later, at the Men's Public Links, where she shocked everyone by making it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated. Had she won that, she would have qualified for a trip to the Masters.

Meanwhile, she posted her best finishes ever on the LPGA tour. She finished second at the first event of the year, in Hawaii, and at the second Major of the year, the LPGA Championship, she not only became the first non-LPGA member to be allowed to play, she finished by herself in second place behind Annika Sorenstam. She was tied for the lead at the US Women's Open going into the final day, but did not do very well on Sunday, and finished tied for third at the British Open. It seems only a matter of time before she wins, and wins often.

1989
• Born to parents B.J. and Bo in Honolulu. Middle name is "Sung." 1994
• Michelle began playing golf at the age of four.

1996
• At age 7, plays her first 18-hole round and finishes 14-over par.

2000 
• At the age of 10, shoots a 64.
• Becomes the youngest player to qualify in a USGA amateur championship event at the USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

2001
• Wins the Hawaii State Women’s Stroke Play Championship. At age 11, Wie is the event's youngest winner.
• Wins the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational, the most prestigious women's amateur tournament in Hawaii. At age 11, Wie is the event's youngest winner.
• Reaches the third round of match play in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

2002
• At age 12, becomes the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA tournament by Monday qualifying (with an 83) for the LPGA Takefuji Classic.
• Wins the Women's Division of the Hawaii State Open by 13 strokes.
• Reaches the semifinals of the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, the youngest semifinalist in the event's history.

2003
• January: Attempts to Monday qualify for the PGA Sony Open. Shoots 73, finishes 47th out of 97. She played from the men's tees and all other competitors were men.
• February: Playing in the Hawaii Pearl Open, a pro tournament that includes players from the Japan Tour, places 43rd. Wie is the only female in the field.
• March: Finishes in a fourth-place tie at the Hawaii State Amateur Stroke Play Championship as one of only three women in the field.
• March: Plays in her first LPGA major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Plays in the final group on the final day befor settling for 9th place. Becomes the youngest player to make an LPGA cut.
• June: Wins the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, one of the USGA's national championships. At age 13, Wie is the youngest-ever winner of the event.
• August: Shoots 74-79 and misses the cut by five strokes in the Canadian Tour's Bay Mills Open Players' Championship - her first professional men's event in the mainland U.S.
• September: As the only female in the field at the Nationwide Tour's Albertsons Boise Open, Wie shoots 78-76 and misses the cut. She turns 14 in a month.
• September: Wie finishes her final LPGA event of the year, the Safeway Classic, at 2-under par, tied for 28th place. She shoots 69-72-73 for a 214 total. It is the fifth time in six LPGA events in 2003 that she makes the cut.

2004
• January: Plays in her first PGA Tour event, the Sony Open, and shoots 72-68. She misses the cut by one stroke.
• March: Finishes in the Top 25 in her first LPGA event of the year, the Safeway International, then finishes 4th in the first LPGA major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
• June: As a member of the U.S. team, is the youngest golfer in the history of the Curtis Cup. Wins both her singles matches to help the U.S. defeat Great Britain & Ireland, 10-8.
• June: Playing in a qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship (a k a, the Men's Publinx), Natalie Gulbis shoots 71-71--142. She finishes two strokes behind the winners and, while she fails to earn a bid to the Men's Publinx, she earns status as one of four alternates for the event.

2005
• January: Shoots 75-74 at the PGA Tour Sony Open and misses the cut. Finishes ahead of 14 PGA Tour players.
• February: Earns her highest finish to date in an LPGA event, tied for second, at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay.
• May: Finishes as third alternate in U.S. Open sectional qualifying. Wie is believed to be the first female ever to enter a U.S. Open qualifier.
• June: Places second to Annika Sorenstam at the LPGA Championship, tying her best finish to date in an LPGA event and marking her best finish to date in an LPGA major.
• June: Is the third-round leader at the U.S. Women's Open, but stumbles to an 82 in the final round.
• July: Shoots 70-71 (1-under par) at the PGA Tour John Deere Classic, missing the cut by two strokes.
• July: Wie reaches the quarterfinals of the (traditionally men's) U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship before bowing out.
• October: Just a few days before her 16th birthday, Wie announces she is turning professional.

Source: Golf About