Wie could face Open men test

The chance of teenage prodigy Michelle Wie becoming the first female to go head-to-head against golf 's male elite in The Open Championship has improved dramatically.

The historic breakthrough could conceivably happen as soon as next year if Wie achieves the right results.

Just one week before the 133rd Open gets underway at Royal Troon on the west coast of Scotland, golf 's principle administrator has offered the most emphatic declaration yet that women will be welcome to challenge the men to have their names engraved on the Claret Jug.

Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club which promotes the third of the season's four majors, insisted on only one qualification: entry to the tournament will demand the necessary level of talent and skill.

He said: "If any girl can demonstrate she can compete on equal terms with some of the best men, then how could you possibly exclude her? That just wouldn't be right."

Wie, the 14-year-old from Hawaii who can drive the ball further than some male professionals at over 300 yards, is regarded as the most likely female to possess the sheer power required to satisfy Dawson's criteria.

But she could appear in a 'men's' major even before the 2005 Open at St Andrew's. Her father, B J Wie, this week revealed the 6ft schoolgirl is considering an attempt to qualify for next year's US Open in June.

Wie, still an amateur, has previously missed the halfway cut against professional male rivals in tournaments in Canada and the United States.

But her potential to become as big in golf as her hero Tiger Woods was confirmed in Hawaii at the start of the season when she missed the cut by only one shot against some of the biggest names on the US Tour.

Last month she was a star performer in the US team which won the Curtis Cup against Great Britain and Ireland, and last week Wie tied for 13th place in the US Women's Open, 11 shots behind 41-year-old winner Meg Mallon.

It is a long shot that Wie will be present at the home of golf next year. But if she is, Colin Montgomerie would like nothing more than to welcome her as the defending champion.

The Scot insists the manner in which he has come to terms with a self-confessed obsession to win tournaments could make him a contender for a maiden major at Troon.

Ahead of today's first round of the £2.2million Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, Monty seemed at his most relaxed since the breakup of his 14-year marriage to Eimear.

The lack of form which meant he had to qualify for an Open taking place on his home course means he is generally not considered to be a serious contender.

Montgomerie said: "That means there is less pressure on me. There is less attention around me, and that just may be to my advantage."

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