Pressel was part of the youthful contingent on the American Junior Golf

Pressel was part of the youthful contingent on the American Junior Golf Association circuit that was overshadowed by Wie. Pressel and other gifted junior champions watched Wie get a full complement of LPGA sponsor invites while other juniors with more accomplished resumes got jilted. Whether it's justified or not, the enormous attention Wie gained aggravated a legion of juniors, and especially aggravated their parents.

If you follow the junior circuit, there's palpable resentment out there. Wie's only noteworthy victory outside Hawaii is the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. You can call it envy or jealousy, but it feels more like righteous indignation to some of these junior parents, who believe their players are equally deserving of opportunities and attention.

When amateur and accomplished AJGA veteran Brittany Lincicome grabbed the first-round lead at the U.S. Women's Open in South Hadley, Mass., two years ago, these feelings came out in a strong manner. Her parents made a point of telling reporters there that Lincicome's headline-stealing play showed there's more than one junior out there who can step up in class.

When Pressel knocked Wie out of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship in the third round in 2003, a large contingent of juniors came out of the clubhouse to root on Pressel. It would turn out to be the last junior event Wie played.

Obviously, Wie's a special case, one of those rare prodigies where maybe the traditional rules don't apply. Still, as a giant personality who just signed $10 million endorsement deals with Sony and Nike, as a young star dwarfing her peers, these are real feelings she's up against.

Is she a marketing genius, creating value in missed PGA Tour cuts while challenging men? Or is she a golf champion?

As for Pressel's personal feelings?

"We get along fine," she said. "We obviously don't see each other that much, but when we do there are never any problems. When we do see each other, we say hi, and there's no problem there."

Wie is not here this week and won't be available for comment until next week.