HONOLULU - Sitting in a hotel suite overlooking swaying palms and the rolling Pacific surf, Michelle Wie leaned forward and gazed at the newspaper. The front page was a reminder of how far she’s come and the expectations that are greater than ever.

The Honolulu Advertiser ran four pictures of Hawaii’s biggest sports sensation in the paper Wednesday. There she was at age 10 with chubby cheeks and a grown-up swing; at age 13 and 14 competing against the pros; and as a celebrity in a formal red dress at last year’s Laureus Sports Awards in Portugal.

The headline: “Why she’s worth millions.”

“I don’t know why,” Wie said softly. “But I’m going to try hard to live up to it.”

Already one of the most famous athletes in the world, Wie became the richest female golfer Wednesday when she stood before a crowded conference room and realized a dream a dozen years in the making.

“I’m finally happy to say I’m a pro starting today,” said Wie, wearing a pink Nike shirt and high heels that made her stand even taller than 6 feet. “The first time I grabbed a golf club, I knew I’d do it for the rest of my life. Some 12 years later, I’m finally turning pro, and I’m so excited.”

Wie signed endorsement deals with Nike and Sony, which will pay her as much as $10 million a year.

There was no Tigeresque “Hello, World” moment, as there was when Woods turned pro in 1996. Wie looked nervous while waiting to be introduced, flanked by her new agent, Ross Berlin of the William Morris Agency, and executives from her two sponsors.

“Usually at a press conference, I don’t have to make a speech,” she said. “I don’t like making speeches.”

Wie will be judged by her golf, and that’s where the expectations lie.

She makes her professional debut next week in the Samsung World Championship in California. Wie also will play the week of Thanksgiving at the Casio World Open in Japan, her sixth time competing against men.

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“I know I have to win. That’s my priority right now,” Wie said. “Everyone expects me to do better and work hard, and I’m going to try my best.”

She has redefined success since winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 13, the youngest champion of a USGA title for adults. She hasn’t hoisted another trophy on her own, but her amazing feats have fanned the hype over her potential.

She shot 68 at the Sony Open as a 14-year-old still wearing a retainer, the lowest score ever by a female competing on a men’s tour. She reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links this summer, three rounds away from her long-shot bid of getting into the Masters. She twice has come within a whisker of making the cut on the PGA Tour.

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Against the women, Wie has more than held her own.

She was runner-up at the LPGA Championship to Annika Sorenstam, and tied for third at the Women’s British Open. She has made the cut in her last 16 LPGA events dating to 2003, and would have earned about $640,870 on the LPGA Tour this year had she not been an amateur. That would have put her 13th on the money list in only seven starts.

“She’s the whole package,” said Bob Wood, president of Nike Golf. “But it’s all potential. It’s all in front of her.”

The other Nike client — Tiger Woods — took a different route. He won three straight U.S. Amateur titles and dominated every age group until he turned pro in 1996, earning his PGA Tour card with two victories in seven stars. Then came his record-setting victory in the Masters.