Wie one shot off lead at ANA Inspiration

As Michelle Wie walked behind 14-year-old Lucy Li on the first hole at Mission Hills, she thought to herself: “She’s really cute.”

That wasn’t the reaction Wie remembers receiving in the ANA Inspiration when she played with the pros at that age.

“No one really called me that when I was 13. ‘ Damn, she’s tall,’ ” Wie said, laughing. “That’s all I got.”

The Wie-Li pairing Thursday was a fascinating study of the extraordinary. At nearly a foot apart in height, Li looked like a mini version of Wie, their black hair braided similarly and flashy shoes and fashionable attire.

Their golf games were worlds apart on a pictureperfect day in the desert, but both played beautifully. Li held her own with a 1-underpar 71 showing in her ANA debut, staying within herself against a towering opponent. Wie, meanwhile, continued the fine form she showed in Singapore with a 4-underpar 68, one stroke behind leader Karine Icher of France.

Icher took the early lead with a 5-under 67 before play was suspended Thursday because of high winds.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko was 2 under through five holes when play finished. Ariya Jutanugarn, No. 2, played her first seven holes in 1 over.