Teenage sensation Michelle Wie will not be taking up the opportunity to try to qualify for this year's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

It was last October that the event's organisers, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, changed the rules to allow women to take part, with the top five from each major gaining entry to the regional qualifying.

Wie, who was third in last year's Women's British Open, had expressed a desire to travel to Britain for the regional qualifying in July, with the hope of going on to the final qualifying and then into the Open itself.

However, the 16-year-old has accepted an invitation to play in the HSBC Women's World Matchplay Championship at the start of July and said yesterday: ''I would love to qualify for the British Open, but I won't find the time to fit the qualifying into my schedule this year.

''But I think it's great that the R & A have changed the rules and I definitely would love to play in the Championship one day.''

Wie is this week playing in her first major as a professional at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, which has world number one Annika Sorenstam as the defending champion.

In her three amateur attempts, the Hawaiian youngster has finished tied ninth, fourth and tied 14th.

Meanwhile, Jose Maria Olazabal claims every time he sets foot inside the grounds of Augusta National he feels ''blessed''.

But the Spanish star, like so many others, is concerned what he might find when he returns there next week.

The Masters course has been stretched to 7,445 yards and Olazabal believes only about ten players will be happy about that - the ten longest hitters.

''I think they have the biggest smile. From ear to ear, to be honest,'' said the 1994 and 1999 champion, who first of all will try to win the BellSouth Classic, starting today in Atlanta.

''It doesn't matter to me if they make the course 9,000 yards. The week is very special for me and I've done what I've done there.

''The two majors I've won, I won there."