In less than two weeks, golf phenom Michelle Wie officially became a teenage millionaire and lost over $50,000.

On Oct. 5, just six days before her 16th birthday, Wie announced that she was turning pro, with multiyear sponsorship deals with Nike and Sony. She will earn a reported $5 million from each of the companies in just the first year.

“Michelle obviously has some talent,” Tiger Woods told reporters. “When I was 16, I wasn’t even thinking about turning pro. I was just hoping to get into college somewhere. She has talent, and has been good enough to make a giant step like that.”

Already a major media figure on the LPGA Tour, having played under sponsor exemptions, Wie said she plans to balance school with her new day job. This was demonstrated by holding her press conference announcing her decision at 8 a.m., so she could still make it to school on time. “I know that I am going to graduate high school, and hope to achieve my goal of graduating college,” said Wie.

“My stakes are going to be a lot higher right now, so I’m practicing really hard. I don’t really see it as a pressure, I see it as an incentive to practice harder.”

Officials at the Samsung World Championship threw Michelle Wie a 16th birthday party.

Unfortunately Wie’s professional debut came with a few hard knocks. At the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., held from Oct. 13 to16, Wie placed fourth, but lost her $53,126 earnings after being disqualified for marking her scorecard incorrectly.

The decision came after Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger informed officials that, during the third round, Wie placed her ball closer to the hole as she took a penalty drop for an unplayable lie, an action that should have cost her two more strokes. After Wie’s final round on Sunday, officials took the golfer and her caddie to the site of the drop to re-create the event. It was determined that Wie had, in fact, committed an infraction.

“I was honest out there,” said a teary-eyed Wie on Oct. 16. “I felt like I did right. I was pretty happy out there with what I did. If I did it again I would still do that because it looked right to me. But I learned my lesson, I’m going to call a rule official every single time.”

Bamberger, who asked Wie about the drop after she turned in her third-round scorecard, has been under fire from journalists and the public who question the ethics of his actions.

The drop that would result in Wie’s disqualification.

Wie will likely be the center of even more attention as she continues her quest to compete against men. She will play in the Casio World Open Nov. 24-27, one of the biggest events on the Japan PGA Tour, and has also already accepted her third sponsor exemption for the PGA’s Sony Classic in Hawaii.

So it’s her party, and for now, she can cry if she wants to.