Sony's Banking On a Hole-in-One?

So what does a 15-year old have to do with the mobile industry other than being the target audience for devices, content and services? Well if you're golf-phenom Michelle Wie and have just turned professional, you now get $4 to $5 million a year to ponder that question. According to The Honolulu Advertiser, this is the estimated amount of Wie's endorsement deal with Sony. The article notes the company endorses a couple of athletes in the U.S., but none are being positioned, like Wie is, to pitch the company's products on a global basis.

So which products will Wie promote? One guess is the Sony PSP line. Michael Pachter at Wedbush Morgan Securities said, "They want to turn it into the portable video player of choice and, ultimately, they are probably going to put music on there and try to make it into a little mini iPod. So, I can see how Michelle Wie may represent this active lifestyle person who uses this device."

At this point Wie has strong appeal in the U.S. and Asian markets among key demographics. However, if she doesn't produce on the golf course then it might be short lived. Since Nike is her other main sponsor, can she be more like Mike (or Tiger for that matter and deliver results both on and off the playing field for Sony...