SILVIS, Ill. - Michelle Wie's ball landed on the back edge of the 17th green and rolled forward, getting within 10 feet of the pin before coming to a stop.

An eagle chance, from 260 yards out. In a PGA Tour event.

Yeah, the girl can play with the big boys. Maybe even during the weekend.

The 15-year-old shot a 1-under 70 at the John Deere Classic on Thursday, keeping alive her hopes of becoming the first woman in 60 years to make a cut on the PGA Tour. She's one stroke beyond the cut line in a tie for 73rd, but she plays in the last group Friday and will know exactly what she needs to hang around for the weekend.

"I'm not really thinking about the cut," she said. "I'm only five shots behind (the early leaders), and if I put up three crazy rounds, who knows?"

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the last woman to make the cut in a PGA Tour event, doing it at the 1945 Tucson Open. Annika Sorenstam couldn't do it at the 2003 Colonial, and Suzy Whaley missed at the Greater Hartford Open that same year.

Wie hasn't been able to do it the previous two times she's visited the PGA Tour, either, though she came within a stroke at the 2004 Sony Open. She missed by seven strokes this year.

But playing in the Sony Open and her success on the LPGA Tour - she's been second twice this year, including runner-up at the LPGA Championship - have sharpened her game. She beat both her playing partners Thursday, and played her last 10 holes at 3 under.

She hit six of her last seven fairways, and showed a nice touch around the greens. She made four putts of 11 feet or longer, and missed only one from inside 10 feet. She also showed a remarkable ability to shape shots, including that one on 17 and a blind slice on No. 9 that got her out of trouble and onto the green.

For those keeping track, she's seven strokes behind leader Hunter Mahan (63).

"On the surface, it was a very well-played round. Then you realize she's a 15-year-old girl, and it's mind-boggling," said Nick Watney, one of Wie's playing partners. "She's a phenom. When I was 15, I sure didn't look like that."

But Wie is unique. She played in her first LPGA event at the age of 12, and has made no secret of her desire to play regularly on the men's tour when she gets older. She's already a major draw, attracting a gallery that grew from a few hundred on the first hole to 5,000 when she was on 18.

Though she'd be one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour if she was a pro, that does little for her against the men. Scott Gutschewski, her other playing partner, routinely outdrove her, and not by small margins.

But Wie finds other ways to make up for it. She's consistently straight, rarely finding trouble, and her second shots are impressive.

"Anybody can win anywhere any week, it doesn't matter how far you hit it," Gutschewski said. "I mean, I was 40, 50 yards past her all day and she still beat me. So there you go."

She's also developed a superstar's mental fortitude. Wie could easily have imploded after back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 5 and 6 left her at 2 over, or after her group was put on the clock on No. 10 for slow play.

"If I had made those two bogeys in a row (last year), it would have been kind of tough because I was really young," Wie said, drawing laughter. "I'm pretty young now, but I've gotten a lot older and more mature. I have a lot more experience. I know what to expect."

Instead, she righted herself with that blind shot on No. 9. Her tee shot on the dogleg par-4 hole sailed way right, just over the rope and into the gallery. She didn't have a view of the hole from 210 yards out, but she went for it and got to the green, landing 28 feet above the pin.

She rolled the putt in, pumping her fist as the ball dropped.

"I haven't played that big slice in a long time," she said. "It has been like at least a year since I played that shot. That was like the pivotal point. I really trusted in myself, and it felt great. It was really good."

A 12-footer on No. 11 got her back to even par, and her shot on 17 gave her something for the highlight reel. Hitting a 3-wood from about 260 yards out, Wie got within 10 feet of the pin. People around the green cheered and whistled, and fans were still marveling about it as she walked up the 18th fairway.

She missed an eagle when her putt broke too far to the right, but she made a birdie.

"The front nine, I just was a little bit shaky and made a lot of stupid bogeys," Wie said. "But I'm pretty proud of myself for getting back on track. The back nine was pretty solid, and I feel like I'll see some good scores from now on."

If she does, she might just make a little history.

"She hit the ball in the fairway, hit the ball on the green and made some putts," Gutschewski said. "I would say on the ladies' tour it might look a little flashier, but out here ... she got it in play, got it on the green, gave herself a lot of chances.

"She played nice," he added. "She did what she had to do."

AP-ES-07-08-05 0334EDT