Michelle Wie carded three birdies and four bogeys in her opening-round 73. (Pio-rota/Turner Sports)

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Editor's Note: PGA.COM Coordinating Producer John Kim is in Reno this week to document Michelle Wie and her group's progress in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Check back frequently throughout the day for updates.

All times eastern

10:08 p.m. -- 18th hole, another perfect drive. But again, her iron play is suspect as she loses her approach right into a bunker. If she had been on a little more with her irons, she could be real high on the leaderboard. Okay, dumb statement. But her drives and putting have been clutch.

The gallery at 18 isn't as large as you'd think based on earlier, but it is substantial. When she puts her bunker shot to two feet, they explode again. She makes the putt for a par, finishes her day with a 1-over 73 and is tied for 77th.

There is a mariachi band on the scoreboard platform! No kidding! I guess they play after a group holes out. Never seen that! I wonder if they'll be at the Ryder Cup? Kidding.

She has certainly been well worth the invite if you use ticket sales, gallery enthusiasm or performance as a gauge after one round. Tommorrow could be history in the making. Whatever it is, it's gonna be fun to watch. Well, other than the walking part.

9:50 p.m. -- Michelle has a long discussion with her caddie on the 17th hole as to whether to play safely or aggressively after a perfect tee shot on this long par 5. She decides to go for it and smashes it in front of the green. Good call! She then hits a nice chip that almost drops for eagle. She taps in for birdie and she's back to 1 over and tied for 76th.

9:32 p.m. -- Michelle cannot keep putting so much pressure on her putter. Her tee shot on the par-3 16th misses the green a little left and puts her in an awkward spot. Her chip runs 15 feet long, and this time she misses the par putt. She's now at 2 over and tied for 83rd, and needs to finish strong.

9:20 p.m. -- She makes another clutch putt for par on 15, and remains 1 under and tied for 75th. Maybe she is serious about weekend play?

9:12 p.m. -- A cell phone goes off as Michelle is hitting her approach to 15. It doesn't faze her and she hits a nice shot. But the guy who owns the phone is surrounded by police. Can you hear me now?

9:00 p.m. -- First real sign of emotion from Michelle here on the par-4 14th hole. After a perfect tee shot, her approach falls short left. As soon as she hits the shot, she kicks the turf. This hole is playing tough for entire group now. No one is on the green in regulation.

Her chip is pretty good, but still eight feet from pin. Jimmy Walker, who has played stellar up until now, has taken four swings and is still not on the green.

The wind is starting to get pretty strong, and a couple of fans are chasing down their hats.

Michelle shows more emotion when she drains her par putt to remain at 1 over and tied for 76th. She is really putting on a show for the crowd.

8:41 p.m. -- After the long delay, she cans the putt to remain 1 over through 13. Wow!

8:37 p.m. -- We're starting to leak a little oil here. After a bogey at 12, Michelle's drive on the par-4 13th finds a fairway bunker and she has to punch it out short of the green. Her third shot somehow checks up on a downhill slope and she has a testy 10-footer for par.

Right now, every shot is crucial as she has put herself in great position to make the cut tommorow. But losing a few more shots to par could throw her off quicker than most.

Scott Sterling has called over a rules official. Michelle is pacing off to the side, trying to work on her putting stroke. I don't think this wait is helping.

8:25 p.m. -- Ouch. Michelle's sand shot on the par-3 No. 12 goes over green into tough rough. A great shot puts her to five feet. And the crowd walks away! This is no gimme and a double bogey could be devastating. But she cans the bogey putt to move to 1 over and tied for 78th place.

The marshals are getting increasingly annoyed by the gallery's behavior. Nothing bad, just fans that don't know the expected behavior. Perhaps this is evidence of growing the game? No matter, today it is frustrating.

8:11 p.m. -- As Michelle walks to the 12th tee, we walk by a group teeing off on 18. As the standard bearer passes, the group (which will remain unnamed) looks at her even-par score and does a double take. They just shake their heads.

8:05 p.m. -- I'm hearing the first "you go, girl" cheers. Michelle spins her approach to 12 feet of an impossible pin on the par-5 11th. She now has a putt to go under par.

I'm sure there were people who came to watch thinking she might fail in spectacular fashion. She is putting those fears to rest. She just missed her putt for birdie, but is holding steady at even par through 11 holes. I think she has won most of her critics in this crowd, not that there were many to begin with.

7:43 p.m. -- In talking to my new best friend, deputy Phil Gones, I make a critical mistake. I call the state Ne-vah-duh rather than Ne-vaa-da. They don't like that here. Luckily, he doesn't crush me.

Michelle hits a perfect drive on the par-4 10th, and her second shot flies over the green. She has a very tough chip, but she puts it within inches. The crowd howls.

7:27 p.m. -- That's no earthquake. That's Michelle making her birdie putt and finishing her front nine at even par and tied for 59th place. Seriously, this could be a special event.

7:25 p.m. -- Wie hits another driver off the deck on No. 9 and again it goes right. But her next shot on this long par 5 is primo. Her approach hits the flag and she's left with five feet for birdie. The gallery is huge, and if she makes this putt to go even par on the front, you'll hear the roar in Idaho.

7:05 p.m. -- Michelle takes a wedge and gouges the tee box to create a little grass mound on No. 8. She sets the ball on top and then attempts to hit her driver off the deck.

On the range, she seemed to struggle with this shot. And this was no different as the ball heads right.

The hole has a 100-foot drop from tee to green, and it's hard to see the fairway from the back tees. B.J. Wie asks me if I saw Michelle's shot land. I tell him no but I know it went right. He nods and walks away.

Michelle continues her Houdini act with a great recovery from the thick right rough. The ball barely clears the creek and rolls onto the green. The crowd eats it up.

As we get closer to the clubhouse, the gallery size increases again. She completes a good two-putt par and stays 1 over. Are we watching history?

6:45 p.m. -- This course is beautiful, just at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, but Lewis and Clark would complain about the walk. Michelle saves a great par on the par-3 seventh hole a good putt after her tee shot finds bunker. She's 1 over and holding.

6:33 p.m. -- There doesn't seem to be much interaction between Michelle and her playing partners. I'm sure they're a bit annoyed at the gallery distractions, but both Sterling and Walker are playing well (Walker is 2 under through five holes, while Sterling is even).

Wie crushes a drive on No. 6, well past the others. Hits from about 150 to five feet

The gallery is about a third of what it was on the first couple of holes, but is still loud and supportive. And still double the size of any other gallery on the course.

Michelle needs this short birdie putt to drop. Didn't I say that last hole? But she drains it for her first birdie of the day. Back to 1 over.

The gallery marshal screams at the crowd to halt, because Sterling hasn't putted out yet. Too late. Crowd is moving and excited.

6:14 p.m. -- As Michelle's group plays the fifth hole, the group ahead is walking parallel on the sixth hole. There are exactly zero people in their gallery. The contrast is stunning.

Michelle is playing well, but needs to make some short putts. Her approach shot goes long left and in to a bunker. Her sand shot goes eight feet by. She needs to make the putt. And she doesn't. She's 2 over now.

6:01 p.m. -- Believe it or not, not all members of the sports media are in great shape. Including yours truly. But I just walked by a couple of reporters who are going to seriously struggle to finish this nine. They are stopping for breaks! It's only funny until there's a health issue, so for now, it's funny.

Michelle hit a great approach on this hole, but her birdie putt slides by. She's still 1 over after four holes, and eight shots behind clubhouse leader Jeff Overton, who posted a 65.

5:49 p.m. -- The size of the security detail has gone up to five. The crowd is starting to show signs of fatigue from all the hills on this course. But they still scramble to get a view everytime she approaches. I have a new appreciation for her ability to grow the game. Tons of young girls are in the crowd. They will remember this forever.

5:39 p.m. -- Wie hits a poor drive on No. 3, chips out and then hits the pin on her shot to green. But it bangs off the flagstick and ricochets to 25 feet. The crowd goes nuts! Then she drains the long par putt. The crowd roars!

5:27 p.m. -- We have hit our first backup as the group has to wait on the third tee box. The "Tiger Effect" is an issue as the galleries quickly position themselves along the hole as the players in the group ahead try to play and the players in Wie's group try to putt out.

There are lots of "oohs" and "there she is" comments. Big win for the locals it seems.

5:23 p.m. -- Michelle hits it fairly tight on the second hole, a par 3. She has about 20 feet for birdie. Crowd loves it. Her putt hangs on the edge but doesn't drop. Crowd still loves the par.

I'm told that this is one of the toughest courses on TOUR to walk. I now believe that. We are on hole No. 2! One of the officials from the PGA TOUR, Laury Livsey, asks if I'm walking with the group the whole round. I say yes. He laughs. "How are your legs?" He asks. "Not too bad I," answer. He laughs again. "And you're at elevation," he reminds me. Just great.

5:09 p.m. -- Michelle got a good break as the gallery kept ball from the brush area. She still hits a great shot to put the ball on the green. I'm still amazed at the gallery size, and it seems to be growing. I hear some locals discussing where to go on the course for the best vantage points. Lots of youngsters are here; one is really upset he can't see through the crowd. Michelle's long birdie putt leaves her a long par putt. In fact, she has to putt again before Scott Sterling attempts his birdie putt. She just misses and starts this venture with a bogey. Sterling makes his birdie.

4:59 p.m. -- Playing with Michelle are Jimmy Walker and Scott Sterling. I don't know if they've played in front of galleries this large before, but they seem relaxed. They hit first and stripe it down the fairway. Michelle hits last and hooks it left. She has a lot of fans there ready to assist at least.

4:47 p.m. -- Michelle's group has made its way to the tee for the 1:55 p.m. PT tee time. The crowd size on first tee has just increased 10-fold, lined up all the way down the fairway. B.J. Wie, Michelle's dad, just stopped by to say hello. I ask how he feels. He smiles and says we're ready. And so it begins.

4:24 p.m. -- Michelle is now on the range. Her ubiquitous parents are standing behind her. I met them yesterday and was quite surprised at how gracious and engaging they were. They catch a lot of heat regarding Wie's career, but they come across in person as two nice people who really love and are proud of their daughter.

4:17 p.m. -- It's about 40 minutes before Wie's tee time. I just talked with Phil Gones, deputy with Washoe County Sheriff's Office and one of three security officials following Michelle's group. They will have a zero tolerance policy with fans who are loud or disruptive. Don't expect it. But if anyone is thinking about trying to get Michelle's attention, they'll have to go through Phil first.

He's a big guy. Think I'll stay low key

11:36 a.m. -- Curious about Michelle Wie's previous performance in PGA TOUR competition? Well, wonder no more:

11:05 a.m. -- Scott McCarron, a long-time PGA TOUR veteran and well-respected member of the TOUR has some strong opinions about Michelle Wie's presence at this week's Legends Reno-Tahoe Championship.

"I'm going to bring my daughters out to watch her," the three-time winner on TOUR stated. "I think it's great. You know, I tell my daughters all the time that anything boys can do, girls can do better. She's a great player and she will make the cut in a PGA TOUR event. I hope she makes it this week."

Wie's invitation has been the subject of many conversations around the Montreux Golf and Country Club, both in the locker room and in the gallery. Though opinions have varied, there has been strong agreement that the level of interest in the tournament has taken a significant leap due to her inclusion. McCarron shares the enthusiasm, but believes that Wie's future prospects will reach much higher goals.

"Great leaders, people who make a real difference, are often unpopular as they go about changing the world," explained McCarron. "She's a special lady and a great asset to the world of golf."