It was not a family decision. It was all Michelle Wie's.

According to the Wies, the 15-year-old had the final say on all the deals that went down Wednesday at the press conference announcing her multimillion-dollar professional career.

"A lot of people think it was my parents' decision (to turn pro) or that I will feel really pressured and not have any fun," she said in a telephone interview hours after her announcement. "I wanted to get across to everyone that this was basically my decision and I'm excited about it."

Signing with the William Morris Agency, where she will be the only golfer in a company famous for actors and writers, was "solely" Michelle's choice, according to her father, BJ. He reiterated that Michelle relished the "exclusivity" of the agency's offer.

He added that the long-term agreements with Nike and Sony were sealed by the compassion shown by the corporations' top representatives — in BJ's words, "Mr. Phil Knight (Nike founder) and Sir Howard Stringer (Sony Corp. chief executive)."

"They are kind enough to consider Michelle's life as a full-time student and that was well-respected in the contracts," BJ said.

"Turning pro at age 15 is very, very significant for Michelle, and these two companies are very protective. The first time I met them they told me they wanted to keep Michelle's identity as a student. ... I had a really comforting conversation with both gentlemen and they made Michelle feel very comfortable."

His daughter's version was simpler. She sees Nike and Sony as "cool companies." She appreciates Nike's innovations and stable of "nice athletes" and "grew up" with Sony products.

"Now I get free gadgets," Michelle said, "so that's cool."

It was also "solely Michelle's decision" to donate $500,000 to the U.S. Golf Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. She said she used to donate "a dollar or two from my allowance" to people in need and called the Katrina amount "a random number I threw out."

Her parents don't believe it was that random. They said she became very emotional watching reports of the hurricane on TV. It hit while contract negotiations were ongoing. Michelle told her parents then that she wanted to contribute when she turned pro. They were "shocked" when she told them how much.

"We believe this is her money and she can use it in a good way to help a lot of people," said BJ, who is putting his daughter's earnings — in the $8 million to $10 million range annually — in a trust fund. "We would not support her if she wanted to buy a luxury sports car, but this is a really good way to help people in need.

"She kept her promise that she made to herself. William Morris didn't know, no one knew. She told them the day before. ... Michelle felt a huge donation might bring more attention to the suffering."

Wednesday's announcement, broadcast live and repeated all day worldwide, took on the ambience of a wedding, according to the Wies.

Since Michelle took her game on the road for real at age 10, BJ and Bo have handled all their daughter's needs, from public relations to apparel, travel, caddying and carrying the rice maker.

Wednesday, more than 20 friends came to the Wies' hotel room to offer congratulations. When they went downstairs for the official announcement, the Wies handed their daughter over to Ross Berlin, her new business manager, now in charge of guiding her career.

There was no post-press conference celebration. Michelle took a nap and the family had dinner at home, insisting they wanted to keep everything "as usual." Michelle will go to school and officially "work" on her game at Olomana, the Waialae Country Club and Ko Olina as she pursues her "childhood" dream of being the best golfer on the planet.

Her schedule next year will look much like this year's, with a few additions and substitutions for amateur events. There also will be foreign tournaments and exhibitions, where she can accept appearance fees. Her first paycheck will come at next week's invitation-only LPGA Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm a pro," Michelle admitted. "And, it's not that different anyways. I have a change in status, but I'm the same."

When asked what she will do for an encore after golf, Michelle sounded every bit of 15, nearly 16 — with her own twist.

"There's a lot of things I can do," she said. "But if I'm going to try and play in The Masters, the best tournament there is for men or women, that will keep me pretty occupied. I would like to open my own business though. And live life maybe."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.