Michelle Wie, Lucy Li in high-profile ANA pairing

Pairings for the first two days of the ANA Inspiration are out, and two twosomes look particularly interesting.

One is defending champion Lydia Ko, who is set to play with two-time ANA winner Brittany Lincicome. But that might pale in comparison to the fan appeal of another twosome. That will be Michelle Wie, one of the most popular players on tour and certainly one of the most recognizable, being paired with 14-year-old Lucy Li, who earned a berth in the event with a win in the ANA Junior Inspiration on Sunday.

Wie was 13 when she played in the ANA for the first time in 2003.

Meg in the Hall

Meg Mallon, an 18-time winner on the LPGA including four majors, was at the ANA Inspiration on Tuesday to celebrate her upcoming induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Mallon is one of five golf figures heading into the Hall this year, including LPGA star Lorena Ochoa, PGA Tour stars Davis Love III and Ian Woosnam and writer and broadcaster Henry Longhurst.

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan told the story of how Mallon was a hot-shot player out of Ohio State when she hit the tour, but only made three cuts that year and only made checks in two of those events.

“That’s the story my young players need to hear,” Whan said.

Mallon said when Whan called her with news of her election to the Hall of Fame from China, Mallon had to call him back since she was traveling from Michigan to Florida.

"He goes, well, you've been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame," Mallon said. "And I said, are you kidding me? And then I started bawling, and he thought I hung up because I was crying, and I couldn't respond because then he started talking again, going on and on. He said, you need to do this, this and that. Finally, he goes, Meg? Meg? I go, I'm here.”

Lewis on track

Before the 2016 ANA Inspiration, Stacy Lewis gave a tearful and emotional news conference talking about the struggles of balancing her steely competitiveness on the course with being engaged and trying to balance a life outside golf with her desire to win.

Lewis was married later in 2016 and has started out 2017 with some strong performances.

“I mean, definitely things have changed a lot. I'm definitely more, just doing more things for myself,” Lewis said. “Being a little bit more choosy on where I'm going to play and when I'm going to play. I guess I feel more confident in that, and the decisions I've made. I know what I need to do to play my best, and that's -- I just feel much more comfortable with what I want to do. I have a better plan of how I want to approach the year. Happier and enjoying life. Things are really good.”

Protesting plane

UltraViolet, a leading women’s advocacy group, had a plane fly over the ANA Inspiring Women in Sports Conference on Tuesday with a banner that read: USGA & LPGA: DUMP TRUMP. @ULTRAVIOLET. The plane buzzed overhead as the conference featured the likes of tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, five-time tennis Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and golfer Lexi Thompson.

UltraViolet is calling on the LPGA to pull July's U.S. Women’s Open from President Donald Trump’s Bedminster Golf Course.

ALSO READ: Lydia Ko, veteran day beyond her years

Look before you leap

Brittany Lincicome was playing a practice round with Kim Kaufmann on Monday when they reached the 18th hole, where Lincicome has twice jumped into Poppie’s Pond to celebrate victories. They started talking about what a jump in the lake is like.

“I didn't notice before, there's a little, I think it's an ANA banner or something that's kind of around the edge of it (the lake). I was just saying, if you weren't paying attention and you didn't happen to jump far enough, your foot would trip, and then you would kind of just go tumbling into the pond, which would be very embarrassing,” Lincicome said. “So we said if either one of us won, we would have to make sure that we picked up our feet quickly so we that could clear that little ledge and not trip.”

My plaque

The Wall of Champions next to the 18th hole of the Dinah Shore Course has a plaque for each past winner of the tournament, but most players don’t get to see their own plaque until they return to the event the following year. For Lydia Ko, she had a slightly early preview.

“When I was here before Phoenix (two weeks ago), it was the first thing I looked for,” Ko said with a laugh.