In 2004, in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links final, two players who could not be more different faced off for the title.

One stood 6-foot-2, already ballyhooed as the Tiger Woods of women’s golf, and at 14, was making lots of noises about playing in the Masters and has already competed on the PGA Tour. The other was a tiny 5-foot-4 waif from Taiwan, who’s a dominant junior player at the age of 15 — but nobody’s ever heard of her.

When Yani Tseng birdied the final hole on the Green Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va., she won the grueling 36-hole final, 1-up. The vanquished sobbed in the arms of her parents after failing to defend her title. Her name was Michelle Wie.

That was the closest Wie has come to winning anything ever since. Now at 18, she appears to be all but washed up. Wie is nowhere to be found on the LPGA Tour, with a tired old claim of a bum wrist that’s been bothering her for 18 months now. Her Rolex World Ranking is at No. 136.

Exactly one hundred spots ahead of her and the leading candidate for LPGA Rookie of the Year is none other than Tseng. The feisty little fireplug just claimed second in the Ginn Open. That’s no shame, though, as she finished three shots behind Lorena Ochoa — the real Tiger Woods of the LPGA.

Tseng may never get the $10 million endorsement deals that Wie received upon turning pro in 2006. But her career trajectory looks much more promising. Besides her Publinx win over Wie, she’s defeated Morgan Pressel in the 2005 North & South Women’s Championship and amassed 15 international victories as an amateur — four in the United States.

She turned pro in 2007 and after winning tournaments in India and Canada, went to Q-school and got her LPGA card by finishing sixth. This year, she’s made the cut in all six tournaments, with no worse than a 25th place finish and two second-place showings. Tseng is third on the money list and third in scoring average — behind the grand poobahs of the LPGA (Annika Sorenstam is second on both, if you really needed to ask).

So this is probably the most you’ve ever read about Tseng, or anyone else other than a half-dozen players on the LPGA. The media, meanwhile, continues to obsess about the former child prodigy, though the most interesting thing about her these days is that she’s dating a Stanford basketball player. If you’re wondering why the LPGA isn’t getting the attention it deserves, well, don’t blame the players.

Don’t blame Yani Tseng. Chances are, she doesn’t even care. Chances are, she’s somewhere working on the range to improve her game. Chances are, she will win a major, or two, long before Michelle Wie ever becomes relevant again — as a golfer.

The dream of a grand slam is still alive. And the world No. 1 is looking more dominant than ever.

We’re talking LPGA, of course.

While Tiger Woods must put off his “easily within reason” for another year, there’s no such concern for Lorena Ochoa. After lapping the field with an 11-stroke victory at the Corona Championship — appropriately played in her native Mexico — Ochoa also has locked up a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

While Woods and Roger Federer have dominated their respective sports — and headlines — in recent years, Ochoa is on a run that is arguably at least equal to theirs. In winning her fourth event out of five played this year, Ochoa has failed to break par exactly once in her 19 rounds.

She has won 21 times in just five-plus seasons on the LPGA Tour. Since the beginning of the 2006 season, she’s played in 55 tournaments, finished in the top 10 in 45 of them and won 18 — winning roughly one of every three tournaments she’s entered.

The only knock on Ochoa during her domination of women’s golf was her inability to win majors. Well, that criticism is muted now that she owns the trophies from the two most recent major championships.

And the way she’s playing, Ochoa will be the prohibitive favorite to win the other three majors of the season. In her four wins in 2008, she’s won by 11, 11, 7 and 5 strokes, respectively. Yes, the tournament is over usually by the time she gets to the first tee box in the final round. Heck, it’s practically over when she decides to enter it.

Yet, Ochoa constantly flies under the radar in terms of visibility. There’s a teenage girl who’s never won a tournament as a pro and recently shot more times in the 80s than 60s, yet she’s considered the “rising star” of the LPGA. Other talented young ladies such as Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer have also cashed in their celebrity for commercial success. But on the golf course, they’re merely playing for the second-place check.

About the only way Ochoa will get the recognition she truly deserves is when she wins the grand slam. Yes, I said “when” not “if.” Even though golf is a fickle game, her recent performance foretells a dominance unseen in women’s golf. Not even in Annika Sorenstam’s best years.

And you get the sense Ochoa is OK with that. She’d rather let her club do the talking and her trophies do the showboating.