San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Wie to take off rest of the year
Michelle Wie says she’ll take a break for the rest of the year to try to get healthy.
Wie had surgery on her right hand in October and tried to return in February, completing one tournament. She sat out a month and returned to the LPGA Tour’s first major and to her hometown event in Hawaii, both times missing the cut. After withdrawing from the U.S. Women’s Open, the 29yearold Wie played in the Women’s PGA Championship last week and shot rounds of 8482.
In an Instagram post Friday, Wie said, “After doing everything I could to play this year, I have made the decision to take the rest of the year off from competitive golf.” She said that will be her best chance to “finally get healthy.”
The Stanford alum is engaged to Warriors director of basketball operations Jonnie West. LPGA Tour: Inbee Park had five consecutive birdies in a 9underpar 62 to take the firstround lead in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Ark.
Seeking her 20th LPGA Tour victory and first since early last year, the South Korean began the birdie run on the second hole of the round that started on No. 10. She also birdied the par5 18th to make the turn at 6under 29 and added three birdies on the second nine.
Paula Creamer, who was born in Mountain View and raised in Pleasanton, was a stroke back along with Carlota Ciganda and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong.
PGA Tour: Nate Lashley shot a 5under 67 to top the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaderboard for the second straight day. Lashley had a 14under 130 total at Detroit Golf Club. Cameron Champ was a stroke back after a 65. He played the front nine in 8under 28, matching the lowest ninehole score on the PGA Tour this season.
Dustin Johnson, the world’s secondranked player, and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland finished at 2under to miss the cut by two strokes. Chez Reavie, who won the Travelers Championship last weekend, and Bubba Watson also failed to make it to the the third round. U.S. Senior Open: For the second straight day, Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, friends and competitors since their junior years in Wisconsin, took apart the rainsoftened Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind., each shooting bogeyfree rounds of 6under 64.
Stricker broke the tournament’s 36hole record at 14under 126, a day after shooting an eventrecord 62 for a share of the firstround lead with defending champion David Toms. Kelly was two strokes back. European Tour: Christiaan Bezuidenhout has taken a fourshot lead over tournament host Sergio Garcia and three other golfers at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters in Sotogrande, Spain.
Bezuidenhout carded a 3under 68 to reach 8under for the tournament after two rounds. Garcia shot 72 and is at 4under, along with Bradley Dredge, Adri Arnaus and Alvaro Quiros.
California Amateur: Christian Banke, a San Diego State senior from Danville, advanced into Saturday’s title match of the 108th California Amateur Championship at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Banke will face William Mouw, a Pepperdine freshmantobe from Chino.