Wie struggles in return to golf, worries about future
Michelle Wie returned to competition Thursday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship looking as if she had never left.
She was icing her right hand. She shot a 12- over 84 in Chaska, Minnesota.
And then she wondered, through tears, how much time she had left.
“It’s hard,” Wie said after matching her highest score on the LPGA Tour as a pro. “It’s just one of those situations where I’m not entirely sure how much I have left in me. So even on the bad days, I’m just like trying to take time to enjoy it.”
At this point, her voice was cracking and she began wiping tears from her eyes as she stood outside the clubhouse at Hazeltine National.
“It’s tough,” she said, before walking away.
Hannah Green shot a 4-under 68 to take a oneshot lead over Hyo Joo Kim and Mel Reid.
Wie has lived with fame her entire career, from winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 13, competing against the men on the PGA Tour at age 14 and turning pro at age 16. She has five LPGA victories, most notably the U. S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, most recently the HSBC Women’s World Championship at the start of the 2018 season.
The most recent injury was to her right hand. She had surgery in October, returned in Thailand in February and had to withdraw from her title defense in Singapore a week later as she still coped with pain.
Wie sat out a month and returned at the LPGA’s first major and then her hometown event in Hawaii, both times missing the cut. She withdrew from the U. S. Women’s Open three weeks ago, and didn’t start hitting balls again until last week.
Hazeltine proved to be too tough for someone whose hand is that fragile.
Wie had two birdies to go along with two double bogeys, six bogeys and a quadruple bogey on the par-3 eighth over the water, her penultimate hole. SUCHER BIRDIES FINAL HOLE
TO JOIN LEADERS » Zack Sucher made a 9-foot birdie putt in the last group of the day on the par- 4 18th for a 6-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead on a rainy day at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Ryan Armour, Bronson Burgoon, Mackenzie Hughes, Abraham Ancer, and Kyoung-Hoon Lee matched Sucher at TPC River Highlands. Lee had his lowest round on the PGA Tour.
Chez Reavie, fresh off a tie for third at the U. S. Open, continued his momentum with a 65. He is tied at 5 under with Keenan Bradley, Scott Langley, Brady Schnell, Robert Streb and Paul Casey.
Patrick Cantlay reached 6 under before the Memorial champion put his tee shot in the water on the par-3 eighth — his 17th hole of the day. He finished in a pack of 12 players at 4 under that also includes England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who is playing in the event for the first time.
NFL
COMMITTEE OKS INTERFERENCE REPLAYS » The NFL competition committee has decided against making any changes to the new rule for reviewing pass interference, the league announced. That means the rule stands as approved by NFL owners in March.
During the rule’s oneyear trial this season, coaches still can challenge until the two-minute warning of each half or overtime. Then a replay official will be responsible for any reviews.
Horse racing
WORKERS URGE LAWMAKERS TO KEEP SANTA ANITA OPEN » Backstretch workers who walk, groom and care for racehorses at Santa Anita urged state legislators on Thursday to keep the Southern California track open after the deaths of 29 horses since December.
An estimated 500 workers gathered after morning training hours at the track, toting handmade signs emphasizing their love of horses and the importance of being allowed to continue their livelihoods.
The workers expressed their support for new safety measures put in place since the string of deaths that has cast a pall over the historic track in Arcadia.
Tennis
KYRGIOS ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF ‘RIGGING’ MATCH AT QUEEN’S CLUB » Nick Kyrgios swore at officials and accused them of “rigging” his first-round match at the Queen’s Club grasscourt tournament in his latest outburst. The outspoken Australian, who went on to win the match in London, launched an expletive-ridden rant at umpire Fergus Murphy after missing a set point against Roberto Carballes Baena, claiming his Spanish opponent had double-faulted.
After Murphy issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, Kyrgios continued his tirade, saying “it’s a joke, man. It’s a serious joke” and adding: “Like, your hat looks ridiculous, also. It’s not even sunny.”
After another point, Kyrgios said: “The ball was this far out on the second serve. I’m going. I’m not going to give 100% when I’ve got linesmen rigging the game, I don’t want to play.
“You wonder why I don’t try half the time. Literally the set had finished, he double-faulted. Why am I playing at 5-5? Absolute joke.” He won 7- 6 (4), 6-3. But he lost his secondround match a few hours later, 6-7(4), 7- 6 (3), 7- 5 to Felix Auger-Aliassime. MURRAY WINS DOUBLES MATCH IN RETURN FROM HIP SURGERY » Scotland’s Andy Murray, in his first competitive action since undergoing hip surgery in January, teamed with Spain’s Feliciano Lopez for an upset doubles win Thursday in the Fever-Tree Championships at London.
Murray and Lopez defeated the top-seeded team of Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7- 6 (5), 6-3.
After the Australian Open in January, Murray, 31, had his right hip resurfaced. He said at the time that he was uncertain if he would be able to continue his career.
Motorsports
TRUMP SAYS ROGER PENSKE TO GET PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM » President Donald Trump says he’s awarding a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Penske, one of the most powerful men in American motorsports.
Penske celebrated his record 18th victory as a car owner at the Indianapolis 500 in May with driver Simon Pagenaud, a feat that earned Penske his second trip to the White House this year. Penske had visited in April as Trump celebrated Joey Logano’s NASCAR championship.
NHL
PANTHERS EXPECT TO HEAR ROBERTO LUONGO’S PLANS SOON » The Florida Panthers expect to hear soon what veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo’s plans are regarding next season and beyond. The 40-year-old Luongo has been in the NHL for 19 seasons and is contemplating retiring because of hip issues. VETERAN GOALIE MILLER RESIGNS WITH DUCKS » Veteran goalie Ryan Miller has resigned for another season with the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim also gave oneyear contract extensions to defenseman Korbinian Holzer and forward Derek Grant. Miller is the winningest U.S.-born goalie in NHL history with 378 career victories.
Cycling
DUTCH RIDER DUMOULIN TO MISS TOUR DE FRANCE » Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin says he will not take part in this year’s Tour de France as he struggles to regain fitness following a fall last month in the Giro d’Italia. Team Sunweb announced that Dumoulin, who finished second behind Geraint Thomas in last year’s Tour, would not be ready for the race, which starts July 6.