Wie opens with 78 in Europe
Michelle Wie hooked her tee shots, played erratically out of bunkers and unraveled on the par-3s. There was one consistent element, though: She is facing another missed cut playing against men.
Wie shot a 7-over-par 78 Sept. 7 in the first round of the European Masters. It was Wie’s 10th tournament against men – where she has made the cut only once – and her first on the European tour.
“It sure didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” she said. “I think it was very difficult for me after taking time off, go home, start school and come back and play a tournament. It was very difficult for me to do that. But I grinded out there. I tried my hardest right to the end.”
Wie’s worst round in a men’s tournament came this year in the Sony Open in Hawaii, where she opened with a 9-over 79. She had a 68 in the second round but still missed the cut.
Wie did manage to beat one of her playing partners, England’s Nick Dougherty (79). Her other partner, Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, had a 70.
“My mother could have beaten me today,” Dougherty said. “Michelle should be happy about it, but I don’t think my mum would have been very happy about it.”
Wie had a double bogey, seven bogeys and two birdies. She parred the first of the par 3s, then dropped five strokes at the other four, including a double bogey at the 176-yard No. 8. That came after her first birdie of the day on a 28-foot downhill putt at No. 7. Her only other birdie was at the par-5 15th, where she hit her third shot to 6 feet.
“Now I have one round under my belt,” she said. “I feel I know exactly what I need tomorrow, and tomorrow I need to make a lot of birdies. I’m looking forward to parring the par 3s and improving my bunker play, which was not my best.”
(via the Head Nut)
Edit: After eight holes into her second round, Michelle is six over for the day and 13 over for the tournament (scorecard)
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