HAVRE DE GRACE, MD. (June 5, 2007) - Michelle Wie now wants everyone to know about her wrist injury. Wie opened her press conference at the LPGA Championship this afternoon with an unprompted, long-winded explanation of her actions at the Ginn Tribute.
Wie says that she actually tweaked her wrist on the 10th hole and should have withdrawn then. As the free world now knows, Wie didn't quit until she was on her 17th tee (the eighth on the course), 14 over par, two bogeys from having the 88 rule and a LPGA Tour-year ban go into effect.
"I should have stopped playing when I tweaked it on the 10th hole," Wie said. "But as stubborn as I am, I just kept on playing. It was my first event (back from injury) and I was like, 'Hell no, I'm not quitting. I can do better than that.' And I just kept on going, but I regret not quitting before."
Wie called the talk about her quitting to avoid the 88 rule, "just ridiculous."
She says she took Friday off after withdrawing from the Ginn and then was out on Bulle Rock - the LPGA Championship course - practicing Saturday. Wie also revealed that doctors told her she cannot injure the wrist further by playing. "My doctor said that it's totally fine, I can totally play and I won't hurt it anymore," Wie said. "My bone is completely healed."
Which brought up natural follow up questions of why quit with two holes left in the first round of the Ginn if there was no chance of hurting the wrist further. Annika Sorenstam is wondering right along with the media.
"I needed to get ice on it," Wie said by way of explanation. "I needed to stop playing for that day. I expire after a certain amount of shots."
Wie offered more reasoning that left some head scratching.
"It was my decision," she said. "It was my women's intuition, shall you say, to shut it down, because I felt something was not right with my body and I just needed to work on it a little bit."
Wie and the LPGA Tour are no doubt expecting her work will last 72 holes this majors week.
For a complete story and column on the Wie day one of the LPGA Championship, stay tuned to WorldGolf.com tomorrow morning.
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