Her hat seemed slightly lower, casting a dark shadow over her hidden eyes. Before the assumed barrage of questions and accusations, Michelle Wie defended her withdrawal from last week?s Ginn Tribute in South Carolina during a press conference at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace, home of this week?s McDonald?s LPGA Championship.
“The reason why I withdrew from last week was because of my left wrist injury, and I should have quit earlier,” said Wie, 17, who wore a light wrap on her right wrist in Monday?s pro-am. “I should have stopped playing when I tweaked it on the 10th hole.”
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Having missed four months with wrist injuries earlier this year, Wie withdrew after 16 holes from last weekend?s Ginn Tribute. At the time, Wie was 14-over par, pushing the dangerous score of 88. Had Wie failed to break 88, as a non-member of the LPGA, she would have been barred from touring for the year.
“I don?t think about playing 88,” Wie said. “I mean, that?s just ridiculous. ? I think I made a smart decision to save my wrist and work on my wrist and play well this week.”
Wie said her doctors cleared her to play, and that there?s no risk for further injury.
LPGA star Annika Sorenstam hasn?t gauged the feelings of her colleagues, but she was clear about her feelings on the Wie situation.
“I just feel that there?s a little bit of a lack of respect and class just to kind of leave a tournament like that and practice here,” Sorenstam said. “I don?t know the situation, if it?s an injury or whatever it is. It seemed weird.”
Sorenstam, in particular, was irked because she hosted the Ginn Tribute.
“I know that being a hostess of an event, and when you get a sponsor invite, I think you have some responsibilities to the sponsor, to the organizer, and I can tell you that from being part of it, I know,” Sorenstam said. “It?s a different side from that aspect.”
Both Sorenstam and Wie denied having spoken to one another since last weekend?s incident, but Sorenstam is open to speaking.
“It?s not something that I was planning on doing, but if she would talk to me, I?d definitely talk to her,” Sorenstam said.
Sorenstam tees of at 9:27 a.m. Thursday from the first tee, while Wie will begin from the tenth tee at 2:16 p.m.
A WIE BIT OF DRAMA
» Michelle Wie was asked Tuesday about an incident from Monday?s pro-am round, in which she played with amateurs Ted Perlman, George Pimentel, Doug Perry and John Ulowetz. It was apparent that someone in the foursome issued a complaint to the LPGA about Wie. Wie refused to comment, and her manager directed media requests to LPGA commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens.
