PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Michelle Wie opened the 2014 season with a hard-earned birdie.
Wie birdied the first hole at the LPGA’s season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic Thursday, but the work only got harder from there. Wie made just one other birdie and a bogey on the way to grinding out a 1-under-par 72 at the Ocean Club Golf Course.
“I can’t complain about a red number on the first day of the year, but it definitely does feel like I left a lot of shots out there,” Wie said.
Wie closed the 2014 season finishing T-12 or better in four of her last five starts. She’s looking to build on that momentum.
Wie’s first tee shot of 2014 wasn’t so promising. She pulled it into a bunker and drew a terrible lie, but Wie nearly holed her approach, leaving herself a tap-in birdie.
“I was a little bit rusty, here and there,” Wie said. “I definitely didn’t take advantage of the par 5s, so that part of my game was a little bit rusty.”
Wie played the five par 5s in 1 over. She hit 10 of 14 fairways, 15 greens in regulation and took 32 putts.