RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Michelle Wie thrived on a wild day.
Her first tee shot Friday at the Kraft Nabisco ricocheted off a cart path and hit a little girl in the forehead.
On the back nine, a well-lubricated fan attracted a lot of attention in his boisterous support of Wie.
In the end, it was a good day for Wie, who posted her best score in a major in five years. Her 5-under-par 67 was her lowest round in a major since the first round of the Kraft Nabisco in 2006. At 3-under 141, she left the course six shots off the lead.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend,” Wie said.
Wie’s first tee shot was sprayed left, where it hit a cart path and bounded into a little girl’s forehead. It bounced off the girl and into the fairway.
“I never felt so horrible about a shot, ever,” Wie said. “I felt so horrible about hitting that poor little girl. I kind of got lucky, and I just felt really bad, and hopefully she’s fine.”
The girl received medical attention and was fine enough to continue following Wie.
On the back nine, a fan who was observed drinking beer was enthusiastic in his support of Wie.
“I don’t think drinking in over 100-degree weather is a smart idea,” Wie said. “But he was quite entertaining. He wasn’t obnoxious at all. It thought it was really funny.”