Posted on: Thursday, July 27, 2006
Wie trails by three in Evian
By Erica Bulman
Associated Press
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Hawai'i's Michelle Wie fired a 3-under 69 and was three shot off the lead after the first round of the Evian Masters in France.
PATRICK GARDIN | Associated Press
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LPGA EVIAN MASTERS
Yesterday At Evian Golf Club, Evian, France Purse: $3 million Yardage: 6,283; Par: 72 (36-36) First Round Shani Waugh 31-35—66 Mi Hyun Kim 32-34—66 Lorena Ochoa 32-34—66 Karrie Webb 31-36—67 Maria Hjorth 35-33—68 Laura Davies 35-33—68 Se Ri Pak 33-35—68 Wendy Ward 34-35—69 Heather Young 36-33—69 Michele Redman 34-35—69 Suzann Pettersen 32-37—69 Annika Sorenstam 34-35—69 Michelle Wie 33-36—69 Lorie Kane 35-35—70 Rikka Hakkarainen 34-36—70 Sherri Steinhauer 35-35—70 Shi Hyun Ahn 34-36—70 Carin Koch 35-35—70 Paula Creamer 35-35—70 Candie Kung 35-36—71 Angela Stanford 33-38—71 Kirsty Taylor 34-37—71 Sophie Gustafson 35-36—71 Christina Kim 36-35—71 Beth Daniel 36-35—71 Natalie Gulbis 33-38—71 Jeong Jang 36-35—71 Brittany Lang 38-34—72 Joo Mi Kim 38-34—72 Veronica Zorzi 36-36—72 Jee Young Lee 34-38—72 Hee-Won Han 36-36—72 Bo Bae Song 34-38—72 Gloria Park 34-38—72 Julieta Granada 37-35—72 Ludivine Kreutz 35-37—72 Pat Hurst 37-36—73 Young Kim 36-37—73 Sakura Yokomine 34-39—73 Iben Tinning 37-36—73 Liselotte Neumann 35-38—73 Nicole Perrot 35-38—73 Meena Lee 37-36—73 Helen Alfredsson 35-38—73 Patricia Meunier-Lebouc 36-37—73 Cristie Kerr 37-36—73 Rebecca Hudson 37-37—74 Cecilia Ekelundh 38-36—74 Sung Ah Yim 39-35—74 Stacy Prammanasudh 36-38—74 Marisa Baena 38-36—74 Juli Inkster 35-39—74 Meg Mallon 37-37—74 Catrin Nilsmark 35-39—74 Rachel Hetherington 37-37—74 Catriona Matthew 36-39—75 Virginie Lagoutte 38-37—75 Morgan Pressel 37-38—75 Wendy Doolan 36-39—75 Karine Icher 37-38—75 Trish Johnson 35-41—76 Marcy Hart 38-38—76 Laura Diaz 42-34—76 Aree Song 38-38—76 Soo-Yun Kang 40-36—76 Ai Miyazato 40-36—76 Seon-Hwa Lee 38-39—77 Stephanie Arricau 36-41—77 Karen Stupples 39-39—78 Gwladys Nocera 40-38—78 Brittany Lincicome 40-38—78 Amy Yang 39-40—79 Federica Piovano 39-40—79 Hiromi Kobayashi 40-39—79 Yuri Fudoh 40-39—79 Birdie Kim 43-38—81 Lisa Holm Sorensen 39-43—82
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EVIAN, France — Michelle Wie knows it's tough keeping up with the best men in the game.
In the French Alps yesterday, she learned beating golf's top female money winner this season — Mexico's Lorena Ochoa — won't be much easier.
Ochoa, Mi Hyun Kim and Shani Waugh shot 6-under 66 to lead the Evian Masters, where temperatures reached an unseasonable 91 degrees. Ochoa birdied seven holes but bogeyed the 15th for her 66.
"I hit it close today and did not have that many long putts," said Ochoa, the runner-up with Wie here a year ago when Paula Creamer won the tournament. Creamer shot a 70 yesterday.
Karrie Webb was one shot behind after a 67, with Maria Hjorth, Laura Davies and Se Ri Pak at 68. Wie had a 69, tied with the game's top-ranked player, Annika Sorenstam.
Wie's round almost collapsed on the 17th. She was 2 under when her second shot at the par-3 bounced off the green and into the rough. She angrily kicked a divot out of the grass and swung her club, stopping just short of smacking the ground.
"Unfortunately, I hit my 52-degree (wedge) a little too hard, and it went into the hill," Wie said.
She settled for a bogey — she chipped back and dropped an 8-foot putt — and left tightlipped as she walked off the green.
But she showed maturity on the final hole, carding an eagle-3 to finish at 3 under. She sent her drive into the rough, but hit a 5-iron to 40 feet and made the putt.
"I ended on a good note," the 16-year-old Punahou junior said.
