Michelle Wie's opening round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship went from bad to worse in a hurry, and it had little to do with howling winds and spitting rain.
Wie, playing in her first event in two months because of lingering right wrist issues, three-putted for bogey on her opening hole and reached into a refreshment cooler in search of ice on the next tee. She spent the rest of the morning icing her wrist and applying therapy cream on and off between shots.
All 84 of them.
Afterward, a visibly spent Wie put on a smile as she addressed reporters. But after 64 seconds of rehashing her return to the course, she broke into tears outside of the Hazeltine clubhouse in Chaska.
"I'm not entirely sure how much more I have left in me," she said, covering her face. "Even on a bad day, like, you try to enjoy it. But it's tough. I just love being out here."
Wie wiped her eyes, took a step back, grabbed an umbrella and made her way to the players' parking lot consoled by members of her team.
It was a glum sight for Wie, whose professional career began with lofty expectations as a 15-year-old and has featured a major championship at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open but also a host of maladies.
Thursday's 12-over total — Wie's worst score as a professional — put her in second-to-last place among the morning wave, one better than club pro Brittany Kelly.