Michelle Wie was lovin’ life on Thursday over there across the pond.
She was lovin’ the scenery at Kingsbarns, lovin’ the way she played, lovin’ the first round course-record 64 she put up on the leaderboard at the Women’s Open Championship.
The big Wie-Wie was all smiles, appeared as though she couldn’t stop smiling and why not?
The last time we saw her she was struggling with a painful neck injury at the Women’s U.S. Open at Trump Bedminster. She fought through it for 18 holes but on the second hole of the second round she simply couldn’t go on after the pain became too much following her tee shot.
She looked absolutely fine at Kingsbarns, a short drive from the Old Course at St. Andrews.
“No complaints,” she said, telling everyone that her neck was okay and so was her golf game.
She got the best weather Scotland has to offer this time of year. She was on the early side of the draw. It was sunny, mild breeze, temps in the high 60s. Perfect for scoring.
“I had a lot of fun out there,” she said, grinning ear-to-ear. “I’m proud how I took advantage of the conditions.”
Indeed, there were right for low scores and Wie put one up with a flawless final nine holes that saw her birdie her last three and four of her last five.
Her only gaff on a day that literally had none, came at the par five second when she thinned a lob wedge, yeah, a thin lob wedge over the green and made bogey six.
“Started with that bogey. I was pissed off for a little while,” she said, nearly laughing knowing that otherwise, she had one helluva first round.
“It was fun and I’m happy I came over to Scotland a week early.”
Wie also embraces the links game. “I love it, chipping with things I never would in the States. Putting with my 11-wood. Yeah, I had a lot of fun today.”
She knew she had good conditions but also said she’s prepared for testy conditions as well.
“You have to play with what it throws at you,” she said of the Scottish summer weather that can go from perfect to miserable in a matter of a couple of hours.
The weather did change after Wie was finished. The afternoon wave was interrupted twice by suspensions in play that delayed things for about 77 minutes between the two.
By day’s end Wie’s score held up but she was only a shot in front of I.K. Kim and three better than the world’s No. 2, fellow American Lexi Thompson.
Wie, who has worked and learned how to play a fade, is looking for her first win since 2014 when she won twice, including the U.S. Open.
She’s only 27 but it seems like she’s been around forever.
She remains America’s most popular player.
Time for her to win again.
First Round Women’s Open Championship Scores:
