"Wie again finds game judged against men's in Open"
/Golfweek's Adam Schupak on Michelle Wie's opening 68 at Pinehurst, leaving her one shot off the U.S. Women's Open lead held by Stacy Lewis.
On Thursday, Wie was followed at times by Peggy Kirk Bell, by her longtime instructor David Leadbetter, and of course, by her father, B.J., who studied comprehensive diagrams of the putting greens at Pinehurst. He had to like what he saw from his daughter, who holed birdie putts of 30 feet on 10 and 12, and drained a clutch 15-foot par putt on 17, which was worthy of a fist pump.
“That putt that I made on 17 felt really great and gave me good momentum going into 18,” Wie said.
The Big Wiesy walloped a 270-yard drive at the last and fans cheered and whistled when she dropped a 52-degree wedge inside 7 feet for a closing birdie. Wie, using a left-hand-low grip, took just 26 putts for the round and had no three-putt greens.
