LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ricoh Women’s British Open after 12 holes Thursday with a right hand/wrist injury.
Wie has battled arthritis in both wrists this year.
She was 7 over when she informed fellow competitors Anna Nordqvist and Sakura Yokomine that she was withdrawing.
“I have been doing everything humanly possible (besides giving it proper rest) this past couple of weeks to get my hand healthy enough to play this event, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” Wie wrote in an Instagram post. “I gave it my all today, but I just couldn’t handle the pain any longer.”
Wie, 28, has been receiving collagen injections to help her ailing wrists.
“I’m devastated that I had to withdraw mid-round, but I felt that if I kept pushing through the pain, I would have injured my hand further,” she wrote. “I have been trying to manage/push through the pain almost all year, but my team and I think it’s finally time to take some time off to get my hand back to being healthy. I am confident that with the right treatment, I will be back stronger than ever. Will keep you guys posted on my prognosis/recovery. Thank you for all your kind messages and support. It’s been really tough, but your unwavering support always puts a smile on my face.”
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Nordqvist said the nature of Royal Lytham’s hard fairways might have been a factor.
“The conditions weren’t easy,” Nordqvist said. “With the ground being firm, if you have any sort of wrist problems, it’s not going to be favorable.”
At year’s start, Wie said her primary goal this season involved her health.
“Being healthy, staying healthy, it’s my No. 1 priority,” she told GolfChannel.com back in January.
Wie has been plagued with injuries throughout her career. In the last three years alone, she has played through bursitis in her left hip, a bone spur in her left foot and inflammation in her left knee. She has battled neck spasms and back spasms. There have been platelet rich plasma injections to aid healing, and there have been too many cortisone injections for her liking. There was also an emergency appendectomy last year.
This was Wie’s first withdrawal in almost a year, since the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in late August of 2017.
