The rain had started to come down hard at Hazeltine National Golf Club. It was cold, a bit windy, AND all around miserable outside. Michelle Wie signed her scorecard for a 12-over 84 and stood under the roof overhang at the clubhouse to answer questions from the media.
At first, Wie was smiling. Forget the 84, she was out on the golf course. In the days before the tournament she’d spoken about how frustrated she’d been taking time off from the game. Since April, she’d been resting her right wrist. Sitting out the US Women’s Open had especially hurt. She’d won the event in 2014. There was no way she was going to miss another Major. Anything had to be better than not playing. So she started hitting balls the week before the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. The result obviously wasn’t great, but at least she was out on the course.
Her tone changed, though, as she continued to speak.
“I’m not entirely sure how much more I have left in me, so even on the bad days I’m just like trying to take time to enjoy it. But it’s tough,” Wie said.
She broke down in tears and walked away, retreating to her parents. It all happened in just longer than a minute. So quickly, that it almost felt like the moment didn’t even happen.
There were more questions than answers. Did the LPGA Tour’s biggest star just come to the realisation that her body, riddled with injury, won’t allow her to play at the highest level anymore? Was this the first time she admitted it to herself? And the rest of the world?
