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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie hit from the 10th tee box during the final round of the NW Arkansas Championship. Wie started the day in the lead but wound up tied for eighth.
PITTSFORD, N.Y. >> Michelle Wie has a finger injury that forced her to withdraw from LPGA Championship next week at Monroe Golf Club and will sideline her at three to five weeks.
IMG Golf said Saturday that Wie has a stress reaction in a bone in her right index finger. The U.S. Women’s Open champion withdrew from the Meijer LPGA Classic on Thursday in Michigan after playing nine holes in the first round.
IMG said she was examined by hand surgeon Dr. Tom Graham of the Cleveland Clinic.
“I was looking forward to playing the next three weeks,” Wie said in the statement released by IMG. “It’s honestly one of my favorite stretches on tour. It’s extremely disappointing to miss these events, but I am relieved to have a proper diagnosis.”
Graham also worked with Wie in 2007 when she broke her wrist. He said that injuries of this severity typically require about three to five weeks of limited practice and play before returning to competition.
“Michelle has developed an ‘acute-on-chronic’ injury influenced by the volume in which she practices and plays,” Graham said. “Michelle is very aware of her body and was keen to pick up on this injury before it may have created a more severe problem.”
Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open on June 22 for her second victory of the year and fourth on the LPGA Tour. She also will miss the Canadian Women’s Open on Aug. 21-24, an event she won in 2010.
“Seven years ago, I would have tried to play through this injury and it is important to me not to make that mistake again,” Wie said. “I feel more comfortable now listening to my body and, while it’s hard to miss this stretch of events, I know I will be better suited to continue a great year and finish strong.”
