72
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie hits her tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship golf tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Thursday, March 31, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.>>Hawaii’s Michelle Wie hit it all over Mission Hills Country Club for 10 holes today then fought her way back to shoot 2-over-par 74 in the opening round of the 40th annual Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Brittany Lincicome, the 2009 Kraft champion, and Stacy Lewis both finished at 66 just before Wie was done. Sandra Gal, who won last week’s Kia Championship, and Mika Miyazato shot 67 in the morning. There were seven groups still on the course.
Wie hit just two fairways on her first nine — the back — and was 2 over at the turn after making bogey at Nos. 16 and 17. Her only realistic birdie chances came on the par-5’s, where she left a putt on the lip at No. 11 and a chip on the lip at No. 18.
On her 10th hole, the Punahou graduate missed her fifth straight green and took another bogey to go 3 over. She got her only birdie on the par-5 second, then parred out, missing just one fairway and one green the rest of the way.
Wie tees off early this morning and needs to be among the top 70 and ties to make the cut.
