Michelle Wie ‘feeling hopeful’ ahead of return at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

When the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship gets underway this week at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, one of the sport’s biggest names will be back in action: Michelle Wie.

Wie will be making her first appearance on the LPGA Tour since the Lotte Championship this past April when she failed to make the cut. The 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion was then forced to withdraw from the national championship last month due to the persistence of her lingering wrist injury.

Making her first appearance in a major event since she failed to make the cut at the ANA Inspiration in April, Wie is feeling good and optimistic this week heading into the third major of the women’s golf season.

“I’m feeling hopeful,” Wie said during her press conference on Tuesday. “It’s still a process that I’m going through. So, going to hopefully play this week and hopefully feel good and just been doing a lot, lot of rehab to try and get back as fast as I can.”

“It’s been hard sitting out during the middle of the season,” Wie continued. “There’s really nothing worse. But I had to take the time to get myself back to where I want to be. It still is a process. I’m not saying that it’s completely perfect right now but it’s something I’m working very hard everyday on. I see it getting better and better.”

Wie had hand surgery last October that knocked her out for the remainder of 2018. Even with the procedure, it’s been a stop-start return to competitive golf for Wie.

After making her first start of the 2019 season at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February when she finished T23, Wie was forced to withdraw during the opening round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship just a week later due to a hand injury. A month later, Wie had to drop out from the Kia Classic due to her injured hand.

Following her missed cut result at the Lotte Championship, Wie announced that she would be taking some time away from the sport due to her nagging injury. But Wie appears ready to make her return, and she’s happy to be back at an event she finished second at in 2005.

“I’m very proud of everything that I’ve accomplished so far,” Wie said. “I’ve accomplished two of my biggest dreams. I’ve graduated from Stanford and I won the U.S. Open. Those were two of my biggest dreams growing up. I’m very grateful that I was able to do that. Still so much more I want to accomplish and that’s why I’m here, giving it my all and hopefully I can do that.”

Wie will be looking for her first Tour win this week since the HSBC Women’s World Championship last October.

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