Michelle Wie blown away with fan response after 84-82 at KPMG

Michelle Wie played one of the most challenging tournaments of her life, she said, but was blown away by fan reaction afterwards.

Wie missed the cut and finished near the bottom of the leaderboard at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, posting rounds of 84-82 at Hazeltine National. She had been battling injury and was clearly in pain during both rounds, but felt it was important to finish all 36 holes. After the second round, she described the fan reaction in a series of tweets, transcribed below:

“Over the last two days, my phone and my inbox has been overflowing with messages of support and love. And even though I was having trouble playing, the crowds were cheering me on, applauding the good shots, and yelling phrases of encouragement when I was struggling.

“And even after not performing well at all, kids were still waiting in the rain to get my autograph and a picture with me while telling me that they were still so proud of me. For all of this, I say THANK YOU.

“Even though these past 2 rounds have been 2 of the toughest rounds I have ever played emotionally and physically, my [heart] is filled with gratitude and love. To everyone that reached out and filled my week with positivity, I am so grateful for you. [Thank you] from the bottom of my heart.”

The 29-year-old has played golf on the world stage for more than half her life and has always been a fan favorite. When Wie announced she’d make a comeback attempt for this week’s major, golf fans were optimistic alongside her. But as she gave a tearful press conference after her first round, and as she iced her hand and arthritic wrist for much of Friday’s competition, it was easy to see why she has missed time of late.

“Hitting balls on the range didn’t feel great, but I wanted to finish,” Wie told reporters after the round. “I came here to play, so I’m glad these two rounds are over. They were very long.”

Still, she preached optimism, and vowed to listen to her body, something she said is always a challenge. As a result, there’s no telling when we’ll see Wie in competition next.