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Michelle Wie withdraws from U.S. Women's Open with neck injury

Wie has been dealing with a neck strain in recent weeks. "It's a miracle that I even played," she said after making it through the first round.

Michelle Wie has been dealing with a neck strain in recent weeks. The injury forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament after the first round.
Michelle Wie has been dealing with a neck strain in recent weeks. The injury forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament after the first round.Read moreSeth Wenig/AP

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Michelle Wie, seeking her first victory since capturing the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, withdrew from the championship Friday because of a neck injury.

Wie, who suffered the injury two weeks ago during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, showed some discomfort during Thursday's opening round at Trump National Golf Club, releasing one hand from her club after impact on many of her shots. She said later, "It was a miracle that I even played."

However, after playing one hole Friday morning, the pain had become too great and she withdrew.

In a statement she released afterward on Twitter, Wie, 27, said she had been receiving treatment every day since the injury so she could play in the only major championship in which she has won.

Because of a two-hour rain delay on Thursday, Wie did not finish her opening round until well into the evening, then returned to the course for a 7:07 a.m. tee time Friday.

Lee the 6th

She is referred to in her golf bio as Jeongeun6 Lee. The "6" doesn't mean that her parents were big fans of Julius Erving during his days with the 76ers, or that she has completed two rounds of the U.S. Women's Open at 6-under par for 138, two shots off the lead.

Apparently, the name Jeongeun Lee is a popular one in South Korea. There are six women on the KLPGA Tour with that name, and the woman who is tied for second place at Trump National Golf Club going into the weekend is the sixth.

And then there's her fan club. "The name of my fan club is the Lucky 6," she said through a translator.

The 21-year-old Lee, who is in the United States for the first time, has got some game as evidenced by her back-to-back 69s in which she has accounted for nine birdies. The 2016 KLPGA rookie of the year has 10 top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments this year and is third on her tour's money list.

Still, she says she is "always surprised when I play well."

"I am surprised because the LPGA is my dream and it's the tournament that's the most difficult in the world, the U.S. Open, so that's why I'm very surprised to play well," she said.

The Ko comeback

Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko appeared to be heading close to a missed cut after playing the first 11 holes of her second round in 5-over par. But she found something in her game, birdied four of her last five holes, and finished at 141, well inside the cut figure.

"I just kind of kept hitting bad shots, one after another, and when you kind of get in those kind of streaks it's not very good," she said. "I'm happy with the way I fought back on the back nine."