Michelle Wie tried everything she could to finish the year. She tried wraps, massages, injections. All of it. And it just couldn't stop her hand from hurting. So, she chose to stop fighting the injury and get it fixed.
Wie announced her 2018 is over after having surgery to repair an avulsion fracture, bone spurs and nerve entrapment in her right hand. The 29-year-old shared a post-surgery update on Twitter.
Update pic.twitter.com/re5iTX8svy
— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) October 18, 2018
Wie, who won the 2014 US Women's Open, had managed a breakthrough win in March at the HSBC Women's World Championship for her first title since that major breakthrough at Pinehurst No. 2. She had played her normal schedule, as intended, through June.
However, by later in the season, she was trying all options to get to the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida while playing as many closing-stretch events as possible. Following three cortisone injections, which can ultimately have other side effects, as well bed rest following her withdrawal from the Women's British Open in July, she just couldn't make it work. She skipped the season's final major, The Evian Championship, in September.
She came back for the fall Asian stretch, competing on the United States team in the UL International Crown, going 1-3 combined in team matches and an individual match. She then finished T-66 in the no-cut, 78-player LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. That was enough to convince her to pursue surgery now.
Wie has dealt with far too many issues for someone of her age, including neck, back, hip, knee and ankle problems. She's dealt with arthritis, and she's changed her swing multiple times to account for all of these problems.
The Hawaii native is happy to say she's pain-free, and she will begin a rehab process to get back to the LPGA in 2019.
