Golf: In shock Wie finishes last, misses cut again

Michelle Wie

CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland - Michelle Wie's first appearance on the European Tour ended in crushing disappointment today when the Hawaiian teenager crashed out of the European Masters and finished in last place.

Wie was "in shock" as she ran up two double-bogeys and five bogeys in a second round eight-over-par 79.

It followed an opening day 78 and left the 16-year-old American 15-over, 22 strokes behind joint leaders Marcel Siem of Germany, South African Andrew McLardy and Britain's Bradley Dredge.

She was 14 strokes worse than the cut-off and last of the original 156 field when the only player behind her, Swiss Sandro Tan-Piaget, was disqualified for signing for a wrong score.

Undeterred by her setback, Wie now tries again against the men again when she moves on to the Lumber Classic in Pittsburgh on the men's PGA US Tour next week.

She has only made one cut playing with men, the SK Telecom Open earlier in the year in Korea on the Asian Tour, and missed out nine times.

"I'm still in shock, I tried my hardest but at times I even wondered what sport am I playing?" Wie told reporters.

"I woke up on the wrong side of the bed again as far as my game went.

"I guess I had too short a time to get my game ready after going back to school. I had difficulty getting my shots into the fairway and I have to work hard for next week."

The American girl has no intentions of giving up her quest to win a men's event.

"My aim is to get better on the men's tours and I'll never be able to do that unless I play on men's tours," she said.

Wie added that she hoped the European Tour would give her another chance and the tour's executive director George O'Grady would not rule it out on Friday.

"I'm quite happy with this experiment," O'Grady said of Wie's appearance in Switzerland, the second on the European Tour by a female after Annika Sorenstam's 2004 ANZ Championship start, in which the Swede also missed the cut and finished second-last.

"We will now evaluate it over the next few weeks and make a decision on whether we do it again."

O'Grady insisted Wie's disappointing performance was not an embarrassment to his tour, pointing out how 30 of his players queued up to watch the prodigy tee-off on the first day.

While joint leader McLardy is seeking a maiden European Tour win, Siem is looking to add to his 2004 Dunhill Championship victory in South Africa, while Dredge aims to double up his 2003 Madeira Island Open honour.

They lead by a stroke from Francesco Molinari, whose maiden win came in his home Italian Open earlier in the year.

Last year's winner Sergio Garcia is a further stroke back.

- REUTERS