Wie withdraws mid-way at Singapore event after short-lived comeback

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Former women's golf prodigy Michelle Wie's much-awaited comeback has turned out to be a disastrous one as the Hawaiian golfer withdrew after 15 holes during the first round of an LPGA event in Singapore.

Defending champion Wie, who has been on the sidelines for a while, withdrew from the HSBC Women's World Championship after a "trapped nerve" in her hand stopped her from continuing at Sentosa Golf Club. She, however, hasn't offered any timetable for her next tournament.

The 29-year-old underwent surgery in October in an effort to cure a troublesome right hand that had been bothering her since a car accident in 2017. Just before the tournament in Singapore, Wie said that her hand had still been bothering but she had not listened to her body in order to defend her title.

After Thursday's withdrawal, she posted on Twitter, "I had a bad flare-up during my round. It just kept getting worse as I tried to play on. I made the decision on 15 to withdraw as at that stage I was unable to lift the club."

Michelle Wie reacts on the 14th tee during the first round of the HSBC Women's World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club on February 28, 2019. /VCG Photo

Incidentally, Wie's withdrawal at 10 over par comes barely a month before the year's first women's major, the ANA Inspiration.

The heart-broken golfer wrote on Instagram, "Feeling absolutely gut-wrenched right now. I was so ready to be pain-free that I ignored a couple of warning signs late last week. But I hit a shot on 8 that caused my hand to be in a really vulnerable position resulting in a bad flare up. After that shot, I felt a strong nerve irritation and it kept getting worse as I tried to play on."

Meanwhile, current world number one Ariya Jutanugarn joined a five-way tie for the round-one after the American's abrupt withdrawal. Australia's Minjee Lee, China's Yu Liu, American Amy Olson and Celine Boutier of France shared the lead with Ariya on four-under-par 68.