Wie's revival gathers pace

Michelle Wie, back at the tournament where she posted her first professional victory, continued to re-emerge from a slump with a good opening round at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City yesterday morning (Singapore time).

Wie birdied three of the first seven holes en route to a two-under 70, ending the day three behind leaders Carlota Ciganda of Spain and Australian Sarah Jane Smith at Club de Golf Mexico.

Wie, 27, had been mired in an awful form slump for the best part of two years until she tied for 10th at the Blue Bay LPGA in China three weeks ago.

Plagued by multiple injuries and a subsequent loss of confidence, her form spiralled downwards until her visit to China, where she finally produced a performance she credited to practice and being healthy again.

She broke her LPGA duck seven years ago at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, albeit at a different venue than this week's event, a success that was expected to open the floodgates.

As a 14-year-old, Wie had come within a shot of making the cut against the men on the US PGA Tour at the 2004 Sony Open, becoming the most famous female player in the game and garnering comparisons with Tiger Woods.

But, whereas Woods lived up to his hype, Wie's story was a salutary reminder that there are few guarantees in sport.

After her 2009 breakthrough success, she did not win again until the 2010 Canadian Women's Open, and it was four more years before she notched two more victories in 2014, including the US Women's Open. - Reuters.