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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:56 a.m., Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wie shoots 3-under 69, among Fields Open leaders

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Michelle Wie tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the Fields Open at the Ko Olina Resort in Kapolei.

Associated Press

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Honolulu's Michelle Wie, playing competitively for the first time since last October, shot a 3-under-par 69 today at the Fields Open in Hawaii.

The 54-hole tournament with a $1.3 million purse ($195,000 for first prize) is being played at par-72 Ko Olina Golf Club.

The 18-year-old Wie, whose injured and fractured wrists contributed to a forgettable 2007, had six birdies and three bogeys in recording nines of 33-36. It was her first round in the 60s since 2006.

She is among the leaders in the 138-player field. At one point, she was at 4-under.

Wie, starting on the back nine, birdied her second hole, the par-4 No. 11. But she recorded a bogey-5 on the 15th, her sixth hole of the day, to fall back to even par.

But Wie opened her back nine with birdies on four of her first five holes.

She carded birdies on the par-5 No. 1, the par-4 No. 2 , the par-3 No. 4 and the par-5 No. 5 to vault up the leaderboard at 4-under. She gave back a shot with a bogey on the par-4 No. 6.

She birdied the par-3 No. 8 to again go to 4-under. But she bogeyed the par-4 No. 9.

Wie hit only eight greens in regulation but she overcame that with only 23 putts in the round.

Wie, whose sore right wrist and fractured left wrist and psyche contributed to a disastrous 2007 season, finished 19th among 20 players in her previous competitive event, the Samsung last October.

Her 2007 year included three missed cuts, two withdrawals and an overall score of 110-over par.

She is back in Honolulu for the first time since last May.

Ayaka Kaneko, a 17-year-old Sacred Hearts Academy student, also in in the field.