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Wie, Mickelson quit tournaments

Associated PRess
AP PhotoMichelle Wie watches her shot off the 16th tee during the first round of the LPGA Ginn Tribute golf tournament Thursday. Wie made bogey on the hole.
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Wie withdraws from Ginn Tribute after 16 holesEds: will be led.AP PhotosBy PETE IACOBELLIAP Sports WriterMOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute on Thursday after playing much of the first round with bandaged wrists and shooting 14 over par through 16 holes.After Wie bogeyed the par-4 seventh, the 17-year-old star from Hawaii told an LPGA tour official: Were not going to play anymore.Her round included a 10 on the par-5 third hole.She shook hands with her playing partners on the eighth tee and rode the cart back to the clubhouse with her caddie and parents.Wie had not played competitive golf since missing the cut at the PGA Tour Sony Open in January. She had been recovering from wrist injuries.

DUBLIN, Ohio The looming duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at the Memorial Tournament disappeared before Woods even hit his first shot: Mickelson withdrew with an injured left wrist after 11 holes.Mickelson was intent on challenging Woods, who had yet to tee off, at Muirfield Village Golf Club.I dont think its anything serious but it just got worse. I couldnt grab the club and I couldnt swing, said Mickelson, who was 2 over through 11 holes before returning to the clubhouse. I hit a wedge on 2 and it got really aggravated.Earlier this week Mickelson, second on the money list to Woods, played at Oakmont, site of the U.S. Open in two weeks. That is where he apparently injured his wrist, although the couldnt remember precisely when he first hurt it.I was hitting a lot of chip shots out of the rough at Oakmont and I think that kind of aggravated it. I hit some drivers today and it started hurting a little bit, but nothing I didnt think I could handle, he said. When I hit a wedge on 2 (on Thursday), it shot up my arm and it was OK, I could kind of half-clubbed it around. The 5 iron on 4 really hurt. It just got worse.Mickelson said he would ice his wrist, see a doctor and could possibly play as soon as next weeks stop in Memphis. But getting ready for the Open takes precedence over that.The U.S. Open is more of what were gearing up for, as much as Id love to play here and as excited as I was to play here and get back into the swing of it, I couldnt swing, he said.The pain got to be too much after he hit his approach to the green on the par-5 11th hole.The wedge shot on 11 out of the divot jarred it pretty good, Mickelson said. I just didnt feel like I could hit a shot on 12.Mickelsons withdrawal erased one of the major storylines at the Memorial Mickelsons challenge to Woods.Woods is No. 1 by acclaim, not even close. But that doesnt stop everybody from trying to speculate about who could sneak up and steal his crown.Ive had different guys make different runs, Woods said after Wednesdays pro-am at Muirfield Village Golf Club. It was (David) Duval and then probably Phil and Ernie (Els), Vijay (Singh), Goose (Retief Goosen) a combination of those guys throughout the years.With Mickelson coming off a big win at The Players Championship three weeks ago, some were saying he was primed to challenge Woods at the Memorial and then in two weeks at the U.S. Open at Oakmont.It seems that every time Mickelson gets a big win the Masters in 2004, the PGA Championship in 2005, the Masters again in 2006 it gets Woods attention.A year ago, for instance, Mickelson won at Augusta and was in position to take his third major in a row before hitting that hideous drive on the final hole that cost him the Open at Winged Foot.Still grieving the loss of his father, Woods wasnt a factor there, but then turned around and won the last two majors, the British Open and PGA.With Woods facing impending fatherhood and the changes that can bring, now could be the time for someone to finally challenge for the top spot in the world.Woods doesnt seem to be conceding anything, though.As long as Im up there in the conversation, Im doing all right, Woods said. I keep pushing myself pretty hard, regardless. I always try and get better. You cant stay stagnant in any sport. Youve always got to keep getting better because you know the guys are training harder, theyre finding their game, theyre in the gym, youre getting better athletes playing the game. So youve got to keep getting better.Even without Mickelson, the field mirrors that of a major. Nine of the top 10 money-winners are on hand, along with former Memorial winners Els, Jim Furyk, Singh, Tom Lehman and Paul Azinger.Masters champion Zach Johnson, still on a victory lap after winning the Masters in April and the AT&T Classic two weeks ago, burns to remain in such elite company.This is one of my favorite places to be, said Johnson, who tied for second at the Memorial a year ago, two shots behind winner Carl Pettersson. Golfwise, I absolutely love it. If you find a complaint here, its hard.


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