Wie finishes ninth at Kraft Nabisco

Associated Press

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Michelle Wie's first LPGA major tournament ended with a 4-over par 76 and a tie for ninth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship today.

Patricia Meunier-Lebouc shook off an out-of-bounds tee shot with some steady play in the final holes to win by a shot, denying Annika Sorenstam's bid to become the first LPGA player to win the same major title three years in a row.

Meunier-Lebouc birdied the 13th hole to take the lead, then parred her way in before a meaningless 3-putt bogey on the final hole gave her a 1-over 73 and a one-shot win over Sorenstam.

Wie, an eighth-grader from Honolulu, was never a factor, missing several short putts to finish eight shots back. The 13-year-old Punahou student began the day four strokes behind Meunier-Lebouc for the lead.