RICHMOND, Va. — Hawai'i's Michelle Wie will be making just her second appearance on the LPGA Tour this season starting tomorrow at the Michelob Ultra Open.

And she's hoping to improve on her first: At the Fields Open in Hawai'i in February, Wie tied for last among the 74 players who made the cut.

For the past month, Wie has been in Orlando, Fla., working with David Leadbetter on getting her game back into shape. Before that, a broken wrist and then a sprained wrist left her unable to do the things on a golf course that once made her a phenomenon.

"It's been a hard month," Wie said after a practice round Tuesday.

"Practice, practice. You know, finally, I just want to get out and play already so I'm really excited."

It have been several years since Wie played in the Michelob Ultra Open, and while her appearance at women's events has always garnered a lot of attention, the setbacks that find her still hoping to make a mark have tempered somewhat the buzz her presence creates. To hear Paula Creamer tell it, the tour has been doing just fine without her.

"There's a lot of good players that are playing well. Juli Inkster, last week being right in contention and going to a playoff," she said.

"I think the tour is in a wonderful place and I think her playing it helps, but at the same time, I think we're doing pretty good."

Wie will tee off at 7:15 a.m. (1:15 a.m. Hawai'i time) tomorrow at the Kingsmill Resort and Spa's River Course. In Friday's second round, she will tee off at 1:05 p.m. (7:05 a.m. Hawai'i time).