Michelle Wie missed the cut Friday in the Women’s British Open, and not even The King could save her.

Wie was right on the cut line at Royal Birkdale when she drove into the right rough on the 16th hole. The ball was in a thick bush, and as she approached the ball, Wie figured her only hope was to get relief from a plaque in the ground.

“I actually was glad there was a plaque there,” she said. “And then … it was too far away to get free relief.”

She was too upset to read the plaque, and only later did she realise why it was there – and for whom.

Arnold Palmer was in the same spot 53 years ago in the 1961 British Open when he took a 6-iron and slashed it out of the bush and onto the green for a two-putt par on his way to a one-shot victory. It only added to legend of his strength and bravado.

Wie listened to this tale after her 78, smiled and said, “That didn’t happen for me.”

She took an unplayable lie.

Wie pulled her next shot into a pot bunker, did well to get out and made double bogey. She made another 6 on the par-5 17th when it took two big hacks to get out of the hay left of the fairway. That all but ended her hopes of making it to the weekend.

A three-putt par on the 18th gave her a 78, her highest score since the wind-swept third round at St. Andrews last year. Just like that, Wie went from major champion to her first missed cut of the year.

“I missed a lot of greens,” she said.

“I had a lot of hard par putts today, and I didn’t make them. I didn’t do much on any of the holes.”

Wie celebrated her first major just last month at Pinehurst No.2 when she captured the US Women’s Open.