Wie faced an uphill task after a double bogey on her second hole

R1 LEADERBOARD:
-7 D Chopra (Swe), Z Johnson (US), J Senden (Aus), JP Hayes (US)
-6 J Ogilvie (US), K Cox (US)
-5 D McKenzie (Aus), BJ Staten (US), J Huston (US), D Maruyama (Jpn), J Schultz (US), M Connell (US)

Michelle Wie's hopes of making the field for next week's Open at Hoylake have suffered a major blow.

The 16-year-old American struggled to a six-over-par 77 in the opening round of the John Deere Classic in Illinois.

Wie would qualify for the Open if she finishes in the top 10 this week and is the leading non-exempt player.

She is 13 shots behind leaders John Senden, JP Hayes, Zach Johnson and Daniel Chopra, while three players will have to finish on Friday after fog.

Wie started badly with a double-bogey on her second hole, the 11th.

She added six bogeys and two birdies on her way to recording the fourth-worst round of the day.

Wie is bidding to become the first woman to make the cut on the PGA Tour for 61 years and remained upbeat despite her troubled round on Thursday.

"Considering that I had the water hazard penalties, considering that I had to call unplayable, considering that I hit my driver like 50 yards right, I felt like I played really well," she said.

"I made a lot of great up-and-downs, putted great and my irons were good.

"I feel like I have a really good round in me.

"If I hit the fairways more, I could have shot a lot under par. I really feel like I can do it (make the cut). I feel really motivated to do it."

The 135th Open Championship takes place at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, 20-23 July.