EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMICHELLE WIE WEST stood in her kitchen on a Wednesday night in mid-May. After a strenuous day of school drop-offs, workouts, golf practice, after-school activities and everything in between, the 36-year-old mother and wife was ready to cook a quick dinner and kick her feet up for a few minutes.Then her phone pinged. A text came in from one of her sponsors: "I'm rewatching your Pinehurst round on the Golf Channel. You should turn it on." Wie West laughed at the message. She said to herself, "It's whatever." She also said to herself, "I've actually never watched that final round."Standing in the living room, Wie West's husband, Jonnie West, didn't hesitate. Before Wie West could even turn on the TV, her husband turned on the Golf Channel to watch his wife's performance. Their toddler, Jagger, stood in front of the television in amazement. "That's Mommy," Jonnie said to Jagger. "She's on TV playing golf."The year was 2014, and a then-24-year-old Wie West was the biggest star in women's golf. It was the final round of the U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst No. 2. And three holes stood between Wie West and her first major victory.With a three-shot lead on the 16th hole, Wie appeared to unravel until a clutch 5-foot putt for double bogey kept her in the fight. Sporting her signature large-brimmed Nike visor and brightly colored collared shirt and shorts ensemble, the young golf phenom then faced a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. Flipping through her yardage book, Wie West crouched down and stared down her line.Wie West positioned herself in her legendary tabletop putting stance before taking two practice strokes. Stepping behind the ball, she took a deep breath. She was ready. In one quick motion, Wie West guided her golf ball straight into the cup. As the ball fell in the cup, she pumped her fist two times as the crowd erupted in cheers around her. Walking off the green, Wie West continued pumping her fist knowing she had a two-shot lead headed into the final hole."It sure looks like Michelle Wie is ready," said the Golf Channel announcer, "for a major breakthrough here."After securing a par on No. 18, Wie West placed her hand over her mouth in shock. Seconds later, a number of her fellow LPGA members ran onto the green and sprayed her with champagne before jumping into her arms to celebrate her first major championship.Twelve years after winning her first and only major title, Wie West watched her 2014 win from the comfort of her living room with her husband and children. But as she watched each swing and putt, Wie West started to lock in. "That leg motion looked good," Wie West said to herself. "All my wheels are turning right now. I should be doing this. I should be doing that ... it was also a nice reminder that I'm good at golf ... it was really cool to see how I handled the pressure and kind of relating it back to how I was feeling ... it was really helpful."Wie West publicly retired from the LPGA Tour in 2022 and made her final appearance at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach, after battling multiple long-term injuries and starting a family. But when she received an extra year of eligibility due to maternity leave, after giving birth to her second child, Jagger, in 2024, Wie West decided to come out of retirement this year for her final U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific, Palisades, California.For the five-time LPGA champion, her decision to return to the biggest stage in women's golf goes beyond her scorecard this time. As Wie West tees it up this week at Riviera, she is playing for something greater than herself -- she's playing for her family."Holistically, I'm very retired," said Wie West, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2009 and amassed $6.8 million in official career earnings. "To me this seems like the bonus one."WALKING DOWN THE 18th fairway at Pebble Beach in 2023, Wie West found her mom outside of the ropes pushing a stroller with Wie West's then-3-year-old daughter, Makenna, sleeping in it. Wie West wiped away tears from her cheeks. She just hit her final tee shot in professional golf.For two days, Wie West struggled in her then-final U.S. Women's Open. Missed putts, hesitant swings and poor weather piled on Wie West's final chapter of professional golf. But as she walked down the last fairway, she found her daughter in the crowd and remembered her purpose."I just wanted to remember every second," said Wie West.With her husband Jonnie on her bag, Wie West walked alongside LPGA champion and Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam for the last time. The two golf legends flashed smiles as the triumphant cheers from the fans grew in octaves.On the green, Wie West followed her putting routine before taking a newly adjusted putting stance over her golf ball. Trickling toward the cup, Wie West's golf ball picked up speed just as fans started to rambunctiously scream, "Get in the hole." As her 30-foot-par putt found the bottom of the cup, Wie West brought her putter to her face and started laughing. She couldn't believe it. High-fiving Sorenstam, Wie West walked off one of the most famous holes in golf with a huge smile plastered across her face.She missed the cut by eight shots, after posting a two-day score of 14 over par (79-79), but with her family by her side, Wie West soaked in the feeling of closing a chapter of her life as a professional golfer.Since teeing it up at Pebble Beach, Wie West knew that the U.S. Women's Open was headed to Riviera Country Club in 2026. She also knew at the time that due to her eligibility, based on a 10-year exemption for her 2014 victory at Pinehurst No. 2, she wouldn't be teeing it up at the historic Los Angeles course. That was until she got pregnant with Jagger in 2024."Ooh, what if?" Wie West asked herself. "What if I could actually play at Riv?"Using her extended maternity exemption to unretire, Wie West announced on Instagram in March 2026 that she had made the decision to play her final year of eligibility at Riviera Country Club."If it wasn't at Riviera, I don't think I would have played," she said. "Riv is just like a really special place to my husband's family, to my husband. His dad [Jerry West] was very involved with the Northern Trust Open."I would say I'm playing for very personal reasons. My daughter was 3 when I retired at Pebble. She came out for the final hole. And now being almost 6, it's been really cool to share this journey with her. This one is going to be very meaningful for my entire family."With her husband caddying for her again, Wie West said it will be the first time in her career that she will be teeing it up in front of everyone that she really cares about. Her extended family and friends are flying in from all over the country to watch the golf trailblazer swing it as a professional -- for what she says will likely be the last time.Wie West will pay tribute to her late father-in-law, basketball legend Jerry West, through special customized Nike golf sneakers. For Wie West and her husband, this week at Riviera will be a remembrance for Jerry West and the entire West family. Prior to their marriage in 2019, the couple hosted a "Ryder Cup"-style match with their family and friends at Riviera Country Club. The couple said Riviera holds a "special place" in their hearts, with the West family growing up at the course.And now, Wie West said she hopes to continue the legacy of the West family. "For us and the West family, I just think it's deeply meaningful," said Wie West. "L.A. is a very special place for my husband's side of the family. I'm excited to show my daughter the golf course and have that memory with her.""THIS IS NOT a comeback," said Wie West, during the Mizuho Americas Open media day at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey.After announcing her return to professional competition in this year's U.S. Women's Open, Wie West declared that she would compete in one other tournament, the tournament she hosts, to prepare for Riviera. Competing on a sponsor invitation and becoming a playing host for the first time, Wie West stood on the first tee at the Mizuho Americas Open in early May and felt a wave of nerves overcome her body."It was crazy," Wie West said. "I slept great the night before. Woke up, practiced, wasn't nervous at all. And then I got to the first tee, and just like, it was crazy how nervous I was. You can never predict how your body's going to react to certain situations. It was a moment."Headed into Mizuho, Wie West didn't know what to expect from her golf game. It had been three years since she played in a professional round. But, in reality, the way Wie West thought about it, she hadn't played a true competitive season of golf since 2021 when she played in six tournaments and made two cuts. For the final years of her competitive career, Wie West battled long-term injuries, including persistent wrist and hand injuries.Now, years later, she wasn't playing for the same reasons as she did in her teens and 20s. But she still wanted to make an impact on the golf course.During her second round, Wie West finally found the bottom of the cup with a birdie on 18 to end her week at her host tournament. For the first two days of the tournament, she went through an "entire range of emotions." Missing 19 of 36 greens and needing 69 total putts, Wie West understood where her game was at after two rounds before missing the cut and nearly landing in last place.With crowds pushing against the ropes to catch a glimpse of the golf phenom, young girls and boys, similar in age to Wie West's daughter, cheered by the edge of the green. Wie West spotted a young boy and his father off the green. For the majority of her final round, the two followed her every swing.Wie West's mood spiked, as she took it all in."I went through the entire range of nerves and dealing with that, failing to deal with that, but then also kind of overcoming it at the end and like really going through how to do so because I went through so much a wide variety of feelings that whole week," Wie West said. "And then to see the fans who came out to see me, like the boy and his dad, it meant a lot. Golf is hard. But golf is fun. I want people to get excited about my long drives, hopefully, you know, get excited about some shots that I hit, some putts that I make."AFTER HER ROUND, Wie West talked to her daughter, who was back home in Las Vegas with Wie West's parents. Makenna asked Wie West, "Did you win?" Wie West couldn't help but laugh.She knew her daughter would be disappointed that she did not win the tournament. In an attempt to teach her daughter about the importance of keeping a good attitude despite adversity, Wie West said, "If you flip the field, you know, from bottom to top, Mommy almost won."When Wie West returned home to Las Vegas, she wasted no time diving right back into her preparations for Riviera. Navigating motherhood and practicing for a major championship, Wie West scheduled her days down to the minute."I don't sit from 5:45 a.m. to 8 p.m.," Wie West said, while laughing and walking a few miles with a weighted vest in the morning Vegas heat after dropping off her daughter at school. "I'm fortunate to have a lot of help. We have a whole village."But at the end of the day, it's during her children's bedtime routine that she reminds herself of her purpose for returning to the U.S. Women's Open for one last time. While tucking in Makenna before bed, Wie West doesn't shy away from talking to her young daughter about the ups and downs of her schedule and the highs and lows of each day."I talk to her very candidly about what's going on," Wie West said. "Like some days I tell her I didn't want to go practice, but I have a goal. So I went to practice. And this is what I did. This is what I struggled with. This is what I felt like I really overcame, and I figured it out. I want to show her that nothing is perfect. "Wie West knows that this return to golf has meant sacrificing time away from her family, relying on her village and truly coming to terms with the final stage of her playing career, but she also knows that it's a chance to show her daughter the importance of never giving up, following your dreams and pursuing your goals."My goal for the U.S. Open is going to be something I tell Makenna all the time," Wie West said. "I tell her I don't care about the result. All I care about is that you actually tried hard and had a good attitude. So, I think that's my main goal for the U.S. Open. I'm going to try hard. I'm going to have a good attitude."
