Michelle Wie West comes out of retirement for one last U.S. Women's Open with her family by her side: 'It's everything'

LOS ANGELES — Makenna Wie West stepped up into the white interview tent situated next to the Riviera Country Club clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, holding her mom’s hand.

After a bit of hesitation on where to sit, which appeared to be a big decision for the almost 6-year-old, Makenna settled on a seat in the front row. From there, she was locked in on her mom sitting just a few feet away from her the entire time.

Advertisement

Makenna is perhaps the biggest reason why Michelle Wie West is even teeing it up this week at the U.S. Women’s Open three years after retiring from the game in the first place.

“It’s everything,” Wie West said.

Michelle Wie West comes out of retirement

Wie West retired back in 2023 after the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. By golf standards, that’s just about the perfect place to call it a career. She sank a 30-foot putt on the final green to close it out, too. Wie West was dealing with chronic injuries, and Makenna was a few years old. She was ready to move into the next chapter of her life.

That wrapped what was a very successful golf career. Wie West was an absolute child prodigy, and still holds the record as the youngest person to ever make the cut at an LPGA Tour event, something she did when she was 13 at the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship. She won five times in her LPGA Tour career and racked up roughly $6.8 million in career earnings.

Advertisement

Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open back in 2014 at Pinehurst, too, for her lone major championship title. That win came with a 10-year exemption into the tournament, though Wie West received an additional two years due to a maternity exemption.

That put this year’s event in Los Angeles, the first women's major to ever be hosted at Riviera, suddenly in play.

Wie West started practicing for her return almost in secret last fall. It wasn’t until several months later that she even made her plans public. Getting to do that in silence, she said, was something that’s never happened before in her career.

Advertisement

“I had a few months in there where I was practicing where no one was knowing why, and I was just kind of out there in silence,” she said. “It was really therapeutic.

“It was really nice to be out there practicing, but I’m very excited also not to practice again. I like being retired.”

Wie West allowed herself one practice tournament to prepare for this week. She competed in the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey last month, an event she hosts, but missed the cut after going 18-over in the first two days.

Considering the gap she’s had in her playing career, it’s hard to know what to expect from a golf standpoint from her at the U.S. Women’s Open. Top-ranked Nelly Korda, with three wins under her belt already this season, is the overwhelming favorite to win the major championship this week. Wie West will tee off alongside Hinaki Shibuno and Yani Tseng in the first two rounds, starting just after 1:30 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Advertisement

But Wie West isn’t too concerned about her game or her final score at the end of the week. There are plenty of family, friends and others in her giant circle who are coming out to watch her play. Her husband, Jonnie West, will be on the bag for her, too. Jonnie’s father, NBA Hall of Famer and executive Jerry West, was the executive director for the PGA Tour’s stop at Riviera for years, so the connections here run deep.

And, just like she tells her daughter, winning isn’t the most important part.

“I always tell her before a game or a tournament, whatever, I say I don’t care about the results,” Wie West said before turning to look right at her daughter.

Advertisement

“All I care about is a good attitude and that you try your hardest, right? That is my number one goal this week, is to go out there and try hard and have a good attitude.”

While she’s still young, Wie West knows what kind of an impact this can have on her daughter.

“Last time I retired at Pebble Beach and Mckenna was 2 and doesn’t really have any memories,” she said. “Hopefully being 6 now, she’ll have a lot more memories of being here this week.”

Jonnie was waiting for Mckenna in the back of the tent, and met her with outstretched arms for a hug after Michelle wrapped up her interviews. Truly, regardless of how it goes for her out on the course, this week is about family for the Wie West crew.

They’re embracing it fully.