Michelle Wie West isn’t coming back, but her brief return to the LPGA just added a stop.
On Tuesday, Wie West announced that he will compete in next month’s Mizuho Americas Open, an event he hosts, at the invitation of sponsors. Wie West, 36, retired from competitive golf at the 2023 US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, but announced last month that she would be joining this year’s US Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club. Wie West earned a 10-year exemption from the event by winning the 2014 US Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2. That exemption was extended for two years of maternity leave.
So, Wie West is back, but for a limited time.
The five-time LPGA champion has been grinding away at home in Las Vegas as he heads to the Riviera in June. He said the motivation to prepare to compete again is there, but he has one goal in what will be a short return to the competition.
“For me personally, knowing that this is not like a comeback in any way, it’s not, like the beginning of something else,” Wie West said on Tuesday at the press day of the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open. “Because I know it’s over, that I want to go out there two more times, play the way I know how to play, and how I feel like I can play.”
That last part is key.
Wie West has dealt with injuries throughout his professional career, including injuries to both wrists that required surgery in 2007 and hand surgery in 2018. Those physical battles also took a toll on the mind, Wie West discussed on Nike There is no offseason podcast in 2022.
“I felt like when I started, mental health wasn’t really talked about,” said Wie West. “It was about having the mentality to be a champion, to be strong, to be a hero. That included not breaking. That included not resting. That included laser focus. So in my mind, seeing that, I felt like I wanted to be a golf champion, I had to have that mindset. I had to have that mentality of never breaking, never complaining.”
As his career ended, Wie began to acknowledge his injury struggles, a decision he found liberating.
“I remember not telling the media honest answers about my injury, I hid it, just because I didn’t want to feel weak,” she said. “And later in my career, when I’m dealing with more injuries, I’m being honest about it. You know, the sameness, this hurts. I don’t know how long I’m going to play. It was like a release because I felt like I didn’t have to put forward in the most difficult times.”
Since having her son, Jagger, Wie West has spent time rebuilding her body without needing to think about birdies and bogeys. That has been a gift as he prepares for this limited comeback.
“I don’t remember if there is one [been] a time in my life where I got to focus on rebuilding my body outside of the golf aspect,” Wie West said. “And I’m lucky it happened that way.”
At Pebble Beach, Wie West drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole. It was an emotional farewell, but Wie West was prepared.
Now, as she prepares to return to the field at the US Women’s Open, the expected emotions are back – but Wie West is embracing it, especially since she can share the experience with her daughter Makenna, who was a child when Wie West said goodbye on the shores of Stillwater Cove.
“The concern is definitely there,” Wie West said. “But it’s like a good kind of anxiety, right? Like I’m so excited to put myself in that situation. Just being able to talk about it, honestly, openly with my daughter and it’s been great.”
Michelle Wie West is ready to return to the field. His success will be measured by feeling, not result. And of course, Michelle Wie West plans to say her final goodbye.
