Michelle Wie West, the former US Women’s Open champion, announced her retirement from the LPGA tour at the age of 32.
Wie West will compete in the US Women’s Open next week. A tournament she won in 2014 to claim her only major, and again in 2023. But she has no plans to compete in any other tournaments.
Her body is now struggling to cope with the rigours of professional golf, according to the American, who gave birth to her daughter Makenna in 2020.
Wie West told Golfweek: “At times, if I do play a lot of golf I’m just in bed (afterwards), I can’t lift Makenna up, and that scared me.”
Although a return to professional golf is not ruled out in the future. “I’m definitely not ruling anything out” – Wie West will focus on other endeavours for the time being, including the Nike Athlete Think Tank, which features Serena Williams among its members.
At the age of ten, Wie West made history as the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.
She was also the youngest person to win an adult USGA championship at the age of 13. Also, she is the youngest person to make the cut at an LPGA major at 14.
Wie West received a sponsor’s invitation to the Sony Open in her home state of Hawaii the following year, but she missed the cut by a single stroke after the second round of 68, the lowest round ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event.
She is most proud of completing her degree from Stanford while competing on the LPGA Tour. She won two of her five titles and winning the US Women’s Open.
Wie West added: “Because I accomplished both of those, I think I feel very happy in my decision now.
