SAN DIEGO – Michelle Wie West’s new mum is looking forward to being anxious again on the golf course.
It is almost two years since she played a competitive tour on the LPGA Tour and nine months since the birth of her daughter Makenna.
She found that the start of the West Coast swing was the perfect place to return, especially since she now lives in San Francisco with her husband Jonnie West, director of basketball operations for him. the Golden State Warriors, and their daughter.
Wie has been away long enough, when she arrived this week for the Kia Classic at Aviara in Carlsbad, she did not recognize several of her touring competitors, partly due to there are a lot of rockets and also because it is more difficult because everyone has a mask.
But playing in the pro brought the familiar feeling back.
Full-range tee times from the Kia Classic
“I’m terribly sad but I’m also thankful to feel anxious again,” Wie West said in a video conference Wednesday from the course in northern San Diego County.
Wie West said she has been working diligently for his return since the first year. She said it’s hard to tell where her game is because she’s been away so long. “But I’m very proud of myself for grinding it. I have been grinding. Like I said, I’m just thankful I’m out here. I enjoy it and have a lot of fun. ”
She approaches Thursday afternoon in the first round of the tournament played without fans.
“You know, hitting balls on the field is fun, fun to sort of lie around, hitting a couple slips, but there’s nothing like hitting golf shots that matters and you play. feel like those first-tee jitters, ”she said. “You feel all the nerves coming out. I have lost that. I’m excited to take my competitive back and be that fierce rival I know. ”
Wie West is arguably the most talked about LPGA player since she turned pro in 2005, even though she only has five winners.
Wie has lived with fame all her life, from winning U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Relations at age 13, competing against the men on the PGA Tour at age 14 and turning pro at age 16. .It has five LPGA attributes, notably the US Open women at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014. Her last win was the HSBC Women’s World Championship at the start of the 2018 season.
Her post has been marred by injuries, most recently in her right hand. She had surgery in October 2018, returned to Thailand the following February and had to withdraw from her title defense in Singapore a week later because she was still dealing with pain.
She last played in Hazeltine’s Women’s PGA Championship in June 2019, shooting 84-82.
Wie West thought it was made after KPMG
She married West, the son of Jerry West’s great basketball, in August 2019. Their daughter was born June 19th.
Two years ago, she thought she was ready to move on with the rest of her life.
“After KPMG in 2019 I thought I was done, especially when I found out I was pregnant later that year,” she said. “It simply came to our notice then. I thought there was no chance of coming back, and I told my husband. It was like, ‘No, no, just think through it.’
“Then we found out that Makenna was going to be a girl and that changed my outlook on everything,” she said. “It was crazy how just that one little thing is changing everything. Then I started thinking, ‘You know, I’m good at it. I want to show her in real time that I can – that I play golf. ‘Watching YouTube videos is one thing, but watching me with her own eyes is another. Seeing me go out there, work out hard, and try to lead by example. ”
She also said she was inspired to watch Tiger Woods play alongside his son, Charlie, in the PNC Tournament in December.
“That time Tiger was with Charlie, that was the first thing that came to my mind and that’s been a great inspiration and that’s been a new dream for me,” said Wie West.
She said her daughter “loves to crawl on the green and lift the ball out of the hole. She loves golf balls, so I hope that’s a positive sign. ”
Wie West said her parents flew over from Hawaii to help her care for a girl. “We’re doing grandma’s day care this week,” she said.