Even after persistent injuries began to hinder Michelle Wie West's ability to play the game she loves, toppling her into playing just five LPGA Tour events in 2019 with a mere cut, the thought of early retirement crept into her mind.
The resulting frustration, though, starkly contrasted the personal happiness in her life. Two months after last gracing a golf course, she married Golden State Warriors' team president Jonny West. A few months later, she found out she was expecting.
At first, the impending motherhood solidified her thoughts against retiring early. But then, the pleasant surprise of a baby girl – Makenna Kamalei Yoona West – who arrived on June 19, 2021, altered everything.
"It completely changed my perspective," admits West in an interview with CNN's Christina McFarland. "I never imagined it would change so drastically, but it did."
The sight of everything altering in her life, including golf, sparked a desire to return to the game. Every time she goes for training now, she feels her longing to play again, far from the consistent sessions that filled her days in the past.
"Things are incredibly unpredictable now. But it stirs within me a desire to come back, not just for myself, but for her and to set a good example," shares Wie West. "If she gets to watch the YouTube videos and all that, it's a whole different story. I can tell her what I do, but I'd rather show her. I really wish I had that chance."
Her stubbornness to resume her golf career during her pregnancy and motherhood triggers a wave of female golfers who, like her, are struggling to make their mark on the sport.
Since turning professional in 2005, Wie has seen a significant shift in attitudes towards women's golf. "Things are changing. It's a slow process, but every year, I feel there's progress," she says.
But despite women making up 40 percent of all sports participants, making up just 4 percent of sports media coverage gives the impression that their on-field efforts go unnoticed. Major women's tournaments often fail to secure primetime TV slots, causing losses in viewership for these events.
This week, the US Women's Open commences on Thursday, and though Wie signed up, she retracted her name due to scheduling issues with her daughter. Rest of the week in the US stays devoid of professional golf tournaments. Looking at the maps, it appears that all eyes will likely be directed at Cypress Creek Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Wie thinks it's great if women's skills in golf gain mainstream attention. She describes direct competition with the PGA Tour as tough but necessary to reach the heights women's golf desires.
"We're in direct competition with the PGA Tour, and they have a strong product. They have always had it. When we're competing against them, it's tough," confesses the 2014 U.S. Open champion. "They always hear the argument that our purse is low due to low television ratings. It's true, but we've never had a similar TV show, the same production costs, or the same production values. I think the USGA (United States Golf Association) is really responsible for that."
Wie also began working as a moderator for golf tournaments and has taken to painting, for which she gained considerable recognition in 2014. Her artworks, often dark and grisly, usually feature lonely figures and eerie skulls. "My mother always told me skulls had always fascinated me since I was a child," she shares.
Wie was also appointed as an ambassador for the USGA's "Women to Watch" campaign, which aims to shine a spotlight on the remarkable female athletes participating in women's championships.
"It's just a reminder that it's really fun to watch these men, but we're also worth being seen. Women's sports stories don't need to be embellished. They just need to be told, because it's a women's sport," Wie says.
She and her father, BJ Wie, a Korean Amateur golf champion, introduced her to the sport at the tender age of four. With five wins under her belt, including her first significant victory in 2014, Wie quickly rose to become the biggest star on the LPGA Tour. Despite the extensive media attention, Wie shares that she had the good fortune of growing up in an environment with minimal social media exposure.
"It's insane. When I was a kid, we had like MySpace, and Facebook didn't exist, and toward the end, I think, there was no Instagram or Twitter. I'm really grateful that my parents managed to shield me from all the articles written about me."
Wie wonders if she would have achieved the same level of success if she had been exposed to the same amount of attention, ratings, and articles growing up.
"But back then, my parents could hide things from me if they wanted to. I was still in school and had friends who didn't know anything about golf," she reminisces.
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Becoming a mother, coupled with her painting and moderating ventures, have broadened Wie's horizons beyond professional golf.
[1] Korkola, A. (2021, April 28). Michelle Wie West's Reprieve: From Child Prodigy to Motherhood. [Retrieved February 26, 2023], from .
