Three years ago, Michelle Wie West ended her competitive career with a 30-foot birdie putt at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.
After playing a round along Stillwater Cove that Friday, his daughter Makenna wanted to watch him play and asked if she could tee it up again sometime.
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“I can’t say never, but it’s very unlikely,” Wie West said at Pebble Beach that day.
But three years later, it looks like Michelle Wie West may have one more tournament left after all.
On Tuesday, Wie West announced that she plans to compete in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, to be held June 4-7 at Riviera Country Club.
“With one year of eligibility remaining from my 2014 win, I am thrilled to announce that I will be teeing up at the U.S. Women’s Open on the Riviera in June, with the championship taking place at an iconic venue that means so much to me!” Wie West wrote on Instagram.
Despite not playing in a competitive tournament in three years, Wie West is eligible to compete at Riviera under a 10-year exemption from her 2014 U.S. Women’s Open win at No. 2 Pinehurst. Wie West’s timeline was extended by two years due to a maternity exemption. Wie West and her husband Johnny West gave birth to their son, Jagger, in October 2024.
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At Pebble Beach in 2023, Wie West played the final two rounds against Annika Sorenstam, who also had a bye to the tournament that week.
That week, Wie West had Johnny in the bag and Makenna was in the stroller outside the ropes. Although she recorded back-to-back 79-second times, she savored every moment of the special week that would have ended her competitive career.
“I held back tears the whole round,” Wie West said after Friday at Pebble. It was fun. It was great to have the last round here at Pebble Beach.
“Nothing has changed and everything has changed all at once. It definitely feels weird and surreal right now.”
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That feeling drove her to retire from competition. She said she still loves golf and plans to play recreationally with her husband and family. However, she believed her competitive career was over. She threw open the door and announced her intention to compete in the WTGL, which starts this fall. In the future, she plans to return to green grass golf.
“Last year, I had this thing in the back of my mind and nothing else in the back of my mind,” Wie West said. “It’s definitely a strange feeling.”
As it turns out, Michelle Wie West has one more U.S. Women’s Open berth. She will have an encore at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera before saying goodbye.
Michelle Wie West Announces U.S. Women’s Open Encore at Riviera appeared first on Golf.
