Report: Michelle Wie West to Step Away From LPGA After U.S. Women’s Open

Michelle Wie West is preparing to step away from the LPGA after next week’s U.S. Women’s Open, Golfweek is reporting.

Wie West, now 32, told Golfweek that she will play next week’s major at Pine Needles but only has the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach on her upcoming schedule. Though she came short of calling this a retirement, she conceded that, because of mounting injuries, she can’t endure the long hours of practice and rehab to compete full time on the LPGA.

A five-time winner on the LPGA, Wie West also captured the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. As a teenage phenom, she became the youngest to qualify for an LPGA tournament and missed the cut by one shot at a PGA Tour event.

Wie West, who became a mother in 2020, said that she will continue to pursue other passions such as equal pay and sustainability. Golfweek reported that Wie West will maintain sponsorship deals with a wide range of companies, including Nike.

“It seems like it’s been a couple years coming where I’ve been slowly doing things that I’ve always wanted to do, but never had time to do,” she told Golfweek. “It’s been a lot of fun to learn and grow into areas that I always wanted to grow into.”

Wie West last earned an LPGA title in March 2018. Plagued by injuries, she’s played only sparingly in recent years, including just once this season, a tie for 28th at the season-opening Tournament of Champions.

Even after the Pebble Beach Open, Wie West left open the possibility of playing competitively again in the future.

“I’m definitely not ruling anything out,” she said.