x

Last call for the ultimate Pinehurst trip

Reserve Now
News

Michelle Wie dishes on her playing future, funny conversations with Tiger Woods

Dylan DethierBy Dylan Dethier
October 9, 2019

The last time the golf world saw Michelle Wie on the course, she was having a tough time. After an opening-round 84 at the Women’s PGA Championship in June, a tearful Wie suggested that her future as a golfer was uncertain.

“I’m not entirely sure how much more I have left in me,” she said at the time. A week later, Wie announced that she was taking the rest of the year off in an effort to “finally get healthy.”

In the months since then, Wie has certainly stayed busy. In August, she married Jonnie West. She’s moved to the West Coast. And, based on an interview with the Telegraph, time away from the game has given her perspective.

Michelle Wie
News
Michelle Wie blown away with fan response after 84-82 at KPMG

Wie spoke with the Telegraph’s Vicki Hodges in an interview you can read in its entirety here.

One notable remark Wie made was an admission that she doesn’t want her career to be over — not on this particular note.

“I know a big part of me doesn’t want to end on an injury,” she said. “I want it to be a voluntary end. I want to go out there and remember what it’s like to play without pain. I want to go out there and remember how fun it was and how great the game is.”

Michelle Wie was featured in a GOLF photoshoot earlier this year.
Michelle Wie was featured in a GOLF photoshoot earlier this year.
GOLF Magazine

Wie also added that she’s run into Tiger Woods during her layoff, and that they have plenty in common now.

“I’ve seen Tiger a couple of times [since her time out],” Wie says. “It’s pretty funny that every time we lift off with, ‘How’s your neck, how’s your back?’ and he’s like, ‘How’s your this, how’s your that?’ It takes about 10 minutes of checking off the injuries before we talk normally.

“It’s comforting talking to other athletes going through the same things. Sport can be harsh, but other stories can hit home and normalize it. It can give you a boost of energy to go again.”

Michelle Wie at a GOLF photoshoot.
Gear
One-time kid phenom Michelle Wie (now a wise 29) has learned to roll with the punches

In the meantime, Wie has plenty to focus on. Golf fans got a glimpse at her broadcasting future during the Solheim Cup when she broke down the goings-on for Golf Channel.

And she turns 30 years old on Friday — with her social media suggesting she’s already begun to celebrate.

No matter what her on-course future holds in store, things are looking plenty bright for Michelle Wie.

To receive GOLF’s all-new newsletters, subscribe for free here.

x