Q&A: Michelle Wie West’s latest obsession? Perfecting her tennis game
Michelle Wie West walks down the fairway during the first round of the 2022 U.S. Women's Open in Southern Pines, N.C.
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Michelle Wie West played her final LPGA event at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, putting a bow on a career that turned her into one of the most popular female golfers in history. She plays less now — hello, tennis! — but keeps busy in other ways, like as a mother of two and as the tournament host of the Mizuho Americas Open, which takes place on May 8-11 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. We recently caught up with the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion.
GOLF: Hi Michelle, what are you up to today?
Michelle Wie West: Just simple adulting. [Laughs] Right now, just really trying to find my groove with two kids, and then getting ready for the golf season to ramp up. So that means a lot more outings for me. And the Mizuho Americas Open is [coming up], so I’m excited.
As tournament host, why is the Mizuho so important to you?
It’s very unique in the sense that we have 24 of the top junior girls in the field, and on the weekend they get to play with the pros and just be with the pros all week, practice alongside them, eat in the dining room with them. It’s a mentorship program; I’m extremely proud of. I started playing in LPGA events when I was 12 years old. That’s when I really realized that I could do that for a living, and I wanted to create a space for the juniors to do it in a pressure-free way.
How much golf are you playing these days?
It’s definitely not a regular thing. If there’s an occasion to play, then I’ll play. I’m more into tennis nowadays.
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How did you get into tennis?
I never played tennis before because I’m a fade golfer, and in tennis you really have to turn it over. So it would always give me anxiety that I would mess up my golf swing. It was always one of the things that I wanted to do after I retired. I think I might join a league. [Laughs] If I could play every day, I would be so happy, but obviously that’s not realistic. And, unlike golf, you actually have to find a part-ner that’s sort of on your same level.
If you could go back 15 years and tell Michelle Wie something, what would it be?
I’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, so maybe, “Just be a little bit more careful. Listen to your physical therapist. Take your time.” But I think you have to make those mistakes, right? If you live your life mistake-free, that’s weird. You won’t grow as a person, and it sounds really cliché but I’m really grateful for the mistakes that I have made in my past. There were some painful moments but that just made me who I am.
What’s the biggest thing you miss about pro golf that you didn’t think you would?
I miss a lot of things. I miss my friends. Being a female golfer is not easy. Our schedules are tough. We go international. We play six weeks in a row in Asia. At that time you’re going, ‘Oh, this is miserable. I’m tired; all I want to do is go home.’ But when you leave you miss those moments. You miss those moments of being with your friends and you’re kind of all going through the same experience together. I think that’s just so unique and so beautiful. And I’ve caught myself missing a lot of those moments. And, obviously, the feeling of winning, the adrenaline coming down the stretch — you just can’t recreate that with anything else you do in life.
Who were your favorite pros to play with?
I would say some of my closest friends were Alison Lee, Jessica Korda, Marina Alex. I really just like playing with anyone who was fast. [Laughs]
That’s a big topic now too. What’s the key to playing fast?
Just be ready. I don’t understand players that start their whole process when it’s their time to hit. And maybe it’s because I was kind of one of the longer players I always had a lot of time beforehand, but even when you’re walking, do your homework. You have a lot of time before you get to the ball. Do your thing. Then also just don’t overthink it, you know? Golf, you have to make it a reactionary sport. And when you overthink it I think that’s when things go bad. You just gotta get up and rip it. You have to use your feel.
I feel like playing fast is a skill.
I agree. I think it has to be taught from a young age. Because I look at these players and you don’t become slow overnight, right? That’s just who you are. That’s how you were taught. I think a lot has to do with how junior golf and how college golf is played. There’s just so many slow rounds that they’re used to playing slow, that obviously when things matter your instinct is to slow it down, not speed it up. But yeah, I think what golf is doing right now, I think we’re on the right trend of trying to figure out how to make the sport faster.
OK, let’s go rapid fire. What are your favorite courses you’ve ever played?
I would say Pinehurst No. 2 is one of my favorites. I love Kingsbarns — really impressed with it. And then National Golf Links. I think those are my top three.
How about the coolest spot in golf?
I love the Cradle at Pinehurst. I just think the whole area there is just so cool. But there’s a lot of great hangs: the Bench at Pebble, the Tap Room at Pebble. Those are two cool golf spots.
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