Being a public figure might look all shiny on the outside but creates a lot of ruckuses on the inside. The same was the reason why Michelle Wie West retired from the professional golf after the 2023 US Women’s Open. Wie West suffered from arthritis in both her wrists and also had surgery on her right hand in 2018. While her growing age was one of the reasons why she was forced to retire, media scrutiny too was a part of it.

To not look weak, she would often hide her injuries from the media; that was how much she was terrified of being criticized. She even shared how she could not live a regular childhood because of her profession and had to drop out of her graduation. But as it turns out, her retirement life seems to be treating her well, but is she still connected to the golf world?

In an episode of The Scoop, when asked if she keeps in touch with the players of the LPGA Tour, Wie West said, “I keep in touch with some of my friends for sure.” Reminiscing about her memories, she went back to one of the times when she used to play on the Tour. The LPGA Tour Asian Swing attract top players from around the world, and the entire journey sometimes gets weary. But having each other is a bonus.

“I just remember, you know, going to Asia, and you know we’re all just kind of miserable together for six weeks on the road, you know, living on your suitcase going from country to country, but that was like a fun time,” she added. 

Well, as it turns out, the LPGA Tour was not just the only memory squad she had in professional golf. Having broken records since an early age, Michelle Wie West had many great memories on greens, and she utterly cherishes them.

Michelle Wie West recalls the time she got to play with her childhood hero

Michelle Wie West played a practice round with Ernie Els back in 2004, when she was just 14 years old, ahead of her appearance at the PGA Tour’s Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. Els was highly impressed with her talent, remarking that her swing was comparable to some of the best in golf and that she had the potential to compete on the men’s Tour.

Despite missing the cut by one stroke, her performance was immaculate, with rounds of 72 and 68, outperforming 47 male golfers. When asked about her time on men’s Tour, she said, “They were so they were nice to me. I remember um being on the Range, and you know Ernie El is my idol growing up.”

She played in the Sony Open consecutively for three years. In. 2005, she was paired with Camilo Villegas, and it was his rookie year in Hawaii. “I always pull up that picture because it’s just so funny,” she added. Michelle Wie West also stated that she recently even met with Craig Brown, whom she played with during her first year.

So, as it turns out, it is not the players that make the environment toxic; rather, it is the fame and negative criticism that change things for the players. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below!