2023 US Women’s Open: Historic was the occasion when a women’s major was played for the first time at the famous Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club at Pebble Beach, California. But that first fittingly marked the last time a trailblazer in women’s golf teed up on the LPGA Tour.

In front of her family and friends, including her three-year-old daughter, the then-33-year-old Michelle Wie West sank a 30-foot putt for par on the 18th to card 14-over par after two rounds. She missed the cut by eight shots after two consecutive scores of 79. The crowd roared, one last time, for West, who had announced in 2022 that the tournament would be her last.

Presented with a bouquet by USGA chief executive Mike Whan near the 18th, West said, “I’ve definitely held back tears the entire round. Everything was just incredible. It feels like nothing has changed and everything was changed all at once. It’s definitely a strange and surreal feeling.” But why did the 5x LPGA Tour winner step aside so early from a sport she was so attached to?

In The Scoop’s recent episode with Claire Roger, West recalled the time when she retired from golf. When the host asked her how she knew it was time to retire, West shared, “I thought about it for a really long time I think unfortunately I was kind of forced in the decision somewhat because of my injuries and what’s going around for so long, talking to hand surgeons and should do if I want to keep playing and there just wasn’t an answer forward.”

She had said on the No Off-Season podcast in August 2022 (h/t Max Schreiber of GolfChannel.com) that she used to hide her injuries from the media “just because I didn’t want to feel weak.” West has arthritis in both wrists and had surgery on her right hand in October 2018 when she was diagnosed with a small avulsion fracture, bone spurring, and nerve entrapment.

Amid all that, she also braced motherhood. West’s first child, Makenna Kamalei Yoona West, was born on June 19, 2020. Referring to that, the 2014 US Women’s Open winner said, “Obviously having my daughter and then you know my husband had such a busy schedule as well, she was so young that I just didn’t want either of us to really sacrifice time with her. So it was just kind of like a multitude of things. Just knowing that I played a really long time.” For the unversed, West is married to Jonnie West, who is Director of Basketball Operations for the Golden State Warriors and the son of NBA legend Jerry West. But does she regret looking back?

“It was hard to walk away from it but honestly like it was such a, I don’t want to say easy decision, but it felt just so right that when I made a decision I never look back at it that’s good I feel like,” said the Nike athlete. Yet, this is not the first time that she has spoken with that sentiment.

Last year, while talking to ESPN’s Paolo Ugetti about her retirement, West had said, “I really, really wanted to play longer. I really wanted to — especially after having Makenna and her being a girl, I really wanted to play longer. Unfortunately, it’s just I had to make a hard decision with my body. It is hard. It is hard to be a mom out here. You have to make a lot of sacrifices. I just had to make a hard medical decision and also a personal decision.” But her last stint on the greens created some moments that she will probably hold very close to her heart for a long time. Take, for instance, the video that USGA made for her.

It was a celebration for the golf pro, as it assembled several clips from her time on the greens. Not only that, but it also weaved in comments from the fans who poured their love for West. “You guys are really gonna make me cry, aren’t you?” West was heard saying before watching the video. And it did exactly that. Here is the love from the fans that made West battle her tears.

• “She has been an incredible role model”
• “I definitely know a lot of little girls that look up to her”
• “I think of Michelle, I think of Somebody who is compassionate, caring, loving, but also somebody who is incredibly fiery and competitive. Somebody who is not afraid to fail to succeed”
• “She has done so much for the game from a young age.”

“Guys, I got bombarded with emotions and feelings, all the feels,” West said after watching the video, and in the end, came an advice that embodied the person she has been. “I hope I can teach other girls to be just be bold. Don’t care about failures and mistakes because it’s gonna happen. You can’t live your life perfectly, but if you live it boldly, it’ll turn out right,” West added.

In the last two years, West has moved forward in her career and life. Even though she is not an active athlete, she still works to empower women in sports. On the personal front, she welcomed her second child, Jagger Jerry YooJun West, last October and has been enjoying the journey with her small family. Although West’s retirement was a sad event for women’s golf lovers, she has had enough wins, but the path was not easy at all.

The struggles that made Michelle Wie West what she is

At the budding age of 10, Michelle Wie West became the youngest golfer to qualify for the USGA Amateur Championship. Life outside, of course, started becoming difficult. Wie West was the star golfer from her school, but because of her build and being larger than other children, she was bullied. West said, “It was hard. It was really hard. I was like bullied heavily.”

Reportedly, things got so bad that she had to eat her lunch alone in the school’s bathroom stalls. Then, once she turned professional and started playing on the men’s tour as well, people’s opinions were just too much, criticizing her every move. But even with backlash, she was adamant about growing women’s golf. Amidst all, West admitted, “We [she and her parents] got a lot of death threats.”

So, Wie West’s journey in the game of golf had never been easy, to say the least. However, once she retired and now looked back, she had forgiven and forgotten all. That’s not a concern for Michelle Wie West, and after many years she is finally happy without people always keeping an eye on her.