Three years ago, at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, Michelle Wie West rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to cap off her competitive career.
After her round that Friday along Stillwater Cove, she was asked if she might tee it up again someday down the line if her daughter Makenna asked to see her play.
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“You know, you never say never, but a very slim chance probably,” Wie West said that day at Pebble Beach.
But three years later, it appears Michelle Wie West has one more tournament in her after all.
On Tuesday, Wie West announced that she plans to play in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club on June 4-7.
“With one final year of eligibility from my victory in 2014 and the Championship headed to an iconic venue that means so much to me, I am excited to announce that I’ll be teeing it up at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera in June!” Wie West wrote on Instagram.
Despite not playing a competitive tournament for three years, Wie West is eligible to tee it up at Riviera based on the 10-year exemption from her 2014 U.S. Women’s Open win at Pinehurst No. 2. Wie West’s timeline was extended for two years due to a maternity exemption. Wie West and her husband, Jonnie West, welcomed their son Jagger in October of 2024.
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At Pebble Beach in 2023, Wie West played her final two rounds with Annika Sorenstam, who was also saying goodbye to the tournament that week.
Wie West had Jonnie on that bag that week, with Makenna in a stroller outside the ropes. She shot consecutive 79s but soaked in every moment of a special week that was supposed to close the book on her competitive career.
“I’ve definitely held back tears the entire round,” Wie West said after her Friday at Pebble. It was fun. It was great to have my last round here at Pebble Beach.
“Nothing has changed and everything was changed all at once. It’s definitely a strange and surreal feeling right now.”
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That feeling sent her off into competitive retirement. She said she still loved golf and planned to play recreationally with her husband and family. But she believed her competitive career was over. She cracked the door open with an announcement that she plans to compete in the WTGL when it launches this fall. Now she’ll be returning to green-grass golf, too.
“Last year I had this in the back of my mind, and I don’t have another one of these in the back of my mind,” Wie West said. “It’s definitely a strange feeling.”
As it turns out, Michelle Wie West does have one more U.S. Women’s Open in her. She’ll have her U.S. Women’s Open encore at Riviera, and then she’ll say goodbye.
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