Michelle Wie West: Shaping the Future of Golf, One Role at a Time

Photo: Michelle Wie West, courtesy of Nike

Words: Mackenzie Puryear

Michelle Wie West made her first cut on the LPGA Tour at 13, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. She went on to win five times, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. Known for her powerful drives and effortless swing, she helped bring new attention and talent to the tour during her playing career. Yet this was only the beginning of her story.

Photos: Michelle Wie West, courtesy of Nike

Today, Wie West continues to shape the game’s future through multiple roles, including mentorship, leadership, and initiatives aimed at bringing the next generation into golf. She does it all while embracing perhaps her most important role yet: mother of two.

One of the clearest examples of Wie West’s commitment to the next generation is her role as tournament host of the Mizuho Americas Open. The tournament has a unique format where 120 LPGA players compete alongside the 24 top-ranked junior girls on the AJGA. “The whole week is about mentorship. It's about bringing in my own experience and journey of playing in professional events when I was a kid and how that shaped my future.” Wie West said of the event.

Photo: Mountain Ridge Country Club

The event reflects Mizuho’s emphasis on excellence and pushing the next generation forward, and the tournament is already breaking the mold in several ways. Wie West explains that it’s the first domestic event to pay for everyone’s hotels, and the only tournament, men and women, that incorporates juniors in the field in this format.

“There's a ripple effect too. The young girls that are coming out to watch are seeing someone closer in age playing in these events, and I think it relates a lot faster.”

Along with inspiring young fans, the tournament has produced a full circle moment only a few years after its inception. The inaugural junior champion, Yana Wilson, has already earned her LPGA Tour card.

“It's really great to see how everyone has progressed. You know, a lot of the girls who played in the first couple of years have now turned pro. They’re going to amazing universities; it's really cool seeing that progression and Mizuho have been an amazing partner since step one.”

Photo: Michelle Wie West with Mizuho trophy, courtesy of the LPGA

However, hosting the Mizuho Americas Open is only one of the many responsibilities that Wie West has taken on in her retirement. She’s had a clear goal since stepping away from the LPGA: to help more girls get into sports, and more specifically, to grow the game of golf. “Almost everything I’ve done since stepping away from playing has aligned with that,” Wie West says. “Gaining more girls into sports, golf specifically, but sports in general. That’s what gets me up in the morning.”

The mum of two also serves as a Global Development Ambassador for the R&A. Wie West works with the organisation to help grow the game worldwide, particularly by promoting participation among women and girls and supporting the development of future players. When asked what part of her work with the R&A she finds most energising and meaningful, Wie West says, “It’s the same thing, growing the game.” She adds, “To do that on a grassroots level, and on an international scale—it’s always been my dream to work with the R&A because they’re the governing body for the international game.”

Beyond her work on the course and in global development, Wie West sparked conversation around women’s sports through the viral #HoodieForGolf campaign and a collaboration with Wove that raised over $50,000 for Maui wildfire relief. The tie-dye hoodie featuring the LPGA logo sold out almost instantly after NBA stars Steph Curry and Damion Lee were spotted wearing it before its official release.

Photo: Michelle Wie West in LPGA Hoodie, courtesy of the LPGA

“I think, with women’s sports, you just need to give people space to enter. Give people the opportunity to get involved. I think, so often, merchandise wasn’t being made or thought of.” Yet she notes a recent change, “I think nowadays, that has completely shifted with Togethxr’s merchandise and Everyone Watches Women’s Sports. People want to show up and rep their favorite team, their favorite league, it’s amazing.”

Wie West believes the LPGA is at an exciting time for growth and says she’s energised by the tour’s new leadership. Craig Kessler became commissioner last May, and Chad Coleman was named the LPGA’s chief marketing officer in January.

It’s a pivotal time in women’s sports, no doubt. Yet for Wie West, the motivation behind many of these projects has become deeply personal.

“I’m a mom first. I view the world very differently now as a mom. If my kids are happy and healthy, that’s all that truly matters in the world.” She adds, “I hope they [my kids], see resilience. I hope they see that nothing is perfect, and nothing should be perfect. I want to give them the freedom to try things and not be afraid to fail.”

Photo: Michelle Wie West, courtesy of Nike

Wie West also wants to make her daughter proud. The Hawaii native explained that she was thinking about retiring before she had her daughter, but then a perspective shift happened after she realised she was having a girl. She wanted to play again. And she wanted her daughter to watch her compete.

“It’s important to keep putting yourself in uncomfortable situations. That’s the only way you grow. And no matter how old you are, I don’t think anything should come from a place of comfort.” - Michelle Wie West

For many players, the competitive pull of golf never fully disappears. It may quiet for a time, but it rarely goes away entirely. Sometimes it returns in unexpected ways, like a child wanting to see their parent compete, or a parent wanting to show their child how to be brave and resilient.

And this June, that pull brings Wie West back to a tournament she’s won once before: the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club—marking her return to championship competition for the first time since 2023.

Wie West’s daughter was in a stroller the last time she played in the U.S. Open. This time around, she will be walking and watching from outside the ropes—now a golfer herself. Wie West says, “I am excited for her to see, at a young age, that women belong on the biggest stages and that she can dream big, just like everyone else who will be in the field that week.”

She’s also set to compete next winter, this time on a very different stage: one set indoors, complete with simulators and real grass. That’s right—Wie West announced in February that she is joining the WTGL. She’s been an investor in the Los Angeles Golf Club since the beginning and loves how they use innovation to grow the game and introduce golfers to new formats. “I brought my daughter to the last match, and she was just enamored with it. I see the potential there—the opportunity to engage younger audiences in golf, aligning with what I am passionate about.”

And one more reason she decided to join the WTGL?

“It looks fun,” she says with a smile.

After all, at its core, that’s what golf is supposed to be.

Photo: Michelle Wie West, courtesy of the LPGA and Getty Images