Michelle Wie West on being a golf mom, teeing it up with Adam Sandler and how she 'pisses people off' on the course in retirement
Jamie McCarthy
It's been more than two years since Michelle Wie West authored one of the most memorable walk-off putts in recent golf history. Her last start before officially retiring from competition hadn't gone as she'd hoped at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open, but she still drained a 30-footer for par on Pebble Beach's iconic 18th hole.
It was a cool ending to an extraordinary career in which Wie West redefined the word prodigy before winning five LPGA titles, including the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. But just because playing golf isn't her full-time job anymore, that doesn't mean the 35-year-old isn't still involved in the game.
Wie West is the tournament host of the LPGA Tour's Mizuho Americas Open, she's a golf mom, and she still loves to play. Just don't expect her to give you many shots out there.
"I don't know what a handicap is. I don't even know how it works, and the fact of recording golf scores again terrifies me, so absolutely not," Wie West told said on The Loop podcast. "I always tell people I just play as a scratch and it pisses people off."
As Wie West alludes to with that quote, though, she's not just trying to win extra pro shop credit. An Instagram post from July 5 begins with, "Hey, you look happier," before Wie explains, "Thanks, my entire self worth isn't attached to my golf score anymore."
We had the pleasure of talking to the LPGA legend on the latest episode of The Loop podcast. Wie West discussed whether there have been any thoughts to making a comeback and the other ways she's scratched the competitive itch in retirement. She also shared about attending the "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere, playing golf with Adam Sandler as a junior golfer, a new partnership with ACUVUE that could have helped her during her career, and her excitement over her daughter's golf swing.
Plus, the guys discuss Cameron Young's long-awaited first PGA Tour win, the latest LPGA major maiden winner and a curious move by Rory McIlroy. Please, have a listen below, and like and subscribe to The Loop wherever you get your podcasts.