WEST CALDWELL, N.J. – Don’t call it a comeback, nor another farewell tour.
Michelle Wie West has made it clear, it’s neither. This is simply another opportunity to be involved with the sport she loves.
“I think golf is, will always be part of my life no matter what,” Wie West said at the Mizuho Americas Open media day.
Wie West, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion, announced at the end of March that she would be using her final year of winner’s eligibility (extended two years because of maternity leave) to compete in June at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California.
On Tuesday, she revealed there will be a warm-up act across the country in New Jersey. Wie West, the Mizuho Americas tournament host, will be the first sponsor exemption in the event’s short history.
“There was a big part of me that was itching to want to play the event and really feel really honored to be able to do so,” Wie West said at Mountain Ridge Country Club where the tournament will be held for the first time.
The mom of two said she plans to make the two upcoming tournaments a family affair and added that it’s been exciting to get ready. “It’s been a fun journey to get back into the mode of practicing and PT and working out. But I’m really excited to share with my family. My husband’s probably going to be on the bag again, and that’s going to be a lot of fun,” Wie West said.
The five-time LPGA winner has been involved with the event as host and ambassador since it started in 2023. Its unique structure allows 24 of the top American Junior Golf Association players to compete side-by-side with 120 LPGA players, all part of Wie West’s vision to provide mentorship, access and to help grow the women’s game.
“The genesis of this event really came from my history of being a junior golfer and kind of my trajectory,” she said. “We wanted to create a space for juniors to experience being a pro for one week, playing with the best of the best, having the juniors compare their golf game to the pros that they’re playing with on the weekend.”
Now, she’ll be one of those pros when she competes in event she loves for the first time, beginning on May 7. “Really excited to play this year, and really excited to experience it from a player perspective as well too,” Wie West said, “hopefully using that experience to help me become a better tournament host in the future.”
