LOS ANGELES – The last time Michelle Wie West competed in a U.S. Women’s Open, three years ago at Pebble Beach, she posted back-to-back 79s and failed to card a single birdie.
The 36-year-old mother of two’s return to major-championship golf went much better Thursday at Riviera Country Club.
Wie West, who came out of retirement to play last month’s Mizuho Americas Open, the tournament she hosts and where she missed the cut with rounds of 82-80, and this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, shot 4-over 75, which included a pair of birdies. Wie West stuck a 130-yard approach to 7 feet and rolled in the putt at the par-4 fifth, then poured in a 12-footer at the par-5 17th.
Both moments elicited audible celebrations from Wie West’s mother, Bo, who even cheered a short bogey make at the 307-yard, par-4 10th, where Wie West drove it right and well out of position before laying up to the fairway just shy of the skinny green.
Riviera is where Wie West’s late father-in-law, Los Angeles Lakers great Jerry West, who died June 12, 2024, at age 85, was a member. West also served a few years as executive director of the PGA Tour stop at Riv, back when it was called the Northern Trust Open. West’s son and Wie West’s husband, Jonnie, is caddying for his wife.
“If it wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be playing,” Wie West told Golfweek.
After Wie West got up and down for par at the par-4 finishing hole, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion acknowledged the crowd with a smile and signed dozens of autographs on her way up the steps to scoring. Wie West’s 5-year-old daughter, Kenna, who doubles as the “best sports psychologist” Wie West has ever had, was likely super proud of mom.
“My husband and I were talking about this a lot, I’m going to try to live by the words I tell my daughter; I always tell her before a game or a tournament, whatever, I say I don’t care about the results, all I care about is a good attitude and that you try your hardest,” Wie West explained earlier this week. “My No. 1 goal this week is to go out there and try hard and have a good attitude. There were times at Mizuho I did not have a good attitude out there, so I want to change that this week and I want to have a good attitude.”
Not that it was an overly difficult on Thursday. Jennifer Kupcho’s 66 leads after 18 holes, but Wie West’s 75 is only two strokes off the projected cut line entering Friday, where she’ll tee off No. 10 at 7:51 a.m. local.
