PINEHURST, N.C. – Michelle Wie wrapped her mother, Bo, in a hug coming off the 18th green after winning the U.S. Women’s Open Sunday.
She hugged her father, B.J., too.
They’ve been through a lot together.
Wie’s parents have been scrutinized as harshly as their daughter. When it was all over Sunday, Michelle spoke for her parents, who keep friendly relations with LPGA media but don’t do interviews. They stuck to that policy, declining requests for comment.
While much is made in Wie taking the reins of her career from her parents, she said they remain an important part of her career.
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“They obviously play a really big role,” Wie said. “When I had my downs, when people doubted me, when I even doubted myself, my parents would never let me doubt myself. If I even showed an ounce of doubt, they just believed in me so hard that I started to believe in myself again. And I owe them everything.”
A sign of change in the Wie camp was clear in the season opener in the Bahamas. For the first time in her career, Wie made the trip without her parents accompanying her.
“Obviously, everything that I’ve done today, winning this championship, winning other events, everything in my career, I owe to them,” Wie said. “They believe in me, they’re my No. 1 fans. They’re my two eyes. They see everything.
“We get into a lot of fights, that, for sure, are serious. But all the ups and downs, they’re obviously there for me every single day. And they’re my No. 1 fans, for sure.”