Former US Women's Open champion Michelle Wie West has announced she is stepping away from the LPGA tour at the age of 32.
Wie West will contest next week’s US Women’s Open and the same event at Pebble Beach in 2023, but does not plan to play any other tournaments.
After more than 20 years in the spotlight, Wie West gave birth to her daughter, Makenna, in 2020 and says her body now struggles to cope with the rigours of professional golf.
"At times, if I do play a lot of golf I’m just in bed (afterwards), Wie West told Golfweek. "Or I can’t lift Makenna up, and that scared me."
Wie West said she is most proud of earning her degree from Stanford while competing on the LPGA – winning two of her five titles while studying – and winning the US Women’s Open in 2014.
"Because I accomplished both of those, I think I feel very happy in my decision now. I think if I hadn’t won the US Open, I’d still be out there competing week to week trying to get that US Open win."
Wie West first shot to fame as the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship at the age of 10. She was also the youngest to win an adult USGA championship at 13 and the youngest to make the cut at an LPGA major in the 2003 Kraft Nabisco, aged 14.
The following year Wie West was given a sponsor’s invitation to the Sony Open in her home state of Hawaii and missed the cut by a single shot following a second round of 68, the lowest round ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event.
She will now spend more time on other projects, including the Nike Athlete Think Tank, a group which promotes women’s sport and also includes Serena Williams among its members.
