MICHELLE WIE WEST RETIRES

After making a splash at the Sony Open in Hawaii at age 14, Wie West will walk away after this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Michelle Wie West made her career on the LPGA Tour and was among her LPGA peers as she spoke about calling it a career after this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

But what she said on the dais echoed back to her eight PGA TOUR starts.

What, she was asked, would be her legacy?

“Ooh, I think that one word comes to mind: Bold,” Wie West said. “Made a lot of bold choices in my career, and I’m proud of it. I’m proud of being fearless at times and just doing what felt right. I hope that I inspire a lot of other girls to make bold and fearless decisions and choices in their careers, as well.”

Her career highlight came at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, one of her five LPGA wins, but she was never more bold and fearless than at the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii. Still just a 14-year-old ninth grader at Oahu’s Punahou School, Wie West, a sponsor exemption, shot 72-68 to miss the cut by one, turning the golf world upside-down.

“Just one more shot and I would have made it,” she said that day. “It’s killing me now.” continued on page 75...

Such was the buzz of her Sony surprise that Sports Illustrated even made comparisons to Tiger Woods, who had missed the cut by six in his first TOUR start, at the 1992 L.A. Open (Genesis Invitational), at age 16.