At 14, Michelle Wie West stepped onto the range at the Sony Open and felt the weight of the moment settle in. Surrounded by Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, her hands trembled, the stage suddenly bigger than anything she had known, as she stated, “I don’t think I would say I don’t belong here. I do belong here. I belong on the LPGA. I belong on the PGA.” Years later, at Riviera, a place that still feels personal, she returned to that same feeling, not chasing a perfect ending, but embracing the experience on her own terms.

“Obviously, I would be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed. I would have loved to have made the cut today, granted, all day. But I had a blast, honestly, with playing here at Riv, such a special week to have played it and to have family, friends, and a lot of familiar faces coming out; it was a lot of fun. I hit some good shots and hit some good putts and kind of felt that feeling again, which is awesome,” Wie West told the media.

“It definitely felt a little scarier coming back, just being gone for so long. You worked so hard for just, like, really one week. It definitely was nerve-racking, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun to come play. Pebble just truly felt like the end. This was just a bonus, and a great bonus to be able to play at Riv, be able to play another U.S. Open. It’s a great honor.”

“It was really fun to practice the way that I did, come back, and grind. It was fun out there. I made some good birdies today. It’s fun to just hit shots under pressure. You don’t feel pressure. I don’t feel pressure in my normal life. There’s really nothing I do that recreates this, so it was fun to feel it again.”

Michelle Wie West shot +7 over 36 holes and missed the cut by three strokes, repeating a similar feat from her 2023 showing at Pebble Beach. In 2023, she finished at 14-over, missing the cut by eight.

Wie West returned to the major after 2 years, using her final eligibility at Riviera as announced in March 2026. She acknowledged being caught off guard by nerves while her family was present, with her husband, Jonnie, on the bag and her daughter, Makenna, almost six, in the gallery watching her mother play her final US Women’s Open.

She’s competed just once since the 2023 US Women’s Open, at the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open, but she shot 18 over and missed the cut. She didn’t play in the major at Lancaster in 2024 or at Erin Hills in 2025. But she could not miss the chance to tee off at Riviera for one last time as it is here that her late father-in-law, Jerry West, was a member and managed the PGA Tour event for years.

Michelle Wie West’s career was cut short by injury and her desire to focus on motherhood. She has arthritis in both wrists. In 2018, her right hand needed surgery for an avulsion fracture, bone spurs, and nerve entrapment, but her wrists never did fully recover, leading to finally making that call to retire. For years, she concealed how serious the problem was and put on a brave face, hiding that pain and not being seen as weak.

She told Golf Digest what retirement actually looked like day-to-day.

“At times, if I do play a lot of golf, I’m just in bed. Or I can’t lift Makenna up, and that scared me.”

Hand surgeons couldn’t offer a path forward that kept her competitive without long-term cost. What made Riviera different was something she mentioned almost in passing: this was the first time in years she had trained without managing pain.

What she missed wasn’t playing golf but her love for competing, and Riviera, for all its scorecard disappointment, reminded her that the competitive instinct never left. And we will be getting to see her tee off again, but in an indoor setting.

Michelle Wie West’s WTGL Commitment and the Next Chapter in Women’s Golf

Michelle Wie West is fully on board with WTGL, the new women’s indoor team golf league starting in winter 2026-27 at SoFi Center in Palm Beach. TMRW Sports and the LPGA are working together on this project.

The project builds on the momentum created by TGL, which has already run for two seasons. Wie West has followed its rise closely, noting how the format pulls in casual fans with its faster pace, team structure, and indoor setting. It is a clear shift from the traditional LPGA tournament rhythm.

Her return adds weight to the league’s debut. TMRW Sports confirmed her inclusion as part of the new platform, marking her first competitive step since retiring in 2023. Her career résumé includes five LPGA Tour wins, highlighted by the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

“As an investor in Los Angeles Golf Club and a fan of TGL, I’m excited for the chance to compete again through WTGL, which will be a powerful platform for women’s golf,” said Wie West as per LPGA news in February 2026.

“I’m passionate about growing the game, and TGL has proved how new formats through the lens of innovation and creativity can bring golf to a broader audience. The team aspect, matched with the unique environment at SoFi Center, is something I want to be part of and it’s going to be incredibly fun to challenge myself, this time alongside teammates, to compete against the best in the world.”

WTGL also offers something her previous career could not. The schedule allows her to stay grounded, avoiding the grind of a 30-week travel calendar that once defined life on tour.

That balance matters now more than ever. With Makenna and Jagger at home, Wie West can stay close to family while still feeding her competitive fire, blending motherhood with a fresh chapter in the game she never truly left behind.