Michelle Wie West was just 12 when she became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA Tour event. She then turned pro in 2005. Fans thought that she was destined to be the next Tiger Woods. Despite the skills and accolades, West was tied 146th of 155 golfers when she withdrew from the 2007 US Women’s Open due to wrist injury. An early retirement followed eventually!

It all started in January 2007, when Michelle Wie West was on a trip to Stanford. It was on a college trip before joining Stanford University. West has now opened up about the injury and her regrets.

“A college visit. And I worked out with the team, and my trainer at that time had me do backward sprints. So here I was doing my track workout on a college visit, and I fell. Classic, me. I fell, and I broke three bones in my left wrist,” Michelle Wie West shared on the Quiet Please! With Mel and Kira podcast. “Which not enough time. I think that’s, like, one of my biggest regrets.”

This injury affected her entire career, which began with the 2007 US Women’s Open.

West took a four-month break before playing at the Ginn Tribute in May 2007 for the first time since the injury. And the impact was clear.

Among 8 events in 2006, West’s worst performance was a T26 at the Women’s British Open. Of those 8 events, she made it to the top 10 six times and never missed a cut. But in 2007, she didn’t even cut in 3 of the 8 events she played. Of the remaining five, she withdrew from two and finished 19, T69, and 84 in the other three.

Michelle Wie West even had to withdraw from the 2007 Women’s US Open. “It was a little sore when I woke up this morning,” said Wie when withdrawing from the event. “I tweaked it when I hit my drive on the 17th (her eighth hole) and it went downhill from there.”

What West regrets is that she didn’t take the right treatment back then.

“I was sixteen, seventeen at that time, and I didn’t know anything about orthopedic surgeons, what the process was. Obviously, my parents didn’t know as well. They’re not in that space. And we went to go see my pediatrician,” recalled Michelle Wie West. “Why did I not go to Cedars-Sinai or HSS or see the best orthopedic surgeon?”

West flew back to Hawaii and saw her pediatrician, who put her in a cast. It was just a small thing back then, but it led to all the premature arthritis in her wrist, eventually leading to her early retirement.

“I thought about it for a really long time. I think unfortunately, I was kind of forced in the decision somewhat because of my injuries and what’s going around for so long, talking to hand surgeons and should do if I want to keep playing and there just wasn’t an answer forward,” West recalled about making her retirement decision.

While the wrist injury was the foundation of her arthritis problems, which eventually led to her early retirement, Michelle Wie West also cites her severe training routine as a significant factor.

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Michelle Wie West’s intense training routine

Back in February 2025, Michelle Wie West revealed she regretted aspects of her training as a junior.

She said she was “training like a man” rather than tailoring to the needs of a growing female athlete.​ Trainers banned her from stretching due to her extreme flexibility and double-jointedness, insisting she focus on stability work instead.​ She even mentioned that there is insufficient sports science research focused on young, growing female bodies.

West wished she had trained smarter, as she believes the approach led to more rapid injuries.

As a junior, Wie West swung very hard and used equipment designed for much stronger adult male golfers. She used a 46-inch, extra-thick shaft and a 7.5-degree driver. However, her lack of body strength or decelerating mechanics made it difficult for her to play safely. She also tried power cleans at age 15.

Wie now questions why coaches pushed her into such physically demanding routines at such a young age.

Michelle Wie West’s story shows how a single decision in her youth led to years of pain and halted a career that once seemed unstoppable. Her reflections highlight the importance of proper guidance for young athletes whose bodies are still developing.