Be it her husband Jonnie’s words of wisdom, like telling her to get her head out of her a–, or the fact that they felt comfortable around each other instantly when they first met, Michelle Wie West is grateful to be married. After years of wrist injuries, arthritis in both wrists, and surgery to address a fracture and nerve damage that made her professional journey remarkably difficult, she returned to the Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldwell, New Jersey. And the first thing she did was talk about her husband.

“My husband is such a good source of positive energy for me. At the end of the day, like, I put things in perspective, and I build upon it. And you have to learn from these kinds of rounds. That’s just what golf is,” she said during her media appearance.

Michelle came into this week on a sponsor’s exemption, one she was well-placed into, given she is also the tournament’s host. Her husband, Jonnie West, carried the bag as she teed up competitively for the first time since her emotional farewell at Pebble Beach.

However, her comeback didn’t have a great start. The first round included just two birdies, along with five bogeys, two double bogeys, and a triple bogey. She finished with 37 putts, hit just 7 of 14 fairways, and signed for a 10-over 82, concluding second-to-last on the scoreboard.

But for someone who has fought through the physical pain and emotional toll she has endured, the number beside her name was never really the point.

“My husband was taking me off the ledge the whole round,” she said after the round in the press conference. “Golf can take you places, and I went to places today. But you’ve got to see the bigger picture at the end of the day. I’m so proud of what we built here. I feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to have the space to play today.”

Jonnie West’s role as her husband goes beyond Thursday. The two met in late 2018, introduced by mutual friend Justin Thomas, and were married within a year. Since then, he has been on her bag at every significant moment, including at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2023.

The 36-year-old later revealed that the two had talked about him caddying for her at Pebble Beach since the day they got married. The comeback, too, this time was built the same way, together. She also spent months working through PT and physical preparation with Jonnie.

Now, parents as well, the partnership has only deepened over time. And at Pebble Beach, she said it as plainly as possible:

“He’s my partner in life. To have him there by my side the whole week just meant everything to me.”

Even after a difficult round and a tough comeback, Wie West showed the kind of courage that would have mentally broken most players. And she even managed to crack the joke about her game afterwards.

“If you ever see me putt right-hand low ever again, just yell from outside the ropes, ‘Don’t do it,’” she said with a laugh.

Despite the performance, she insists that the day was good overall. And somewhere it is a reminder that sometimes simply returning to the course is its own victory.

One last shot at the U.S. Women’s Open

Michelle Wie West’s real target is the U.S. Women’s Open at the Riviera Country Club on June 4-7, where she will use the final year of her 12-year exemption earned by winning the 2014 title in Pinehurst No. 2. The standard window for major winners is 10 years, but the USGA extended hers by two years after she took maternity leave. Without it, her eligibility would have expired in 2024.

Another reason she said yes to returning was the course itself. She admitted Riviera was kind of tempting. This will mark the first time the U.S. Women’s Open will be held at the club during its centennial year in 2026. It will also be the first time the championship comes to the greater Los Angeles area.

Additionally, Riviera is not the end of the road either. She has already committed to the WTGL, the Women’s Indoor Tech Golf League co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, set to launch in winter 2026-2027, where she will compete alongside the likes of Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko. That 82 on Thursday was just the beginning of what is turning into the second chapter.