Michelle Wie West recently announced her retirement as a full-time professional golfer. Rather than staying sad after the announcement, the 33-year-old sounded excited as she looked forward to her future endeavors. However, what does she now feel after leaving a profession she did for more than half of her lifetime? 

“I’m still going through an identity crisis,” she revealed in a recent interview. It has been more than five months since West left the professional golf world. 

Notably, it contradicts what she told the media when she announced her retirement decision to the public at the U.S. Women’s Open. In her interview, she claimed she wanted to explore more opportunities and was “excited” about all her upcoming projects. 

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Michelle Wie West has a hard time adjusting to the new lifestyle without golf

West has been playing golf as a professional since she was only 15 years old. Hence, professional golf was a part of the 33-year-old’s life for more than half of her lifetime. So, it was not surprising when she revealed she currently deals with an identity crisis after her retirement. 

Read more: The Real Reason Why Paige Spiranac Quit Professional Golf

“There were a lot of tough days. When you’re a professional athlete, that’s your identity,” West told Keely Levin five months after her retirement announcement. “That’s what you live, eat, and breathe 24/7,” she added. “That’s all you think about: playing golf.”

The 2014 U. S. Open champion also revealed that she had the identity of a student and a pro-golfer when she was a student. However, she has none at the moment. “So then the question comes up,” she disclosed the question West has been asking herself since her retirement, “Who am I?”

The golfer left the LPGA Tour career; two years later, she gave birth to a daughter. Michelle Wie West and her husband, Jonnie West, welcomed their daughter, Makenna, on June 19, 2020. Even though the 1-time major champion struggles with her identity now, she knows she has the responsibility of a mother and takes care of her daughter well and doesn’t regret leaving her full-time pro-life behind. 

Will the former U. S. Women’s Open champion never play golf again? 

West started playing golf professionally in 2005 and won five LPGA Tour championships, including a major. Nearly 15 years later, she announced that full-time professional golfing wouldn’t be a part of her life anymore. 

Although she decided not to play more events on the LPGA Tour, she is not against playing in the U. S. Open. Hence, the golf world may see her play the major next year. 

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