The woman once dubbed the Tiger Woods of women’s golf says she’s stepping away from competitive play after next week’s U.S. Open, reports Golfweek.
Michelle Wie West says she’ll return in 2023 to play again in the Open, but after that, she’s done.
The 32 year old says competitive play has taken its toll on her. Wie battled injuries throughout her career and gave birth to her first child in 2020.
“At times, if I do play a lot of golf,” she said. “I’m just in bed. Or I can’t lift [Makenna] up, and that scared me.”
CBS Sports reports she’s been competing since age 15 and has five championships, calling her biggest accomplishments a U.S. Open title and her degree from Stanford.
“Because I accomplished both of those, I think I feel very happy in my decision now,” she said. “I think if I hadn’t won the U.S. Open, I’d still be out there competing week to week trying to get that U.S. Open win.”
Six times Wie has competed with the men on the PGA tour, and in 2004, she fired a 68 at the Sony Open, the lowest score ever by a woman against the men.
Wie is not calling this a retirement and left open the possibility she could one day return.
“I’m definitely not ruling anything out,” Wie West said.
Wie West said her plans include the Nike Athlete Think Tank, a project that promotes women’s sport.
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