Michelle Wie West, who was once likened to Tiger Woods during her earlier stages, has announced to step away from the game, effective LPGA Tour of 2023. She added that she would take on a more creative role with Nike as its newest Athlete Collaborator.
As per latest sports news, the 32-year young golfer announced her decision on the internet, where she expressed her excitement about moving on to the next phase of life. After spending 14 years on tour, Michelle Wie West said that she was looking forward to spending more time on new projects that she had always wanted. Her role would be to work on making golf a more inclusive and diverse game.
Her decision came from the physical burden that the game had on her body. Michelle gave birth to her daughter Makenna in 2020 and has rarely been able to enjoy spending time with her. The new role would allow her to do that while being associated with the sport.
While talking to the media, Michelle said that she would mostly be tired or playing a lot of golf or simply unable to lift Makenna, scaring her personally.
Apart from having a daughter, her victory in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open also drove her to step away from the LPGA Tour of 2023. During the LPGA Tour, earning a degree from Stanford University gave her a major push to take the final call.
She said that since she has accomplished all that in her career, she finds herself content with the decision adding that she would still be chasing those goals had she not achieved them in the past.
The creative role with Nike and Nike Women extends her contract with the company for another five years. Her new role as an Athlete Collaborator with Nike would take her on a journey to get more involved with the design process and work on meaningful projects. Michelle concluded her social media note by thanking everyone for their support throughout her career.
Michelle has only two more tournaments to compete. That includes the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles scheduled for next week and 2023’s Pebble Beach Women’s Open. Jonnie West, Michelle’s husband, is expected to caddie for her at 2023’s Pebble Beach Women’s Open.
Injuries never bothered her, even though they slowed her progress for some time. Her fight back in 2014 is very much alive in the minds of her fans as that is when she claimed her only major in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst. This was one of the most iconic win in the history of golf. The golf betting market was unexpectedly much higher at that time and sports bettors were up for big wins.
Her legacy is inspiring, starting from when she was only 10-years young. The Hawaii-born player made a mark in the sport by qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.
Speculations state that she could make a comeback; however, there is currently no word about that from her side.
