Wie << wee >> West, Michelle (1989-…), was an American golfer who gained national attention before she reached her teens. She was one of the longest hitters in women’s golf. By the time she was 16, she had competed in professional women’s tournaments and had signed endorsements worth millions of dollars. She even entered a few professional men’s tournaments, but her scores were too high to qualify her for the final rounds. Nevertheless, the extensive media coverage made her one of the biggest names in golf.
Michelle Sung Wie was born on Oct. 11, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to South Korean parents. She began playing golf when she was 4 years old. At the age of 10, she became one of the youngest players to ever qualify for a United States Golf Association (USGA) amateur championship. In 2002, at the age of 12, Wie qualified for her first LPGA tournament. In 2003, she became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links tournament. However, as a professional, she struggled to achieve the success she gained as a teenager. From 2007 to 2012 she attended Stanford University and played tournament golf only part-time.
Wie won a women’s “major” tournament in 2014, when she won the U.S. Women’s Open. She came close to winning two of the other four major tournaments. In 2005, at the age of 15, Wie finished second in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Championship (now the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). She turned professional later that year. In 2006, Wie tied for third in the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now called the Chevron Championship), one stroke behind the winner. In 2014, she finished second, three strokes behind the winner. The other two major tournaments are the Evian Championship and the Women’s British Open. In 2019, Wie married basketball executive Jonnie West and began competing under the name Michelle Wie West.
