If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a number must be good for 999. This is the case with Michelle Wie West, whose age, achievement, distance and boldness numerical odyssey is one of the compelling stories of 21st century golf .
I’m not sure what amazes me most: that I covered Michelle’s career for 18 years or that the feeling of the past preteen is now 30 years old and on June 19 she became a mother when she and Jonnie West welcomed her daughter Makenna Kamalei Yoona West in their lives.
But there is no doubt about it: one day down the road, when Makenna is old enough to read and count, these are some of the noteworthy numbers he will consider regarding his mother:
- At 12, Michelle became the youngest LPGA Monday qualifier, missing three 2002 shots from the Takefuji Classic in 2002.
- At 13, he was T-9 at the 2003 ANA Inspiration, his first major LPGA. The following year it was fourth.
- Michelle was second in the 2005 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June, then turned professional in October, just before her sixteenth birthday.
- At 16, in 2006, she was T-3 in ANA Inspiration; T-5 in the KPMG women’s PGA championship; T-3 in the US Women’s Open and T-2 in the Evian Masters.
- Michelle became an LPGA member in 2009; he played his first Solheim Cup, going 3-0-1, and scored the first of five Tour victories at the Lorraine Ochoa Invitational.
- She graduated from Stanford University in 2012; she won her first major LPGA at the 2014 US Women’s Open and married Jonnie West in 2019.
Each issue tells a story of determination and desire. Along the way there have been high-profile forays into men’s tours and the heartbreak of multiple injuries.
That someone only 30 years old has a legacy that has lasted for two decades is remarkable, but Michelle is that rarity, the “it” personality that moves the needle. The world has become his applause where everyone knows his name. Fans show up or turn on the TV because of him.
I saw Michelle play for the first time at the 2003 ANA Inspiration. A Saturday 66 – one of only two scores so low for the whole week in Mission Hills – put her in the final group with Annika Sorenstam and the winner Patricia Meunier -Lebouc.
With eight holes left, Michelle was just one of the rear holes when a 15 foot par three putt on the 11 hole par-5 shook her and she snapped four of the next five holes, demonstrating her inexperience.
But his ability was undisputed. The pace of his swing and prodigious power left many LPGA stars stating that a Tour win that year would not be surprising.
For the week, Michelle averages 286.2 yards from the tee, 34.6 yards per unit longer than Meunier-Lebouc.
It also affected his composure.
“It was fantastic to play with Annika and Patricia, they are really fantastic players, it was a pleasure to play with them,” he said after the final round.
When asked if she knew how she was on back nine, she said:
“I am always aware of where I am. And I wasn’t very nervous. I have to make many more birds to reach them, because I knew the birds would do too. I had the opportunity to catch the eagle at no. 11, and I put three-pointed, this made me fall.
In addition to her talent, Michelle’s composure also impressed that week.
“I think the most memorable part of today was playing in the last group of the last day,” she said, eventually sounding like a 13-year-old. “So it was quite exciting. I really couldn’t imagine being there this year. But it was pretty cool. “
In 2007, Michelle fell while jogging earlier in the year, but tried to experience pain in her wrist. The result was a heap of missed withdrawals and cuts and the beginning of a series of injuries that would plague his career.
Her life took on a dimension beyond golf that fell when she joined Stanford. Her most successful season was in 2014, when she won the LOTTE championship in April and the US Women’s Open in June.
Among those victories, we chatted at the Swinging Skirts Classic on Lake Merced near San Francisco,
“As I get older, I understand how much I love the game and how lucky I am to do it,” she said. “I understand that even when I’m having a bad day, how bad it can be when you look at it,” he said, pointing at the breathtaking views.
“College changes everyone,” said Stanford. “I entered there without knowing who I am, really. There I met many fantastic people, people who really inspired me. Getting my education was really important to me. It gave me a lot of confidence that I can do things myself. “
Now, in his Instagram biography, he describes himself first as “Makenna’s Mother” and then as “Stanford Grad”. After that come the five LPGA victories, one major, five Solheim Cups and one UL International Crown, as well as his activity for proper nutrition and against racism.
Based on the numbers, Michelle Wie tells a story; Michelle Wie West with a girl in her arms tells another. From a 12-year-old pioneer to a 30-year-old parent, it is a well-traveled path: the journey of a true champion, no matter how much you add it.
