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Michelle Wie West is one of the longest-standing veterans of the LPGA Tour and, despite that fact, still one of the best to do it. She's competing in majors still in what appears to be her final year as a professional golfer. She's decided to eventually retire as she comes to grips with her age.
There was a moment recently at the U.S. Women's Open where Wie West realized her age. She's always been older, but with an increasingly young field playing alongside her, it dawned on her.
She revealed this on SiriusXM:
"When I was there the week before, I played a practice round. Yeah, she was young, so I just went up to her and I was like, 'How old are you?' and she's like, 'I'm 14.' I'm like, 'Oh, wow, are you the youngest in the field?' and she's like, 'No.'... and then a couple holes went by and I was like, 'Hey, you know what? I can be your mom.' And I was like, 'Wait a second, people have definitely said this to me on tour before.' It was a moment that came full circle."
Wie West is 33 years old, which isn't ancient for a golfer. Still, she knows she's beyond her prime and that these fields, which included 14-year-old girls and younger, aren't getting older with her.
For a while, she's been approached by younger golfers and had a maternal experience, but this time, she had that experience of her own accord. Perhaps it validated her decision to retire soon if she realized that she was that much older than her peers.
Unfortunately, in her final attempt at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, she came up short and missed the cut. Via the LPGA Tour, she was grateful for the chance to say goodbye despite the rough performance:
“The putts definitely didn't drop all week, and the game is a funny game, and making that long putt on 18 definitely was a sweeter sendoff. It just was such an emotional day starting from 1 tee. I've held back tears the entire round. It was fun. It was great to have my last round here at Pebble Beach. It feels surreal right now," Michelle Wie West said.
It wasn't a storybook ending, but that doesn't seem to bother Michelle Wie West.
Michelle Wie West reflects on her career
Very few golfers, on the LPGA Tour or PGA Tour, have had a better career than Michelle Wie West, who will go down as an icon of the game.
“I'm so proud of the fact that I shot 68 in a PGA Tour event. I'm also proud of almost qualifying for the men's U.S. Open. Going to Stanford (University) while turning professional, finishing out my high school educational career and entering Stanford," Michelle Wie West said.
"Then, obviously, winning the U.S. Open was a huge highlight of mine. Another big proudest moment there because growing up, I'd always wanted to win the U.S. Open," she added.
Michelle Wie West had quite the career, and it's a shame the game of golf is losing her.
