Tiger Woods has made it clear that he won’t be playing in the 2026 Masters, as evidenced by his statement following his DUI arrest. However, a golf legend from the LPGA has decided to make a comeback. With just one year of eligibility remaining because of her previous win, she has decided to come out of her retirement and tee it up one more time at a major championship. As the news broke, CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis sparked conversations with an Instagram repost and a few celebratory words that blended nostalgia with excitement.

“Cheers to running back these vibes @michellewiewest 💃💃,” Amanda Balionis wrote, reposting an Instagram post by Michelle Wie West announcing her comeback to golf.

Just a few hours ago, West shared a carousel post featuring herself. Most of these images were of her with the cup she won at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

Sharing these images, she wrote, “With one final year of eligibility from my victory in 2014 and the Championship headed to an iconic venue that means so much to me, I am excited to announce that I’ll be teeing it up at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera in June!”

For her 2014 victory, she carded rounds of 68-68-72-70 to finish 2-under 278. She won by two strokes over the runner-up Stacy Lewis. In fact, she was the only one to score below par at the 2014 US Women’s Open.

This victory at Pinehurst No. 2 gave her a 10-year exemption. However, the USGA’s maternity policy extended the exemption by two more years. Thus, she is still eligible to play the event in 2026. She last played the championship in 2023, but didn’t make the cut.

As Michelle Wie West noted, the event is now moving to the iconic Riviera. It will be the first time the event is moving there, and will run from June 4 to June 7, 2026. Excited about the same, Amanda Balionis reposted it to her story and shared her views. She specifically selected the last slide of the carousel post, where the 5x LPGA winner is putting her face in the cup. This is why she wrote about running the same vibe.

After her 2014 U.S. Women’s Open win at Pinehurst, Michelle Wie West celebrated with the trophy in a carefree, joy-filled way. She was smiling, drinking from the cup, and embracing the moment, which became part of her public persona.

Michelle Wie West and Amanda Balionis share a friendly relationship. They have even played and filmed many pro-am events together. Balionis later described Wie West as “a fellow Workday ambassador” and “a personal friend” during a Workday conversation.

The U.S. Women’s Open holds a special place in Michelle Wie West’s heart. It is the only event she played in 2023 and one of the two she played in 2022. Now, she will be making a comeback with the same event, which makes it even more special. Her decision to return gains even more meaning when you look at the journey that kept her away from the game.

Michelle Wie West’s golf hiatus

Michelle Wie West is considered a legend in the LPGA. But despite all that talent, she had to take retirement early. Although the retirement is not official, she hardly plays any golf events now. And it all started with a grueling wrist injury.

The injury dates back to 2007, when she was on a college visit trip to Stanford. She was 16 or 17 years old then and was attempting back sprints for training. During the sprint, she fell and broke three bones in her left wrist. However, she didn’t act on the injury straightaway and didn’t see a specialist.

This reflected in her performance, too. In 2026, she was consistent. She had 8 starts, made the cut in all of them, and recorded 6 top-10 finishes. In fact, her worst performance was a T26. But in 2007, she missed the cut 3 times in the 8 starts she had. Besides that, she withdrew from 2 and finished 19th, 69th, and 84th in the remaining three.

The injury eventually led to her decision to retire from golf. Since 2019, she has not played more than 5 events in a single year. And since 2023, she has not played a single LPGA event.

That long and challenging stretch away from the game makes Michelle Wie West’s return far more meaningful. Paired with Amanda Balionis’ upbeat message, it turns this moment into a celebration of resilience, nostalgia, and a chance at reliving past glory.