“Never say never,” said Michelle Wie West when asked if she would ever tee off in a golf tournament. That was 2023. She just dropped her final putt at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Three years later, West, now 36 and a mother of two, has decided to pick up her clubs, shake off the dust, and tee it up again.

The five-time LPGA Tour winner is returning to play at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open. Her 10-year exemption for winning the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open expired in 2024. But she received a two-year maternity leave extension, which will lapse this year. Wie West decided to take the opportunity to tee off at Riviera Country Club, which is going to host the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time. By returning to the professional scene after retirement, Wie West is following in the footsteps of several other LPGA legends.

• Annika Sorenstam, despite retiring in 2008, came back to the professional scene in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which she won.
• Meanwhile, Mickey Wright won the last of her 82 titles in the 1973 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle, four years after retiring in 1969.
• Cristie Kerr decided to tee off in the 2025 Black Desert Championship despite pulling the plug on a full-time LPGA schedule.

The venue of her return, Riviera Country Club at Pacific Palisades, is, of course, iconic, but it has a personal connection to West as well. She is married to Jonnie West, the son of Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West. Notably, Jonnie was caddying for her in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Wie West, playing with Annika Sorenstam, missed the cut after shooting consecutive 79s.

Michelle Wie West had Makenna in her stroller at that time. Now, Makenna is a five-year-old girl, and Jagger Jerry YooJun West, West’s second child, is one and a half years old. West has previously said that if she ever decided to play golf again, it would be for her kids. So, making her comeback in a venue with a family tie is going to be special for the veteran golfer.

Interestingly, Michelle Wie West has also decided to play in WTGL. The LPGA great is returning to golf with a point to prove. And this would be a step in the right direction for one of golf’s finest players. But what made her so special?

Looking back at Michelle Wie West’s illustrious career

West turned pro at 15 years of age. She also made history by becoming the youngest player to make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open when she booked the weekend spot in the 2003 iteration of the tournament. She became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship at age 10. Wie West had three top tens in the tournament in her career.

She has won five LPGA Tour titles in her career, finished T3 at the Women’s British Open in 2005 and 2017, and finished 2nd in the 2014 Chevron Championship (ANA Inspiration). However, her best performance came in at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2.

Back in the swing of things after a disappointing 2023 that saw her miss the final cut at Pebble Beach, West now hopes to make this opportunity count. But her comments in the 2023 post‑round interview made it clear she was going to come back to the sport.

Although her comeback once seemed unlikely, Michelle Wie West is returning to her roots. It’s only natural to wonder if a hiatus has affected her game, yet with a player of her stature, doubt barely figures into the equation.