Michelle Wie West facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michelle Wie West
Wie in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Michelle Sung Wie West (Korean name: Wie Sung-Mi)
Nickname	Big Wiesy
Born	(1989-10-11) October 11, 1989 (age 35) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality	United States
Residence	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Spouse	Jonnie West ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	2
Career
College	Stanford University (ineligible for golf team)
Turned professional	2005
Current tour(s)	LPGA Tour (joined 2009)
Professional wins	5
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour	5
Best results in LPGA Major Championships (Wins: 1)
Kraft Nabisco C'ship	2nd: 2014
LPGA Championship	2nd: 2005
U.S. Women's Open	Won: 2014
Women's British Open	T3: 2005, 2017
The Evian Championship	T16: 2015
Achievements and awards
Laureus World Newcomer of the Year	2004
Rolex Annika Major Award	2014

Michelle Sung Wie West (born October 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA Tour. When she was 10, she became the youngest person to qualify for a major amateur golf event. She also became the youngest to win the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links. Michelle was also the youngest to qualify for an LPGA Tour event. She became a professional golfer just before her 16th birthday in 2005. She won a big award, the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year, in 2004. Her biggest win was a major championship, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, in 2014.

Early Life and School

Michelle Wie West was born on October 11, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents came to the United States from South Korea. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, was a professor. Her mother, Bo, was a golf champion in South Korea.

When Michelle was born, she was a citizen of both South Korea and the United States. This is called "dual citizenship." In 2013, she chose to be only a U.S. citizen.

Michelle finished high school in Honolulu in 2007. She then went to Stanford University in California. Even though she was a professional golfer, she could not play on Stanford's golf team. This was because of college sports rules. She studied communications and graduated from Stanford in 2012.

Amazing Amateur Golf Career

Michelle started playing golf when she was only four years old. In 2000, at age 10, she made history. She became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division. She also became the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA event. This is a professional golf tournament for women.

In 2003, Michelle became the youngest player to make the "cut" at an LPGA major championship. This means she played well enough to continue in the tournament. In June 2003, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links tournament. This made her the youngest person ever to win a USGA adult event.

Michelle also played in some men's PGA Tour events. In 2004, she shot a score of 68. This was the lowest score ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event at the time. She also played in the Curtis Cup tournament. She was the youngest woman ever to play in this team event.

In 2005, Michelle made history again. She became the first female golfer to qualify for a USGA national men's tournament. On October 5, 2005, just before her 16th birthday, Michelle announced she would become a professional golfer. She signed big deals with companies like Nike and Sony.

Professional Golf Journey

When Michelle became a professional, she was too young to join the LPGA Tour full-time. Golfers usually need to be 18 years old. So, she played in a limited number of LPGA events.

Michelle Wie in 2007

In 2006, Michelle was ranked third in the world among women golfers. She also played in more men's tournaments. She even became the first woman to qualify for a local men's U.S. Open event.

Michelle faced some challenges in 2007. She had wrist injuries and had to stop playing for a few months. She finally became a full-time member of the LPGA Tour in 2009.

LPGA Tour Success

After joining the LPGA Tour, Michelle continued to play well. In August 2009, she was chosen for the U.S. team in the Solheim Cup. This is a big team competition. She helped her team win!

On November 15, 2009, Michelle won her first professional tournament. It was the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico.

On August 29, 2010, she won her second professional event. This was the CN Canadian Women's Open.

Her third LPGA Tour win came on April 19, 2014. She won the LPGA Lotte Championship in the United States.

Her biggest victory happened on June 22, 2014. Michelle won her first major championship, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. This is one of the most important tournaments in women's golf. She won by two strokes. Because of her great year, she also won the first-ever Rolex Annika Major Award.

Michelle continued to play golf for several more years. In May 2022, she announced she would step away from playing professional golf. Her last tournament was the 2022 U.S. Women's Open.

Personal Life

In March 2019, Michelle announced she was engaged to Jonnie West. He works for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. They got married on August 10, 2019. In June 2020, they welcomed their daughter, Makenna. In October 2024, they had their second child, a son.

Amateur Wins

• 2002 Hawaii State Open, Women's Division
• 2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links

Michelle played in 80 professional events as an amateur or professional before her first win in 2009. This included 66 events against women and 14 against men.

Professional Wins (5)

LPGA Tour Wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)
1	Nov 15, 2009	Lorena Ochoa Invitational	−13 (70-66-70-69=275)	2 strokes	Paula Creamer	220,000
2	Aug 29, 2010	CN Canadian Women's Open	−12 (65-69-72-70=276)	3 strokes	Jee Young Lee, Kristy McPherson, Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin	337,500
3	Apr 19, 2014	LPGA Lotte Championship	−14 (70-67-70-67=274)	2 strokes	Angela Stanford	255,000
4	Jun 22, 2014	U.S. Women's Open	−2 (68-68-72-70=278)	2 strokes	Stacy Lewis	720,000
5	Mar 4, 2018	HSBC Women's World Championship	−17 (67-73-66-65=271)	1 stroke	Brooke Henderson, Danielle Kang, Nelly Korda, Jenny Shin	225,000

Major Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2014	U.S. Women's Open	−2 (68-68-72-70=278)	2 strokes	Stacy Lewis

Results Timeline

Results not in chronological order.

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

     Win      Top 10      Did not play LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary of Major Championships

LPGA Tour Career Highlights

Michelle Wie West played in 230 LPGA Tour tournaments. She made the cut in 169 of them. She won 5 tournaments, including one major championship. She had 11 second-place finishes and 13 third-place finishes. In total, she had 49 top-10 finishes. Her career earnings on the LPGA Tour were over $6.8 million.

Team Golf Appearances

Michelle Wie West also played for the United States in team golf events.

As an Amateur

• Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 2004 (winners)

As a Professional

• Solheim Cup (representing the United States): 2009 (winners), 2011, 2013, 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners)
• International Crown (representing the United States): 2018

Solheim Cup Record Summary

Michelle played in 18 matches for the Solheim Cup. She won 8 matches, lost 9, and tied 1.

Golf Records

• Youngest winner (male or female) of an adult USGA tournament: Age 13 (2003 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links)
• Youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA tournament and major: Age 13 (2003 Nabisco Championship)
• Lowest score by a female in a PGA Tour event: 68 (2004 and 2006 Sony Open)
• Youngest player in Curtis Cup history: Age 14 (2004)
• First female to qualify for a USGA championship usually played by males: Age 15 (2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship)
• First female to make a cut on the Asian Tour: Age 16 (2006 SK Telecom Open)
• First female to be the top qualifier in a U.S. Open qualifying tournament: Age 16 (2006 U.S. Open Local Qualifying)

Images for kids

• 

  Wie at the 2009 LPGA Championship

See also

In Spanish: Michelle Wie para niños Female golfers who have competed in men's PGA tournaments:

• Annika Sörenstam
• Suzy Whaley
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias
• Brittany Lincicome