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 on October 11, 1989, is a famous American professional golfer. She plays on the LPGA Tour, which is a top golf tour for women. Michelle started breaking records at a very young age. When she was just 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a major amateur golf championship. She also became the youngest to win the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and the youngest to play in an LPGA Tour event.

Michelle became a professional golfer in 2005, just before her 16th birthday. This was a big deal and brought her a lot of attention and sponsorship deals. In 2004, she won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award. Her biggest win was in 2014 when she won her first major championship, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.

Michelle's Early Life and Education

Michelle Wie West was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents moved to the United States from South Korea in the 1980s. Her father, Byung-wook Wie, was a professor at the University of Hawaii. 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. She later chose to be only a U.S. citizen in 2013.

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

Michelle's Amazing Amateur Golf Career (2000–2005)

Michelle started playing golf when she was only four years old. She quickly showed how talented she was.

• In 2000, at age 10, she was the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
• In 2001, at age 11, she won two big amateur tournaments in Hawaii.
• In 2002, she won the Hawaii State Open Women's Division by a huge 13 shots. She also became the youngest player to play in an LPGA event, though she did not make the cut.
• In 2003, at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she was the youngest player ever to make the cut in an LPGA major tournament. She also won the Women's Amateur Public Links tournament, becoming the youngest person to win a USGA adult event. Later that year, she was the youngest player to make the cut at the U.S. Women's Open at just 13 years old.

Michelle even played in some tournaments against men.

• In 2004, she played in the Sony Open in Hawaii, a PGA Tour event. She shot a score of 68 in one round, which was the lowest score ever by a woman in a PGA Tour event at that time.
• She also became the youngest woman to play in the Curtis Cup tournament, helping the U.S. team win.
• In 2005, 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 was becoming a professional golfer. She signed big sponsorship deals with companies like Nike and Sony.

Michelle's Professional Golf Journey

Starting as a Pro (2005–2008)

When Michelle turned professional, she was too young to join the LPGA Tour full-time (the age limit was 18). So, she could only play in a few LPGA events each year if she received special invitations.

In her first professional event in 2005, she was disqualified for a small rule mistake. But she still had some great finishes, including second place at the Evian Masters. In 2006, she was ranked third in the world golf rankings, even with a limited schedule.

Michelle continued to play against men in some tournaments. In 2006, she became the first woman to be the top qualifier in a local U.S. Open (men's) event. She also became the second woman to make the cut on the Asian Tour.

However, she faced some challenges, including wrist injuries in 2007. She had to take a break from playing for four months. Despite not winning, she was still one of the highest-earning young athletes.

Finally, in 2009, Michelle became old enough to play full-time on the LPGA Tour. She earned her spot by finishing well in the LPGA qualifying tournament.

LPGA Tour Success (2009–2023)

Wie at the 2009 LPGA Championship in 2009.

Michelle's first tournament as a full LPGA member was the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in 2009. She played very well and almost won, finishing second.

In August 2009, Michelle was chosen to be on the United States team for the Solheim Cup, a big team competition. She played a key role in helping the American team win.

On November 15, 2009, Michelle won her first professional tournament, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico. This was a huge moment in her career!

Michelle Wie in 2007.

She continued her success in 2010, winning the CN Canadian Women's Open. She won by three shots, showing her strong skills.

In 2014, Michelle had an amazing year.

• On April 19, she won her third LPGA Tour event, the LPGA Lotte Championship, which was her first win in the United States.
• On June 22, 2014, she achieved her biggest dream: winning her first major championship, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. She played a fantastic final round to win by two strokes. This win also earned her the first-ever Rolex Annika Major Award.

Michelle also worked as a golf commentator for CBS Sports in 2020. In May 2022, she announced that she would be stepping away from competitive golf after the 2022 U.S. Women's Open in July 2022.

Michelle's Personal Life

In March 2019, Michelle announced her engagement to Jonnie West. He works for the Golden State Warriors basketball team and is the son of NBA legend Jerry West. They got married on August 10, 2019.

In January 2020, Michelle shared that she was expecting a baby. She gave birth to her daughter, Makenna, on June 19, 2020. In October 2024, she welcomed her second child, a son.

Michelle's Amateur Wins

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

Before her first professional win in November 2009, Michelle played in 80 professional events as an amateur or professional. She played 66 events against women and 14 against men.

Michelle's Professional Wins (5)

Michelle has won 5 tournaments on the LPGA Tour.

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 Championship Win

Michelle has won one major championship.

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

Michelle's Golf Records

Michelle Wie West holds several impressive golf records:

• She is the youngest winner (male or female) of an adult USGA-sanctioned tournament, winning at age 13.
• She is the youngest player to make a cut in an LPGA tournament and major, also at age 13.
• She shot the lowest round by a female in a PGA Tour event (68 strokes).
• She is the youngest player to compete in Curtis Cup history, at age 14.
• She was the first female to qualify for a USGA championship usually played by males.
• She was the first female to make a cut on the Asian Tour.
• She was the first female medalist in a U.S. Open qualifying tournament.

Images for kids

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  Wie in 2013

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  Michelle Wie in 2007

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  Wie at the 2009 LPGA Championship

See also

In Spanish: Michelle Wie para niños