It looks like Michelle Wie West might be making her return to the LPGA at next week’s Kia Classic. The 31-year-old mom last competed on tour at the 2019 KMPG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine, where she battled severe wrist pain.
So much life has happened since then for Wie West, who married Jonnie West, son of NBA legend Jerry West and an executive with the Golden State Warriors, in August of 2019. The couple welcomed daughter Makenna on June 19, 2020.
The late withdrawal period for the Kia Classic was last Friday, and Wie West is still listed in the field. The ANA field closes on Wednesday, and she’s listed there as well.
Wie has said several times that she really wants Makenna to see her compete on tour. This could be the start of a long west coast swing for Wie, as events in her native Hawaii and then Los Angeles follow the Masters.
“I just want that experience of her, of Makenna watching me play and hopefully watching me come down the stretch and win a golf tournament,” said Wie last summer. “That would just mean everything to me because I want her to grow up and be a strong woman and all the things that I value, and hopefully whatever she values.”
Michelle Wie hits her tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports)
Inbee Park, Seo Yeon Ryu and Hyo Joo Kim – three top-ranked South Koreans who had yet to compete in 2021 – will also return to the tour next week. As will last year’s surprise U.S. Women’s Open winner, A Lim Kim, who will make her debut as an LPGA rookie in Carlsbad, California.
The first two rounds of the Kia Classic will be tape-delayed on Golf Channel from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.