• About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
  • Covid-19
  • News
    • All
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • World
    Donald Trump, pictured at the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, is looking to cash in on...

    Trump Restarts Fundraising Ahead Of His CPAC Visit

    NBA outlines COVID protocols in 134-page guide

    Kemba gives Celts needed lift: ‘Willed us’ to win

    Blackhawks’ defensive logjam sends Nicolas Beaudin to AHL, boosts competition for others

    Blackhawks’ defensive logjam sends Nicolas Beaudin to AHL, boosts competition for others

    Poll: A majority of Americans think teachers should be vaccinated before reopening schools

    Poll: A majority of Americans think teachers should be vaccinated before reopening schools

    Medical workers wait for consultations after receiving a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Tokyo on February 17, 2021.

    Why Japan took so long to start Covid-19 vaccinations, even with the Olympics looming

    Crown prince's actions in Khashoggi killing leave Saudi fund vulnerable, ex-Obama official says

    Crown prince’s actions in Khashoggi killing leave Saudi fund vulnerable, ex-Obama official says

    LeBron to Zlatan: No way I'll ever 'stick to sports'

    LeBron to Zlatan: No way I’ll ever ‘stick to sports’

    Chrishell Stause and Keo Motsepe

    Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause slams ex Keo Motsepe ‘playing the victim’

    House passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, sends it to Senate

    House passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, sends it to Senate

    The battle over voting restrictions is playing out nationwide. Arizona Republicans are leading the way

    The battle over voting restrictions is playing out nationwide. Arizona Republicans are leading the way

  • Science & Tech
    • All
    • Mobile
    Microsoft’s Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows includes touch controls, gyro, and more

    Microsoft’s Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows includes touch controls, gyro, and more

    FDA advisors endorse Janssen's single-shot COVID-19 vaccine

    FDA advisors endorse Janssen’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine

    Facebook apologizes for 'mistake' in threatening to ban 81-year-old woolen pig knitter for hate speech

    Facebook apologizes for ‘mistake’ in threatening to ban 81-year-old woolen pig knitter for hate speech

    How will NASA's Perseverance rover engineers pilot first helicopter on Mars?

    How will NASA’s Perseverance rover engineers pilot first helicopter on Mars?

    Sir David Attenborough narrates the "exhibits" in this AR iPhone app

    Sir David Attenborough narrates the “exhibits” in this AR iPhone app

    There's a secret code in the Mars rover's parachute

    There’s a secret code in the Mars rover’s parachute

    Spotify reveals HiFi tier, 80-country expansion, new exclusive podcasts

    Spotify reveals HiFi tier, 80-country expansion, new exclusive podcasts

    ‘Follow the Sun’ is a new Mac app to automate brightness and color temperature of HomeKit lights - 9to5Mac

    ‘Follow the Sun’ is a new Mac app to automate brightness and color temperature of HomeKit lights – 9to5Mac

    Democrats ask cable and streaming providers about their role in spreading misinformation ahead of Capitol riot

    Democrats ask cable and streaming providers about their role in spreading misinformation ahead of Capitol riot

    Bradley Voytek

    The Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Be Meaningful After All

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    What really happened when the FBI persecuted Billie Holiday

    What really happened when the FBI persecuted Billie Holiday

    The House passed Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package

    The House passed Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package

    Review: Billie Eilish is an ordinary teen with extraordinary talent in 'The World's a Little Blurry'

    Review: Billie Eilish is an ordinary teen with extraordinary talent in ‘The World’s a Little Blurry’

    Coronavirus in Illinois updates: United Center COVID-19 vaccination site could distribute up to 6,000 doses a day; 2,441 new cases and 55 additional deaths reported

    Coronavirus in Illinois updates: United Center COVID-19 vaccination site could distribute up to 6,000 doses a day; 2,441 new cases and 55 additional deaths reported

    Writer-director Lee Isaac Chung (right) with actors Steven Yeun (left) and Will Patton (center) on the set of "Minari."

    What the controversy over ‘Minari’ says about being American

    Review: Mexico's 'I'm No Longer Here' spans the gap between alienation and connection

    Review: Mexico’s ‘I’m No Longer Here’ spans the gap between alienation and connection

    ACMs shut women out of top country category but say female representation improving

    ACMs shut women out of top country category but say female representation improving

    CPAC organizers begged attendees to wear masks — and got booed

    CPAC organizers begged attendees to wear masks — and got booed

    Gary Oldman, left, and Ben Affleck joined a Hollywood Reporter roundtable on COVID-19 and the movie

    Ben Affleck And Gary Oldman Reflect On The Changing Business Of Moviemaking During COVID-19

    Tobias Ighofose, Founder of BisonPlay

    Meet Tobias Ighofose: Entrepreneur Creating Diverse Mobile Games Inspired By His Daughter

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    'JL' Actor Ray Fisher Re-Asserts Racism Claims Amid Black Superman Rumors

    ‘JL’ Actor Ray Fisher Re-Asserts Racism Claims Amid Black Superman Rumors

    Test drive: The 2021 Genesis GV80 is ready for its unexpected fame

    Test drive: The 2021 Genesis GV80 is ready for its unexpected fame

    A day pass will get you poolside at 8 of the hottest hotels in L.A.

    A day pass will get you poolside at 8 of the hottest hotels in L.A.

    second co. apparel

    The Second Co. Drops Apparel + More Canadian Fashion News

    The inaugural Sunshine & Sunflower Day is happening at Kalbar – March 27, 2021 | Australian Food News

    The inaugural Sunshine & Sunflower Day is happening at Kalbar – March 27, 2021 | Australian Food News

    How did Bad Bunny end up as a snake plant on SNL? The team behind the skit explains

    How did Bad Bunny end up as a snake plant on SNL? The team behind the skit explains

    Demi Lovato shared a post on Instagram written by someone else that called gender reveal events 'transphobic.'

    Demi Lovato shares post claiming gender reveals contribute to transphobia, draws mixed reactions

    20 of the world's best soups

    20 of the world’s best soups

    Brandy, a brown tabby cat, was reunited on Feb. 22 with her owner, Charles, after she went astray for 15 years.

    Man reunited with cat after it vanished 15 years ago: ‘It was very emotional’

    Lady Gaga dognapping: FBI ‘investigating political motives’

    Lady Gaga dognapping: FBI ‘investigating political motives’

41 °f
Chicago
40 ° Sun
29 ° Mon
31 ° Tue
41 ° Wed
No Result
View All Result
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home News Sports

How having a baby girl changed Michelle Wie West’s retirement thoughts

by Staff Writer
December 10, 2020
in Sports
Reading Time: 9min read
0
Wie after she has hit her tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the ANA Inspiration in 2019.
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


But when persistent injuries began to hamper Michelle Wie West’s ability to play the game she loved — she featured in just five Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour events in 2019, making the cut just once — thoughts of an early retirement flitted through her mind.

Related posts

NBA outlines COVID protocols in 134-page guide

Kemba gives Celts needed lift: ‘Willed us’ to win

February 27, 2021
LeBron to Zlatan: No way I'll ever 'stick to sports'

LeBron to Zlatan: No way I’ll ever ‘stick to sports’

February 27, 2021

Those injury frustrations were counterpointed by personal happiness. Two months after her last appearance on the golf course, she married Golden State Warriors executive Jonnie West. And a few months later, Wie West found out she was pregnant.

Initially the prospect of becoming a mom cemented the idea of retirement.

Then Wie West discovered she was going to have a girl — the golfer gave birth to daughter Makenna Kamalei Yoona West on June 19 — and that “changed everything.”

“It just completely shifted my perspective. I was not expecting that to shift that drastically, but it really did,” said Wie West.

“Everything that I see now, it has changed. And playing wise, it’s definitely made me want to play again. When I go out and practice it’s definitely not as much as I used to be able to. I used to be able to practice day in and day out. But now, there’s like a week in between sometimes.

“It’s just all very unpredictable. But it’s made me want to come back and not just for myself, but for her and to kind of lead by example. And I think it’s so different when she can see YouTube videos and she can see all that. I can tell her about the things that I did. But I really just want to be able to show her and I hope I have that opportunity to do so.”

READ: Inspired by BTS and the tradition of Tiger Woods: Meet first-time major winner Kim Sei-YoungWie after she has hit her tee shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the ANA Inspiration in 2019.

‘Women Worth Watching’

Since turning professional in 2005, Wie West has witnessed a sea-change in attitude towards women’s golf.

“I think it is changing. It’s that slow change. But every year I do feel like there is some progress being made,” she said.

However, despite women making up 40% of all participants in sports, it receives just 4% of sports media coverage. Competition with men’s sport for prime-time TV slots has often resulted in women’s sport losing out on viewers, although broadcast audiences for major women’s competitions have grown over recent years.

However, for this week’s Women’s US Open which is set to kick off on Thursday — Wie West says she entered her name for but is not yet “comfortable flying” with her daughter yet, so pulled out — there is no other professional golf happening in the US, meaning all eyes are likely to be on Cypress Creek Course in Houston, Texas.

To be able to showcase their skills to a mainstream audience could be “fantastic” for women’s golf, according to Wie West.

Wie lines up a putt on the 10th green during the first round of the PGA Championship.Wie lines up a putt on the 10th green during the first round of the PGA Championship.

“We’re in direct competition with the PGA Tour and they have a strong product. They always have,” the 2014 US Open winner said. “And when we go head-to-head against them, as of right now, it’s a little bit difficult.

“You always hear the argument why our purses are so much lower, it’s because our TV viewership is lower. And that’s a lot of time because we’re in direct competition with a product that has been historically bigger and better. And we never had a chance to shine.

“We never had the same TV slots. We’ve never had the same production cost, production value. So I think this way the USGA [United States’ Golf Association] is really taking charge of that.”

As well as enjoying family life, Wie West has being finding her feet as a broadcaster on golfing events.

She is also a passionate painter. In an 2014 interview with CNN, Wie West talked of her love of painting. Her artwork is dark, bold and often somber, with black figures and sinister skulls splattered across the canvasses. “My mom was like, ‘You were obsessed with skulls ever since you were a baby,'” she explained.

She has also become an ambassador for the United States’ Golf Association’s ‘Women Worth Watching’ campaign which aims to “shine a brighter light on the incredible athletes” that play in women’s championships.

“It’s just a reminder that the men are really fun to watch, but we are worth watching as well. There’s a lot of great stories that you should not just gloss it over because it’s a women’s sporting event. That there are so many great stories within this tournament, within our tour.

“It’s really cool for these young girls to be like, I want to play a sport that means something and is worth something. And it resonates not just in sports, but in corporations and the business world and entertainment that you know more about gender equality and that we are worth watching and we are worth equal.”

READ: Haley Moore overcomes bullying to become LPGA professionalWie West and Mark Rolfing on the Golf Channel set during a practice round prior to The Players Championship.Wie West and Mark Rolfing on the Golf Channel set during a practice round prior to The Players Championship.

An early start

Wie West’s mother, Bo, was an amateur golf champion in South Korea and the 31-year-old credits her mom for introducing her to the game at an early age.

Having started playing golf at the age of four, it was in 2000 that Wie West became the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship, though that record was eventually surpassed eight years later by Allisen Corpuz.

At just 13 she became the youngest woman to make the cut at an LPGA tournament, the prestigious Kraft Nabisco Championship — one of the women’s majors.

And at the 2004 Sony Open she became only the fourth — and youngest — female to play on the men’s PGA Tour. She turned pro in 2005, just shy of her 16th birthday.

BJ Wie (left) and his wife Bo Wie watch their daughter during practice for the 2004 Curtis Cup Matches.BJ Wie (left) and his wife Bo Wie watch their daughter during practice for the 2004 Curtis Cup Matches.

Since blossoming into the LPGA Tour’s biggest stars from such an early age — with five wins including her debut major victory in 2014 — Wie West has lived much of life in the public eye.

Despite the attention, Wie West says she’s fortunate she grew up with “pretty much no social media.”

“It was wild. When I was a kid, I mean, well, we had MySpace maybe and Facebook really wasn’t a thing and there certainly wasn’t Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat. And I’m very fortunate of that because my parents really hid all of that from me, like all the articles that were written on me.”

If she had grown up nowadays and had “the same amount of attention and the same amount of scrutiny and same amount of articles written” about her, Wie West isn’t sure she would’ve achieved the same level as success she’s enjoyed.

“But back in the day, if your parents really want to hide news from you, they could. And I’m just really glad because in my own bubble, my own personal bubble, my life felt very normal. I still went to school full-time. I had my same friends that didn’t know anything about golf and that was the same case when I went to college as well, too.

“So I feel very fortunate that I grew up in that era where social media really wasn’t a thing. It’s tough as a kid. Once in a while, you accidentally stumble upon an article that maybe isn’t written favorable about you or your parents.”

Wie celebrates with the trophy after winning in the final round of the 69th U.S. Women's Open in 2014.Wie celebrates with the trophy after winning in the final round of the 69th U.S. Women's Open in 2014.

Learning from others

Through her husband Jonnie, Wie West has formed a close friendship with three-time NBA champion Steph Curry.

Wie West coached Curry for his appearance in “The Match III” — a charity event aimed at raising funds to help leading US Black colleges and universities. Meanwhile, the two-time NBA MVP has offered advice to the Wie West’s on diaper changing.

Seeing how Curry, who has three children, is able to balance his basketball career and personal life has also helped Wie West believe she could juggle being a mom and continue playing golf professionally.

Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosWie and Jonnie West attend Game Six of round one between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers in 2019.Wie and Jonnie West attend Game Six of round one between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers in 2019.

“The more players that I see that are able to balance that and balance it well, like him, it’s reassuring to me going back into work,” she explained. “He was I think one of the first people that Jonnie told.

“When he found out he was having a girl, I mean, he has four brothers. Having a girl, he was like: ‘Oh my God.’ Freaking out a little bit. Steph really grounded him and calmed him down.

“Any athlete that I talk to that really is able to balance being a parent and being an athlete, a professional athlete well, it just definitely is reassuring to me and someone that I look up to and someone that we always ask questions being like: ‘Oh, what do you do when this happens?’

“It’s great to have this community where I can lean on and learn from.”





Source by rss.cnn.com

Tags: golfMichelle Wie West: How having a baby girl changed golfer's retirement thoughts - CNN
Share196Tweet123Share49
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Van Morrison teams with Eric Clapton for anti-lockdown song

Van Morrison teams with Eric Clapton for anti-lockdown song

December 19, 2020
Sen. Rand Paul's ‘Festivus Report’ claims $54B in tax dollars was 'totally wasted'

Sen. Rand Paul’s ‘Festivus Report’ claims $54B in tax dollars was ‘totally wasted’

December 23, 2020
'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

‘Zombie’ greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

December 24, 2020
Canada will list the Proud Boys movement as a terrorist group

Canada will not implement a national handgun ban, instead, they’ll leave that up to individual communities

0
Fact check: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would defer his annual raise

Fact check: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would defer his annual raise

0
Swedish government sidelines epidemiologist who steered country's no lockdown experiment as deaths rise

Swedish government sidelines epidemiologist who steered country’s no lockdown experiment as deaths rise

0
Canada will list the Proud Boys movement as a terrorist group

Canada will not implement a national handgun ban, instead, they’ll leave that up to individual communities

February 28, 2021
The two vaccines authorized for use so far in the U.S. require two doses. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine...

FDA Panel Recommends Johnson & Johnson Vaccine For COVID-19

February 28, 2021
'JL' Actor Ray Fisher Re-Asserts Racism Claims Amid Black Superman Rumors

‘JL’ Actor Ray Fisher Re-Asserts Racism Claims Amid Black Superman Rumors

February 28, 2021
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us Page
  • Contact
  • DMCA Policy
  • Home 1
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit, Guest Post, Write For Us and Become a Contributor
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.