Michelle Wie West's Final U.S. Women's Open: One Last Round for Family at Riviera

A Farewell, Not a Comeback

Michelle Wie West, 36, is stepping back onto a professional tour for the last time at the 2026 U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. The five-time LPGA champion was emphatic: "This is not a comeback." It is a farewell — one final competitive week played entirely on her own terms, for the people she loves most.

Maternity Leave Opens an Unexpected Door

Wie West officially retired in 2022 and made what she believed would be her final LPGA appearance at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. But the birth of her second child, Jagger, in 2024 triggered an extended maternity exemption that overlapped with a 10-year exemption from her 2014 U.S. Women's Open victory at Pinehurst No. 2 — creating a narrow window of eligibility at Riviera. "If it wasn't at Riviera, I don't think I would have played," she said.

Honoring Jerry West at His Home Course

Riviera is sacred ground for the West family. The late basketball legend Jerry West had longstanding ties to the course, and Wie West's husband Jonnie grew up watching golf there. This week, she will wear custom Nike golf shoes as a tribute to her late father-in-law, turning every shot into a remembrance.

Playing for Makenna

At the center of this return is her nearly 6-year-old daughter, Makenna. "I don't care about the result," Wie West said. "All I care about is that you actually tried hard and had a good attitude." She has structured her entire day — from 5:45 a.m. weighted vest walks to evening bedtime talks — around showing Makenna that pursuing a goal through difficulty is its own reward.

Strokeslab Perspective

At the Mizuho Americas Open in May, Wie West missed 19 of 36 GIR and needed 69 total putts across two rounds before missing the cut. The Strokes Gained numbers will likely be modest at Riviera too. But the metric that matters most this week has no column in the ShotLink database: the impression she leaves on the next generation of players watching her swing one last time.