Wie West’s hot start and steady play earn her first weekend time at a major championship in three years
Michelle Wie West lives and practices in San Francisco these days, so she has been looking forward to basking in some Southern sunshine for a few weeks. After opening with a 77 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she knew she could do much better. On Friday, she got on a bit of a roll.
Wie West, 31 and now a wife and mother, was 4 under by the time she reached the eighth tee, the type of start she said she needed. It was a great scene. Fans were back, and Wie West was giving them lots to cheer. One day after shooting 43 on the back nine, she played it in even par. She would shoot 3-under 69, a solid effort that moved her back inside the cutline to play on the weekend at 2-over 146.
“I felt like, even though I played somewhat okay golf from time to time, I never really got low,” said Wie West. “That was the first time since a really long time where I felt like every hole looked like a birdie hole to me. So that was a lot of fun, and I'll just kind of build on that mojo for tomorrow.”
It was two years ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine that Wie West, trying to play through wrist and hand injuries, shot 84-82 and thought her career was finished. After learning she was pregnant with her first child later that year, she really thought she’d be done. But when a daughter, Makenna, came into her life, Wie West was inspired to play again.
“It's pretty crazy when you think about Hazeltine and where I was and where I am now,” she said. “I'm just eternally grateful that I have a chance to come back. It would have been nice to get some revenge back at Hazeltine, but this is a great golf course. I had a great day today. It was a lot of fun.”
Prior to Friday, Wie West’s last made cut at a major? The 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
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