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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — B.J. Wie had a feeling it might go in. Standing to the right of the green, wearing a Nike bucket hat, sweatshirt and high-top golf shoes designed by his daugther, B.J.’s face lit up with joy as a 30-foot putt for par that meant absolutely nothing and everything all at once, dropped in on the 18th at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
As Makenna slept in a stroller by the gallery rope line, Bo Wie clenched a fist and raised her right arm to the sky.
This was it. Quite possibly Michelle Wie West’s last competitive shot. It wouldn’t be a Michelle Wie West ending without some sort of drama, husband Jonnie noted, good or bad.
“The only putt she made of significance all week,” he said, laughing.
Jack Nicklaus said goodbye to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach nearly a quarter century ago. On Friday, two of the most influential women in golf history did the same, with Annika Sorenstam playing alongside Wie West in the first U.S. Women’s Open ever contested at Pebble Beach.
While Wie West enjoyed a sweet finish, Sorenstam’s trip up the 18th was anything but, with a wayward tee shot that required a lengthy ruling and good deal of confusion.
U.S. Women’s Open: How to watch | Photo gallery
Sorenstam and Wie West, two icons in women’s sport, couldn’t have had more different journeys to stardom. Yet somehow all roads led to a shared tee time, with their husbands on the bag, their kids along for the ride and a bouquet of flowers as they walked off the 18th.
“I definitely held back tears the entire round,” said Wie West as she held her daughter tight.
Sorenstam, the greatest player of the modern era, built her reputation on the back of 10 major championships. The three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion retired for the first time 15 years ago but came back to take part in what has felt like the most impactful women’s major in decades – maybe ever.
Wie West, 33, walked away from playing competitively at last year’s Women’s Open at Pine Needles, but wanted to come back one more time this week with family as her 10-year exemption expires.
Wie West summed up her legacy in the game in one word: bold.
“Made a lot of bold choices in my career,” she said early in the week, “and I’m proud of it. I’m proud of being fearless at times and just doing what felt right.”
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She hopes her story inspires other girls to do the same, noting that she certainly made a number of bad decisions along the way. Mistakes are part of everyone’s story, too.
Walking down the 18th fairway, B.J. said his overwhelming feeling was of relief. He no longer had to worry about his daughter’s injuries. If he could do it all over again, he’d have her hit less balls. More short game.
Wie West had three big dreams: win a U.S. Women’s Open, graduate from Stanford and play in the Masters. Her wildest dream – compete in a men’s major – was the only one she didn’t reach, though her run at the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links was one for the ages as she advanced to the quarterfinals. USGA officials had to borrow gallery ropes from the nearby U.S. Senior Open and bring marshals in to help with the thousands of fans who stormed a typically sleepy championship. A victory at the now defunct APL would’ve secured a special invitation to Augusta National.
Time competing on the men’s stage allowed Wie West to break through to the mainstream media, earning unprecedented amounts of sponsorship money before she even secured an LPGA card.
She was a polarizing figure in the game from the start, as many in the game wanted her to win at every level and take a more traditional route, raising the women’s game with Tiger Woods-like domination.
That, however, never transpired. An injury-plagued Wie West won *only* five times on the LPGA, her crowning achievement coming at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, where she table-topped her way to victory.
Wie West’s career never did transform the LPGA, but she was a marketer’s dream and a magnet for attention.
Sorenstam’s finish at Pebble Beach doesn’t quite feel as final as Wie West’s because she’ll soon be seen in competition again at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which she won two years ago.
But this might be the last time Wie West tees it up in anything of note for a long time – maybe ever.
“I’m going to put my clubs in the darkest corner of my garage,” she said, “let it sit there for a little bit. My garden has been unkempt right now … the cucumbers are really coming in, so I’m definitely going to make some pickles.”
That kind of ordinary sounds perfect for someone whose extraordinary talent led to monumental pressure and criticism.
Wie West spent most of her career working on building her personal brand, but to listen to her now, there’s an undeniable shift toward the bigger picture. Much of that stems from being mom to Makenna and wanting more for her.
Sorenstam, ever the competitor, was angry about having to line up a putt for double bogey on her final hole. But that frustration was overridden by her appreciation for the warmth she felt from those watching and where she feels the game is headed.
As Sorenstam prepares for yet another major, Wie West said she’s headed to the spa.
Retirement awaits.
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