Michelle Wie West designed an LPGA hoodie that was worn by a few Golden State Warriors players and sold out in three hours.
Is the #OrangeHoodie movement coming to golf?
On Wednesday, a tie-dye hoodie featuring the LPGA logo designed by Michelle Wie West and worn by Kent Bazemore and Damion Lee of the Golden State Warriors created quite the stir on social media. Wie West noted on Instagram that the hoodie, priced at $74.99, sold out in three hours but would be restocked soon.
Last year, ESPN reported that the WNBA’s #OrangeHoodie effort garnered 16.4K mentions on Twitter with over 623 million potential impressions thanks to the likes of LeBron James, Trae Young, Ja Morant, Victor Oladipo and Lil Wayne sporting the sweatshirt.
Television viewership rose by 63 percent over 2019 and ESPN added 13 WNBA games to its lineup.
Wie West, whose husband Jonnie is director of basketball operations for the Warriors, indicated on social media that more on the #HoodieforGolf campaign will be released soon and that proceeds will benefit the Renee Powell Fund, established last year to provide need-based grants to LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs that are inclusive of Black communities as part of their initiatives.
A book could be written on Michelle Wie West’s golf career just at the ANA Inspiration.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – A book could be written on Michelle Wie West’s golf career just at the ANA Inspiration, where she first played as a 13-year-old in 2003. In Thursday’s opening round, Wie West added a new chapter to that book.
In her first start in the LPGA major championship since 2019 and in just her third round of the 2021 season, Wie West rolled in some key putts for unexpected birdies on the way to a 2-under 70 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club.
While that leaves Wie West three shots off the early lead of Shanshan Feng midway through the first round, it was Wie West and her memories at the course that were the talk of the ANA inspiration.
“I always think the tradition here, just knowing the legends that have jumped into Poppie’s Pond,” Wie West said after her round. “Honestly, it’s the volunteers that make it special to me. I recognize a lot of faces over the years. Just being able to see them year after year and just the vibe here is great.”
Wie West’s career at the ANA Inspiration includes playing in the final threesome on Sunday in her debut at 13, threatening to win the title when she was 14, missing a playoff by one shot when she was 16 and falling just short in a final-round duel with Lexi Thompson in 2014. Somehow, Wie West has never won the tournament to make the champion’s leap into Poppie’s Pond.
She is now back in the event as a 31-year-old married woman with a child, and it is, in her words, weird.
“You know, looking back, I was a kid,” Wie West said of her debut in the event 18 years ago. “I still feel like a kid. Having a baby definitely puts a different perspective on everything. I’m more excited to go home and see her than I was about my round, to be honest.”
A hot putter pays off
Playing the back nine first, Wie West made the turn at even par. But she rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on the first hole, birdied the short par-5 second hole and rolled in another long birdie putt on the tough par-4 third hole. She shared the lead at 3-under at one point, but a bogey on the sixth hole dropped her down the leader board.
Wie West said as she planned her return to the LPGA after getting married and having her first daughter that the ANA Inspiration was the target for her return. She played in the Kia Classic last week in Carlsbad, missing the cut with rounds of 81 and 74.
”Oh, 100 percent something that I really want to play,” Wie West said. “This place is, as you all know, really a special place to me, and to be back here, especially with a baby here as well, it’s a really special place. That was definitely a goal that I had.”
The early first-round leader also has an interesting story. Feng, from China, didn’t play at all in 2020, sitting at home during the pandemic, trying to figure out what to have for her next meal three times a day, she laughed.
But there was no evidence of rust on Feng’s game on Thursday, with five birdies and no bogeys.
Yuka Saso of Japan managed a 3-under 69 in her first trip to the Dinah Shore Tournament Course and was alone in the lead for much of the day before falling back with a late bogey. Other early finishers included Lexi Thompson at 70, Nelly Korda at 71 and Brooke Henderson at 75. Korda and Henderson were in a three-way playoff with eventual winner Mirim Lee when the 2020 tournament was played five months delayed last September.
Larry Bohannan is The Desert Sun golf writer. He can be reached at (760) 778-4633 or larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @Larry_Bohannan. Support local journalism: Subscribe to the Desert Sun.
These 10 players are worth watching at the 2021 ANA Inspiration, the LPGA’s first major of the year.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — As a major championship on the LPGA, the ANA Inspiration annually boasts one of the strongest fields in women’s golf.
And like some other majors, the ANA seems to reward some players with strong performances over and over again, with multiple wins or constant appearances in the top 10 of the event year after year.
After a struggling to an 81 on Thursday, Michelle Wie West had a better day on Friday in Carlsbad, California.
Michelle Wie West spotted a first aid cart following her around at the Kia Classic these past two days. Needless to say, she was glad that she didn’t have to call them over.
That alone is a victory for Wie West, whose wrist injuries have caused plenty of pain and heartache over the years.
When asked if everything felt good after the round, Wie West said, “Yeah, I mean, knock on wood. I do a lot of PT and stuff afterwards.”
After a struggling to an 81 on Thursday, her first competitive round since June 2019, Wie West posted a 2-over 74 on a much more pleasant Day 2 at Aviara Golf Club. She hit nine fairways, 10 greens and took 30 putts. She’ll now have the weekend off to prepare for next week’s ANA Inspiration, a place that’s always given her good vibes.
The cold, rainy conditions on Thursday in Carlsbad, California, didn’t make it any easier for the new mom to get back into competition mode. Wie West felt her game was much more consistent on Friday.
“Obviously still not where I want it to be,” she said, “but a lot of progress, and that’s the best thing. If I can improve by seven strokes every single day, I’ll take it.”
Meanwhile at the top of the board, seven-time major winner Inbee Park maintains her one-shot lead after a carding a second-round 69 to move to 9-under 135 for the tournament. Park, who hadn’t played competitive golf in three months prior to this week, said she still felt awkward at times.
Overall, Park said she’s pleased with her ball-striking and the number of opportunities she has given herself each round.
“You know, I hit good shots,” said Park, “and it’s just weird on these greens, because I hit the shots really close and I don’t make the birdie putt, but I kind of hit it to 15, 20 feet and I make those birdie putts.
“The holes I made today is pretty much I made probably 10- to 20-footers. But coming in last three holes I missed probably inside 5, 6 feet. So it’s just greens that really need patience.”
Sophia Popov tees off the 10th hole during the first round of the KIA Classic at the Aviara Golf Club on March 25, 2021 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
Last year’s AIG Women’s British Open champ Sophia Popov considers Park one her golf idols, and after a second consecutive 68, Popov is at 8 under and just might have a tee time with the LPGA Hall of Famer over the weekend.
“I think the nice thing is that I played with her in Portland last year and she’s just a very calm person to be around,” said Popov.
“I really enjoy it because it almost gets me relaxed. Even though she’s out there making a lot birdies and shooting low, I think it’s something that I’m more comfortable or someone I’m more comfortable playing with because she’s very – she goes about her job very quietly and I like that. I enjoy it.”
In a previous life, Michelle Wie West would’ve headed over to the practice green after an opening 81 at the Kia Classic. Instead, she was headed to bath time with daughter Makenna.
As far as comebacks go, it was a rough day given the cold and rainy conditions in Carlsbad, California. Wie West birdied the first hole at Aviara Golf Club and then a slew of bogeys followed.
“I hit a lot of great shots today,” said Wie West, who last competed on the LPGA in June of 2019. “Just felt like I had a couple unlucky bounces here and there that could have made a big difference.
“At the same time, just couldn’t get my putter going.”
Hall of Famer Judy Rankin said there have been many times after a round when Wie West talked about hitting a lot of good shots and Rankin was left shaking her head. This time, however, it rang true.
“I’m going to tell you she hit a lot of good shots today,” said Rankin, who raved about Wie West’s swing throughout the broadcast.
Coupled with a good attitude, Rankin seemed quite positive about what the future might hold for Wie West, noting that it’s hard to remember how to score after a long break.
“I had a big smile on my face all day today,” said Wie West, “because life is good. I’m out here playing again; I have a beautiful daughter.
“Life is great.”
While most of the day’s attention was focused on Wie West’s return, there was another player making her 2021 debut who made it all look rather effortless. Hall of Famer Inbee Park carded a bogey-free 66 to top compatriot Hyo Joo Kim by a stroke.
Because the fairways were not overseeded at Aviara, officials opted to institute preferred lies for all four rounds due to poor course conditions.
Inbee Park tees off the 10th hole during the first round of the 2021 KIA Classic at the Aviara Golf Club on March 25, 2021 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
“I know it’s going to be, you know, test of some patience this week with the putting green and obviously being my first week out I am probably a little bit rusty,” said Park, “so I’m just trying to get the tournament feeling going for next three days.
“If the results are good it’s great, but if not, I mean, I’m just warming up. It’s a good warmup for a first day.”
This marked Kim’s first tournament on the LPGA since November 2019. Kim, currently No. 8 in the world, said her transition back to the U.S. has been frustrating and awkward at times because she hadn’t communicated much in English for well over a year. She won twice while competing on the Korean LPGA in 2020.
“Actually before coming here during the pandemic,” said Kim, “I didn’t really go out other than for workouts or practice, and so when I started packing to finally come to the U.S. my mom was a little bit flustered and asked me, ‘Where are you going?’ I told her, LPGA, most of the tournaments are overseas, so I should go now.
“So I packed my bags and I’m here, and happy to be here.”
Sophia Popov, In Gee Chun, Stephanie Meadow and Mel Reid hold a share of third at 4 under.
“I haven’t seen the sun in a while,” said Popov, who had two of her five college wins come in San Diego. “It was kind of brutal. The back nine was pretty rainy and windy; the front nine was kind of a roller coaster back and forth, birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey.”
FAIRWAY WOODS:Callaway Epic Speed (15 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana TB 60 shaft, Mavrik Sub Zero (17 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS 60 shaft, Marvik (21 degrees) and Rouge (25 degrees) with Project X HZRDUS Yellow 70 shafts
Makenna West is crawling now. She loves to pick the ball out of the hole for mom on the practice green. Michelle Wie West hopes that her daughter’s early love of golf balls is a positive sign.
Makenna, after all, is the reason Wie West is back competing on the LPGA at this week’s Kia Classic. Wie West, 31, thought she was done after the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA, the last time she competed on the LPGA. Her body had failed her. Then, when the five-time winner found out she was pregnant later that year, well, that all but cemented it in her mind.
“I thought there was no chance of coming back,” said Wie West, “and I told my husband that. He was like, ‘No, no, just think it through.’ ”
And then Wie West found out that she was having a girl, and that changed everything.
She wanted to show Makenna in real-time that she could compete as a mom. That her game wasn’t limited to old YouTube videos. She wanted to lead by example.
“Goal-wise, obviously I want to win,” said Wie. “I’m not out here just to make the cut or just to do whatever.”
Wie told her caddie that she wanted full commitment on every shot this week, something she struggled with in the past when injuries were top of mind. Fun is a priority too, of course.
“As a competitor, I want to kind of show everyone what I got,” said Wie. “So I’m just going to go out there and take it shot-by-shot and enjoy myself, try to make my daughter proud.”
Wie tees off on Thursday at 3:33 p.m. ET alongside fellow Stanford alum Albane Valenzuela and In Gee Chun. While first two rounds of the Kia Classic are tape-delayed on Golf Channel from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, fans can watch some of Wie’s first round on NBC Sports live stream from 6-9 p.m. ET.
With the ANA Inspiration as a main goal to strive toward, Wie said she started to practice more in earnest at the start of the New Year. The fact that she can drive to events on the West Coast was a big factor in her feeling good about coming back to compete with her parents, daughter and two dogs in two.
On Tuesday, she met the women who run the tour’s daycare service and said she’s easing her way into that, especially with COVID-19. Even leaving Makenna with her mom hasn’t been easy, simply because she’s not used to being away from her daughter for more than two hours at a time.
“All working moms know,” she said, “it’s a tough first week to leave your kid.”
Stacy Lewis, who won as a mom for the first time last summer, said getting out the door on time might be the toughest part about the first week back.
While Wie West still has big goals inside the ropes, she’s careful not to go too hard because her No. 1 priority is being able to hold her baby. She’s therefore putting an even higher premium on her body, her wrists in particular.
She brought three bags of recovery supplies to Carlsbad, calling it a hotel clinic.
After the ANA, Wie West plans to compete in upcoming stops in Hawaii, Los Angeles and San Francisco. While she has yet to play the Olympic Golf Club, site of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, the LPGA Mediheal Championship is staged at Lake Merced, where Wie is a member. The 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion said it’s pretty ideal to have an Open staged 15 minutes from your house. Olympic is a bit too hilly though to get a practice round in with a stroller.
“When I go out and play Merced,” said Wie West, “I carry my bag and I push her, and I kind of put the stroller so she can see all my shots. I think she likes it. She hasn’t complained so far.”
Michelle Wie West and Mark Rolfing on the Golf Channel set during a practice round prior to The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Wie, who is also one of Pat Hurst’s assistant captains for this year’s Solheim Cup, said she’ll still sprinkle in TV jobs when she can. But as she told the networks and her agent, playing remains her top job priority.
“I’m going to do that as long as I can,” she said.
Will we see Michelle Wie West return to the LPGA this spring as the tour swings through the West Coast?
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.
Rudy Giuliani’s comments about Michelle Wie West on a podcast drew ire from the sports and political worlds.
The comments blew up Friday night. On Saturday, angry reactions rang across the internet.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told a story about LPGA star Michelle Wie West on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast Thursday which made headlines.
I can’t imagine what is going to be swirling @MichelleWieWest’s father’s mind as wakes up this morning. Women’s sports have come a long way, but there is a LONG road ahead to reach equality. https://t.co/LiI9lOoTsM
Amazing to me that this person feels THIS entitled to say something that wasn’t even a joke and -more importantly- showcases that there is still a very real group of powerful men who think of women as simply things to look at & objectify. Shoot 64? Win a major? Nope, panties. https://t.co/KbDJi3e5uB
This is absolutely disgusting. I have zero respect for Rudy & all of the others who support his actions. Michelle is not only an amazing athlete but she’s also a great friend, & an awesome mom. You don’t deserve this but I’m so proud of you for speaking out. https://t.co/fdDDv7UlWs
Rational and mature and fact-based response to disgusting lies that attempted to objectify a world-class athlete. Proud of my friend. https://t.co/RhjXkKezTj
Michelle Wie West took to Twitter to express outrage over a story former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told referencing her panties.
Michelle Wie West took to Twitter on Friday night to express outrage over a story former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast Thursday.
“Do you have time for a funny story?” Giuliani began.
He then proceeded to recount a round with the late Rush Limbaugh at a charity fundraiser seven years ago in which the paparazzi were “driving us crazy.” Giuliani went on to suggest that the photographers were actually in pursuit because of the putting stance of their playing partner Michelle Wie, who “bends all the way over and her panties show.”
“What this person should have remembered from that day,” Wie wrote, “was the fact that I shot 64 and beat every male golfer in the field leading our team to victory. I shudder thinking that he was smiling to my face and complimenting me on my game while objectifying me and referencing my ‘panties’ behind my back all day.”
A frustrated Wie went on to say that what should be discussed is the elite skill level of female professionals rather than what they wear or their appearance.
“My putting stance six years ago was designed to improve my putting stats,” Wie wrote, noting that she won the U.S. Women’s Open that year. “NOT as an invitation to look up my skirt!”
At the conclusion of his disturbing story, Giuliani said, “Is that OK to tell that joke? I’m not sure.”
A straight-faced Bannon, who looked increasingly uncomfortable, replied “We already told it, so I don’t know.”
Definitely not the point, but keep wondering why Rudy called this a joke. What is the punchline? pic.twitter.com/VNKgoq92KS
