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Michelle Wie West to come out of retirement with new women's screen golf league

Published: 25 Feb. 2026, 13:59

Michelle Wie West hits from the 12th tee during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, on July 6, 2023. [AP/YONHAP]

Michelle Wie West will come out of retirement to compete in the WTGL, a new women’s screen golf league set to launch with a 2026-27 season, marking her first return to action since stepping away from the LPGA Tour in 2023.

Wie West will join the WTGL's inaugural season, TMRW Sports, the operator of WTGL, announced on Tuesday.

The competition will feature top LPGA Tour golfers in a team-based indoor format.

Wie West married Jonnie West, the son of NBA legend Jerry West, in 2019. Now a mother of two, she first rose to prominence as a teenage prodigy.

In 2004, she competed in the PGA Tour’s Sony Open in Hawaii as a sponsor invitee and drew attention by challenging male professionals, shooting a two-under-par in the second.

Wie West also balanced her playing career with academics and graduated from Stanford University. She won five LPGA titles including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, one of the LPGA majors.

Her average driving distance on the LPGA Tour measured 251.5 yards, and during the early part of her career, she regularly carried tee shots beyond 300 yards while competing in men's events.

She announced her retirement in 2023, citing lingering injuries and a desire to spend more time with her family. Despite stepping away from full-time competition, she remained active in the sport.

She invested in Los Angeles Golf Club, a team in TGL, the men’s screen golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and serves as a co-owner of the team.

Wie West said she had embraced life as a “golf mom” in recent years but never fully stepped away from the competitive environment that shaped her career, adding that she remained connected to the sport in a different capacity. She said she welcomed the chance to compete again and expressed confidence that WTGL could develop into a strong platform for women’s golf while opening new possibilities for the sport in a team format.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]