Nearly two decades ago, Michelle Wie West burst onto the scene of professional golf akin to that of Tiger Woods.
At the age of 12, the American become the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA Tour event and just a year later made the cut at the Kraft Nabisco Championship – becoming the youngest to do so in LPGA Tour history. Making the cut was an impressive achievement in itself but Wie West backed that up with a third round 66 that propelled her into the final group. While she was unable to claim the title, the then-13-year-old secured leading amateur honours.
Wie West turned professional in 2005 and signed lucrative endorsement deals with Nike and Sony. With the weight of the golfing world’s expectation weighing heavily on her shoulders, she would go on to experience the very highs and lows so often endured by professional athletes at the very top of their game.
The American reached the summit of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and claimed five LPGA Tour tour titles throughout her career – including Major success at the 2014 US Women’s Open.
In her early professional career and following her maiden Major victory, Wie West suffered a persistent wrist injury. So much so, it forced her out of action for prolonged period of times or resulted in her playing injured. At that time, the American felt she couldn’t open up about those struggles, insistent that society demands a champion to behave in a certain manner.
“I felt like when I started, mental health wasn’t really talked about,” she said on Nike’s No Off-Season Podcast. “What was talked about was having a champion mindset, being strong, being a warrior. That included never breaking. That included never resting. That included laser-focused. So in my mind, seeing that, I felt like to be a champion golfer, I had to have that mindset. I had to have that mindset that never broke, never complained.”
Wie West added: “I remember not telling the media really honest answers about my injuries, kind of hiding it, just because I didn’t want to feel weak.” She was also the subject of criticism from fellow…
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