U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

July 7, 2023

Michelle Wie West

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming Michelle Wie West. Can you sum up the week and what just happened on 18.

MICHELLE WIE WEST: Well, the putts definitely didn't drop all week, and the game is a funny game, and making that long putt on 18 definitely was a sweeter sendoff. It just was such an emotional day starting from 1 tee.

I've definitely held back tears the entire round. It was fun. It was great to have my last round here at Pebble Beach.

It definitely feels surreal right now.

Q. What are you going to take out of the week? What kind of moment sticks out to you right now? I know it was important for you to have your daughter here and see you play. Talk a little bit about this moment.

MICHELLE WIE WEST: Honestly, the thing that stands out the most for me was having my husband on the bag. He's my partner in life, and to have him walk down 18 with me this week, to have him there by my side the whole week just meant everything to me, to have my family out here, to be at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Everything was just incredible.

Q. You've known this moment was coming for quite some time. How did it differ from what you had expected?

MICHELLE WIE WEST: I don't know. I don't know what I was expecting really. It feels statement nothing has changed and everything was changed all at once. It's definitely a strange and surreal feeling right now.

Q. Johnny was saying that the emotion on the 18th hole was palpable. How is that different than everything leading up to it? When you got to the fairway and then the green and then that putt dropped, what was going through your head?

MICHELLE WIE WEST: Yeah, it was definitely me trying to fight emotions all day. Even on first tee, it was such a weird feeling where I was nervous, but it wasn't because of me nervous of how I was playing. It was me just trying to hold back tears all day.

It was a great experience out there. Honestly, I would have loved to have played better, but this whole experience was truly remarkable.

Q. You said pre-tournament when you finished you were going to put the clubs in the darkest part of the corner. But tomorrow when you wake up is it going to be a breath of fresh air?

MICHELLE WIE WEST: No, I'm Ship Sticking my clubs.

No, I still love the game of golf. My husband loves to play. My brother-in-laws love to play. So we're already planning a golf trip family golf trip at Tampa Bay. Definitely want to do a couple more, go to Pinehurst, go to St Andrews. We definitely love to play for fun.

But yeah, it's going to be strange.

Last year I had this in the back of my mind, and I don't have another one of these in the back of my mind. It's definitely a strange feeling.

But it feels great.

Q. What are you going to miss most about your playing career?

MICHELLE WIE WEST: I'm definitely going to miss the adrenaline, the feeling that you get when you're so nervous and you pull off the perfect shot. There's nothing that can replicate that.

I think my friends on Tour and traveling with them every week and the camaraderie of that. It was great to see Jodi and Marina at the end.

Definitely going to miss the people for sure.

Q. Is there any chance you could come back if Makenna a few years down the road said I want to see Mommy play?

MICHELLE WIE WEST: You know, you never say never, but a very slim chance probably.