Michelle Wie West has likely played in her final US Women’s Open after missing the cut at Riviera Country Club.
The American earned a 10-year exemption following her US Women’s Open victory in 2014.
That afforded Wie West, who retired after the 2023 event at Pebble Beach, one more chance to tee it up at the Major this year. However, there was to be no fairytale swansong, with rounds of 75 and 74 ensuring she missed the cut by three.
Despite that, she revealed her early exit couldn’t cloud what had been a memorable week.
She said: “Obviously I would be lying to say I wasn't disappointed. I would have loved to have made the cut today, and I grinded all day.
“But I had a blast honestly, with playing here at Riv, such a special week to have played it, and to have family, friends, a lot of familiar faces coming out, it was a lot of fun. I hit some good shots, hit some good putts, and kind of felt that feeling again, which is awesome.”
While the event marked Wie West’s first Major appearance for three years, it is her second start of the year, having played in the tournament she hosts, the Mizuho Americas Open, in May.
However, she admitted that playing in the US Women’s Open again was a nerve-wracking proposition, adding: “Yeah, it definitely felt a little scarier coming back, just being gone for so long. You work so hard for just like really one week. It definitely was nerve-racking, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun to come play.
“Pebble just truly felt like the end. This was just a bonus, and a great bonus to be able to play at Riv, be able to play another US Open. It's a great honor.”
While Wie West hasn’t revealed any plans to resume her LPGA Tour career, it won’t be the last we see of her in competitive action, with the 36-year-old having committed to playing in the inauguaral season of the women's TGL in the winter.
Because of that, she admitted her US Women's Open appearance doesn't feel like a final goodbye.
She explained: "Pebble felt like the goodbye. This doesn't feel like the week that I'm ending it on. It was really fun to practice the way that I did, come back and grind. It was fun out there."
She was also satisfied with her performance, adding: "I made some good birdies today. It's fun to just hit shots under pressure. You don't feel pressure - I don't feel pressure in my normal life. There's really nothing I do that recreates this, so it was fun to feel it again."
Wie West was greeted by her daughter as she completed her round, and she admitted that was a special moment.
She said: "Yeah, it was great to see her. As soon as I hugged her, she was like, can I go to daycare? I'm glad I did all this for her.
"No, it's fun to see your kids grow up and really start to have their own passions and everything. The reason why she wanted to go up to daycare was because she wanted to go play with Brittany Lang's kid.
We're not crying, you are 🥹Michelle Wie West walks off the 18th green at the U.S. Women's Open, possibly for the final time.📺 USA Network | @uswomensopen pic.twitter.com/fiCRIRWGY9June 5, 2026
"That's also just so crazy to know that I've known Brittany Lang since I was 13, and now our kids are playing together and are best friends. It's awesome. It's fun to see the time go by, and I feel blessed."
