Michelle Wie West stepped back onto the LPGA stage Thursday, and the first thing she noticed? "These girls are good."
The former major champion and fan favorite shot a 10-over 82 in the opening round of the Mizuho Americas Open at Mountain Ridge Country Club in New Jersey—her first competitive round in nearly three years. It was a humbling return for the 34-year-old, who last played at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach.
Wie West's stats tell the story of a rusty but determined competitor: she hit just 7 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens in regulation, while struggling with 37 putts—including a frustrating four-putt on the 11th hole. To be fair, the greens at Mountain Ridge proved tricky for many in the field.
"If you look at my round today, the one takeaway is these girls out here are amazing," Wie West said with a mix of admiration and honesty. "They make these golf courses look a lot easier than they actually are. That pin position on 11 was terrible. You'd think they'd have made some easier pins for me today, but nope."
Despite the scorecard, Wie West kept her spirits high, thanks in large part to her husband Jonnie West, who is caddying for her this week. "He's such a good, positive energy for me," she said. "At the end of the day, I put things in perspective and build upon it. You have to learn from these kinds of rounds. That's just what golf is."
The nerves hit her unexpectedly at the first tee. "I wasn't nervous going in, and I get to the first tee and I'm like, 'holy s-h-i-t.' I now spell my curse words because I'm a mom," she joked. "The hole all of a sudden looked so small. I got to a two-footer and I'm thinking, 'I'm not going to hit the hole. No way.'"
Wie West is using this tournament as a tune-up for next month's U.S. Women's Open at Riviera, and she sees the bigger picture. "Happy that I played today ahead of the U.S. Open. As much practice as you can do, there is literally nothing in the world that compares to the first round of a tournament," she said. "I thought today was great experience. The back nine I made some good putts, hit some good shots, almost brought it back to single digits."
For Wie West, this comeback is about more than just the score—it's about rediscovering the thrill of competition, one round at a time.