‘After I Found Out I Was Having A Girl, It Was Even More Motivation To Come Back And Play’: Michelle Wie West Joins ‘We Need To Talk’ On CBS Ahead Of PGA Championship

The five-time LPGA Tour winner discusses her journey to motherhood, transition to broadcasting and the desire to come back and play this Saturday on We Need To Talk on CBS.

(CBS Local)- Michelle Wie West is one of the best golfers of her era, winning five times on the LPGA Tour and recording 59 career Top 10s. She stepped away from the game last year due to a wrist injury that became the latest in a long line of injury struggles for her.

Then, Wie West, became a mother this June when her daughter, Makenna was born. In going through the process of becoming a mom, Wie West says that she was scared at first because she felt that her body had let her down so many times with injuries in her career.

“I definitely had an interesting relationship with my body. I’m not talking about body image, but the actual functionality of my body. I had my appendix taken out, I struggled with colitis, I had a lot of internal stuff going on as well as wrist injuries and ankle injuries, and I just felt like my body let me down,” said Wie West in an interview with Tracy Wolfson and Amanda Balionis for We Need To Talk. “I had to stop playing last year because of my wrist injury and I was very emotional about it because I want to go out there and I want to do the thing I love the most and my body is not letting me. I just felt like at every turn my body was letting me down.”

“I just want to try to become the best role model I can be.”

After injuries sidelined @MichelleWieWest, she’s rejuvenated to return to glory on the course following the birth of her baby girl. pic.twitter.com/7O9uS6yzW3

— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) August 6, 2020

“So when we were talking about having a baby and whatnot I was just internally so scared because I felt like ‘what if I can’t have a kid? I feel like my body has let me down so many times it was like can it do this? Then, through this whole process, I was really anxious because I was like my body has let me down so many times, I was like I don’t want my body to let me down this time,” continued Wie West. “This is the one time that it just needs to get together and pull together. And I’m just so proud of myself. It’s definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things. Figuring out that I having a girl, that changed my perspective even more so. When I first got pregnant, I was like, ‘okay, maybe this is time for me to retire.’ But, after I found out I was having a girl it gave me even more motivation to come back and play. Just showcase being a strong woman and I really just want her to become a strong woman in whatever sense that means to her. I just want to try to become the best role model I can be.”

Now, with Makenna by her side, Wie West is determined to make it back to the course to play at the highest level. She told Wolfson and Balionis that she aspires to have a moment with her daughter like the one that Tiger Woods had with his son, Charlie, after winning The Masters in 2019.

“I think it’s totally different watching someone on YouTube vs. in person and that moment that Tiger Woods had with his son Charlie, that is such a special moment. Even Suzanne Peterson after she made that putt to win the Solheim and her son was there those are such special moments. That’s something I want and aspire to have so it’s definitely made me want to work harder,” said Wie West.

The full interview with Wie West as well as an interview with PGA of America President Suzy Whaley is part of We Need To Talk’s eighth episode of the year. The episode is slotted to air at a special time, Saturday, August 8 at 3 p.m. EST on CBS Television Network leading into the network’s coverage of the PGA Championship third round starting at 4 p.m.

In addition to the interviews with Wie West and Whaley, Wolfson and Balionis are joined by Swin Cash and Dottie Pepper to break down the first two days of play at TPC Harding Park and preview the final two rounds.