Michelle Wie West

I start to bend lower to the ball. I start making everything. I'm just like, I feel so great over the golf ball. The ball looks bigger, the whole looks bigger. I'm one with the ball because I'm closer to the wall. And then after the round, reporters are asking me questions about my new punting steps. I'm like, yeah, I'm just a little lower to the ball, Like, what's the big deal. And I see a picture of myself. I'm like, oh, I understand why I look funny. Hi, Michelle Ee West,

I am a mom or a professional golfer. Hello everybody, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Off the Beat. Our first episode of Happy New year to all of you. As always, I am your host, Brian baumb Gartner, and to kick off the new year, I'm very excited, as you just heard, I have with me pro golf extraordinaire and well absolute badass, Michelle we West. Now, if you're anything like me, you've probably been familiar with Michelle since she was just a young girl taking the

golf world by storm. That's right, she began her career before most people her age were even in middle school. And even more impressive than that, Michelle knew she was going to be a per fessional golfer when she was only seven years old. Seven. Think about that. What were you doing at age seven? Playing hop scotch, perhaps maybe collecting beanie babies? I know I was. Uh. If there is an award in golf for the youngest player to do basically anything, you can bet that Michelle either has

or had that record at some point. Since starting her professional career at age ten, she's hit just about every golf milestone known to mankind. And now she is using her platform to help women and minority owned businesses, and she's passionate about showing young athletes that they can achieve

all of their goals, including those outside of their sport. Look, if you know me at all, you know I love golf and in fact, I played with Michelle last year at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where I will be again this year in Orlando January nineteen through the twenty two. It's my opportunity to play with the stars of the LPGA Tour, and there is no bigger star than the living legend Michelle we West. So without further ado, here she is m w W. Bubble and Squeak.

I love Bubble and squeak on Bubble and Squeaker, cooking at every month, left over from the nubb before. What's up a show? Hi? How are you? I'm so good? How are you? I'm excited that you're playing next year. I won't be there, but I'm so you're playing next year. At the time you're gonna come, You're gonna come caddy for me? Right? Yeah? No? Is that a note? Was? That was just a la? I didn't hear it. That was a polite laugh. Oh shoot, there'll be a lot

of those today, I'm sure. Yeah. You and I played together last year at the Hilton Grand Tournament of Champions. For the LPGA Tour. Now that might confuse some people as to why I was playing in the LPGA Tournament of Champions, but uh yeah, there was. There's a celebrity component. How how are those for you? How is it for you trying to concentrate and have me definite around around now? Honestly, I love these formats are so much fun. I had

a blast. I had an absolute blast. And honestly, if we can't concentrate with like outside distraction, then they we shouldn't be golf pros in the first place. But you know, I think that's the beauty of golf is that you can play with other people. You know, you can't you can never have the format and let's say NFL. You know, we're not going to just like throw in celebrities and be like, let's get tackled by you know, NFL tackled um. You know. So it's a great format and golf is

very unique in that way. Even if you do poems. I feel like in tennis it's never the same as well, because you're across the net. You know, we've spent we spent like five hours talking and get to know each other, and it was it was so much fun. Yeah, I love doing it. I love playing in those events. I feel like it's my job because let's face it, I'm not gonna win. I feel like it's my job in a way to stay out of the way. But I do feel that competitive thing, like I do. I do

want to do well. In fact, there is a there's a video that's going around. I think it's on my all time highlight video because I only have like three things. Where last year with you on eighteen I made a twenty yeah for Bertie ish and so I think that. I think the folks at the Tournament of Champions literally

scoured my four rounds to find one redeeming moment. And of course I did a big fist pump like an idiot, like no, and definitely well yeah, I mean a birdie is a birdie, right, Hey, it was a great Bertie. It was a great Bertie. Um. Well, look, I've been a fan of yours for so so long. Um, I want to go back to start to to your childhood. You grew up famously in in Hawaii. Your mom was a golfer, is that right? Yeah? And and was a

good golfer. Yeah, she played competitively in Korea. You know, back in the day though, there weren't a lot of women in Korea that played golf. So I think she I mean, she said that she won a golf tourn it, but there was like only four people in the field exactly, and when is a win? Um? So yeah, she my my dad and my mom got married and moved to the States, and um my mom taught my dad how to play golf and they joined those couple's league and

was very serious about it. And I started playing because I just wanted to join in on the fun. I felt like they were leaving me at my friend's house to do something fun by themselves, so I would beg them to take me with them so I could go out and drive the golf cart. You you started playing at age four, h Yeah. I was playing a lot of other sports as well as playing baseball, tennis, swimming,

I did ballet, funny enough, and imagine that. Um, but I did a lot of other stuff, and I don't know, golf was just I guess another one that I tried. At what point did you decide that this was not just a little activity you were going to do as a child, but that you were you were serious about golf specifically, Uh, you're in a laugh. I was pretty young, I was about seven. I really wanted to be at tennis pro. I really wanted to be a professional athlete.

That was your goal, that was my goal in life. I really wanted to a professional athlete, want to be really good at something. And I sucked at baseball. I sucked at soccer, I sucked at swimming, sucked at ballet and gymnastics. Obviously, I was like a five foot child, and it was tennis and golf, and I was pretty good at tennis, could hit the s h I t

out of the ball, but I don't know. I'm also used to doing that around my child or now at BCK that spell not yet um no. But it was between tennis and golf, and I just couldn't run to the net. So I just made it exacting decision that I was gonna be a golfer. And that was a day wait, meaning you weren't fast. I'm very slow, really extremely My feet are like cement blocks, which I guess

is great for golf. Oh it is. You know what's interesting to at least me, that is, this is so lame talking to a real golfer about this, but I actually most it's not. It's occasionally cement like I've had that before, But I do a visualization where I think of my my feet my legs as trunks to try to sway or you know, to keep the lower half still. So I've I've used that before. So good. So you actually have concrete on your feet, so that's you don't even have to visualize it. Well, I think the next

time we're together, we're gonna race. I've just decided that because I feel like I'm going to lose, well, then we definitely should. Okay, So at seven, I mean, it doesn't make me laugh because doing my research here, at ten, you became the youngest player ever to qualify for the US Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. Now you're ten, are you are you hitting the ball far? Are you keeping it in play? Are you put like, what is your what is your strength at this point? Or is it

just everything? Well, I think there's one factor that I think a lot of people don't imagine in their heads when they're thinking about a ten year old qualified for a national event. I was a behemoth of a child. I was five seven when I was ten and I weighed a hundred and seventy five pounds, which meant I hit the golf ball over to fifty. You hit the golf ball over to fifty ten years of age. I mean I weighed a solid yeah, but still the coordination to do this is impressive. Are you doing at ten?

Are you doing like core exercises? Not at all? If you see a picture of me, no, I was double fisting ice cream at that point, right, Well, that gives you energy, I heard, yeah, wow, And are you shooting? What does it? What does it take to qualify for the US Women's Amateur Public Links Championships. I mean, are you shooting par I mean I was at that point. I think I shot like, I don't know, high seventies.

I mean else. I mean I was also qualified in Hawaii, and I think at that point there weren't a lot of people. I think now it's become a very popular qualifying site, and that's the talent um, you know. I think every year it's getting better and better. I think that year not a lot of people try to qualify. Sorry I was lucky in that sense, but yeah, they shot like high seventies. I think, yeah, but that but that's misleading for people who don't really follow this stuff.

I mean, there was recently a man's qualifying event here at the golf course where I am in California. They set up the course really hard, and the guys were over par over two days. So I mean to say high seven, it's not that's not like crazy. I mean, if they when they set up the course is hard, this is you know, it's difficult. How was it? How was it to be in the Who was cutting for you? Mom? And dad? I think my dad, I think, okay, yeah,

did you have a preference at that point? Um? So I fought a lot with my dad, but it was the more logical one on the golf course. Um, he had better coursevantage. And my mom was like, yeah, go for it, Yeah, go for it. Yeah, oh the water, you can do it. And my dad would be like, no, you gotta lay up. Let's be safe. And I would always argue with him because I would think more like my mom. But it was great. I needed someone like my on my bed And were you like Dad, like

you're ten, you're not rational conversation? Oh no. There's so many funny memories that I have, my dad catting for MEAs I would fight with him all the time. It was when I was ten at the Public Links, and I remember my first time playing in Georgia and know it was on Georgia, North Carolina, and there was like flower beds and pine needles, stuff that I've never really seen before playing golf. And my ball goes into like the flower bed and I'm like, dad, flower Like, I'm like,

why don't you see that? Not blaming myself for hitting the bad shop, it was like das ball for not seeing the flower bed. And there was one time I think I was probably in an LPGA tournament when I was like thirteen or something, and my dad was catting for me, and you might have noticed that there's little

markings on the fairway. There's someone spray paints like a yellow triangle or like a red circle, and I think it kind of confusing at times if you don't go stand right on top of it, because they do a yellow triangle in a yellow school. And my dad missed what shape it was and gave me the wrong yardage by like forty yards, and I hit it like forty yards over the green and I remember I vividly remember taking the yardage book from him, it's like, you're fired.

I do this. I do this still. By the way, this is another thing if you if you're not you know, even if you're a golfer and but you're not familiar with the tournament golf, there's it's good that you went to Stanford. Spoiler alert. There's a lot of math on the golf course. There's a lot of math, and particularly if you're like me and I do it three times a year, maybe at these tournaments that you know, you can't use the yardage guns or lasers. I don't know

if you can call them guns. I'm always like, hey, hand me the gun, and everyone's like, what are you talking about. Um, there's a lot of math, and it's to the front, and then you've got to add this, subtract that, and yeah, well obviously you know what I'm talking about. But it's it's it's very difficult and you're out there trying not to take time. Especially when I'm playing with Michelle we I'm like, just give me and just give me just as close as you could get.

Just give me the number. Move on. How How was the attention that you begin getting, How was that for your parents? I was I think my parents took a definitely heavier load than I did, because back in the day, there wasn't you know, Instagram or Twitter or any of that. It was only in the physical newspapers. I think there are some online articles. But I was going to school and now my friends knew who I was. Oh, they

were not aware. No. My my best friend, her grandmother would like cut out a newspaper article and highlight the most important part so she would read it because she

wouldn't read the whole article. Um. But yeah. There was this really awkward moment where the mayor I think when I was like ten or eleven, ended up assigning a Michelle we Day and I was this new kid in school and everyone hated me, and everyone hated me even more after this, and I was like, great, I they wanted to do it at school and I'm like, oh, gosh, anywhere but here please. How old are you at this

point when there was a Michelle we Day. I think I got one when I was like a London and then I got one like in two thousand and fifteen. I don't know it was. I didn't get a key to the park, which was very cool, the key to the city which I don't know where the key lock would be. But did they give you a key? They did? See that's weird. I think I was given the key to Scranton, but I wasn't given a key. I think

it was more a metaphorical key to the city. Gave me a key, I have a proclamation it's in my office, but they did not give me an actual key. What is it open? I have no idea. I want to find out. It could be like National treasure there. There could be some special stuff in there, very special stuff

that only you could see or whoever else has a key. Um. You know, I've talked to a lot of well child actors for lack of a better term, about what it was like for them, not just juggling those relationships between school and work, if you will, um, but also balancing school with doing the actual work. What what percentage of time were you in the classroom here? Ten eleven, twelve? Are you? Are you practicing all the time? You're obviously

traveling to tournaments, so you're missing school. Do you have a tutor? How does that work for you? So I did have a tutor, and I only practiced after school for a couple of hours, yeah, Um, on the weekends, I would spend all day on the golf course, but I would probably only practice for like two or three hours after school. UM. And then my school and my team my parents met and they said that I'm only allowed to miss two weeks out of the school year,

so I didn't miss much school at all. And because yeah, because I when I was younger, UM, I didn't play in any A j G events UM, which is the Junior Golf circuit which you know, there was a tournament every week like the LPGA Tour. I didn't play in that. I just played in the U s J events during the summer, so there was public links US Amter and U Studio Girls which and then I also played UM in the men's public links as well, so like you know, four or five, I would try qualify for the US

Open as well. And then even once I qualified UM for LPGA tournaments and started playing in LPGA tournaments, because I wasn't a member, I was only allowed to play six throughout the year. Okay, so I mean most of my tournaments were in the summer. I missed two weeks out of the year, so it worked out perfectly interesting. Yeah,

that's that's surprising. It's I've also I'm just gonna take an opportunity to say the two things that I've learned so far to be uh comic transcendent golf star is to eat just a double fist ice cream and only practice after school for like an hour or so. Yeah. Mylow on my way. Yeah, my reward for practicing well was a king size sicker bar. Oh how often did you get those? Exactly? So you just mentioned it. It's

inconceivable to me. But you begin playing with the men, I mean, for lack of a better words, weird um in two thousand four, so you're fifteen, you became the youngest email to play in a p G A event, the Sony Open in Hawaii. You are playing on in public legs as well. What what is this? Because you were playing against them, like in local stuff like that, This wasn't a big deal for you. Was this a goal of yours to do? Talk to me a little

bit about that. So it's crazy and uh, this is definitely a mindset of a I was fourteen, fourteen year old. I had won the state's biggest tournament, women's tournament when I was twelve. By thirteen strokes. Y um. And from then on, I just started playing in men's events because there was nothing bigger for me to kind of like unquote conquer. I guess in the state of Hawaii. You know, I was already playing the fifteen through eighteen age range,

and I don't know. I was just like, to me, I didn't really understand the gravity of playing in a PG eight Tour event. It was just another tournament that was on the island. Because you also have to realize that we're five six hours from the West coast, so you know, I'm not traveling a lot to the mainland. That's expensive for my parents. Um, you know, so I'm like, great, another tournament here on the island. It's trying to do that one. Um. So I didn't really I guess I

didn't really understand the gravity of it. It was ten minutes from my house. At that point. I had played on the boys baseball team, and for me, I was like, I did that, I could do this as well, right, that was literally my mindset. It's kind of crazy thinking about that, but yeah, yeah, well yeah, and you just brought it up. It didn't really occur to me like, of course you win by thirteen shots against the women. Now that it's the Hawaii Stayed Open women's division, is

that every age woman? Yeah, so any woman in Hawaii, you beat them all by thirteen shots, and so you're like, well, who bring up the next one? Right? I mean? Is that it? Yeah? I started playing, um, yeah, the men's tournaments and then, um, I don't know. Just like for me, I was just like, let's just try new things. Let's qualify for not PJ tournament, Let's play in a PJ tournament.

I was like, why not? And then people started to make a big deal about it, and then I was just like and I just started thinking like, why are they telling women not to play in these tournaments? Like it just didn't make sense to me. They felt like that shouldn't be the reason why I can't play in these events, you know. Um but yeah, just to me, I was just like, let's just just try it out. See what happens. What's the worst that can happen? What's

the word? Yeah, you could play like me when I played with you, Literally, that's the worst that could happen. You played great, did not? We had fun? We had fun. At this age, we're talking about ten eleven, you win at age twelve. At thirteen, you make the cut on the LPGA Tour, you start playing with the men before you before your professional golf. What is the achievement for

you that you're the proudest of. I think when winning the U s Women's probably Links when I was thirteen, because I felt like every year at that tournament, I was like getting better and better and better. Um. And when I was ten, I made the cut, made into match play, lost in the first round. When I was eleven, I think I lost in the third round or second round,

and they just kept getting better and better. And by the time I was thirteen, you know, i'd want it, and I had a really good chance to win when I was fourteen as well, but it was just one tournament that I really wanted to win. U. S J were like family to me by that point. I would started playing in the US Open, you know, when I was thirteen, I played in my first major at that time Craft to Disco now is a chevron um and made it into the final group on Sunday, which I'm

extremely proud of as well. Yeah, you made the cut at the US Women's Open when you were thirteen. Um, you turned professional shortly before your sixteenth birthday? Are you? You're like a junior sophomore junior. I went to school young. I was seventeen when I went to college. Okay, why why Stanford? Um? That was a school that I've always wanted to go to since I was a kid, partly in fact, because my dad didn't get in. Um he still went to Epen, but my uncle went there and

my aunt went there. My grandfather was a visiting professor there. My dad didn't get in, and I wanted to rub into his face that I got obviously, as you can probably see the dynamic between me and my dad. Um. But yeah, I just I went on a visit there when we were young. My cousins and I went there, and then I found out there was a mall attached to the university. I was like, well, I have to go here, to go here, So it's just like this. It just became one of my like lifelong childhood dreams

to attend Stanford. But it's interesting, right you you have two childhood dreams at least one is to become a professional athlete, and two is to attend Stanford. Well, I mean, obviously you can spoiler alert again you did both of those things, but you're putting that one dream in a lot of ways on hold. For the other. You can't play on the Stanford team because you've decided to go professional. Was that difficult for you, No, I think because I never played in any team setting. I never played in

high school golf either. I turned pro in high school. I didn't feel like I was putting anything on hold. I just felt like I was doing I felt like I was two trains on two tracks, just going at the same time. Because when I was younger, it was really weird. I felt like I had a dual life completely because on the golf course, I was a different person.

Off the golf course, I was a different person. I was still going to school full time, UM still had the same friends, and I just saw college being the same thing as high school that I could do kind of the same thing at the same time. I still played a full schedule on tour and UM with school. I went four and a half years because I didn't

attend the spring quarter. I took one quarter off so I could play in more tournaments, and I actually, you know, one twice in college, which is something that I'm extremely, extremely proud of Yeah, this has got to be difficult though, juggling these these two lives. I mean, it's got to be it's got to be difficult. I don't know, to be honest, Like, looking back, I do not know how I went to college, how I graduated college while playing

golf professionally full time on tour. I don't know how I did that because I also took the maximum number of units I could, because if I didn't, I would have been on an eight year track and I didn't want to be a thirty year old at college still. Um, So I don't know. I just I didn't ever feel like it was difficult. I had a blast doing it. Mentally, it really saved me from burning out. I feel like, and also some of the years out o that college was more my some of my toughest years on tour

because I was going through injuries. I just didn't play well. Could that been because of college maybe? But I felt like at the same time, you know, college was great for me mentally and um for my emotional development. Yeah. Did you have fun in college? Oh? I had fun, BEAUTIFU had a lot of fun. Yeah that's good. That's good. I love that because I think you know, as someone as everyone as the world watched this all happening from the outside, and we're seeing you as a as a child.

I mean there's no other way to say, as a child dominating these events, playing with the men, and then deciding that you're going to go to college. I mean, it's how is the media scrutiny or the media attention for you? Because I know they were around Stanford. I remember, I remember it, like, how how was that for you to juggle that? Oh? The media scrutiny was awful. I mean people were ripping me apart about my decision to

go to college, which I truly did not understand. I don't either, by the way, But I also feel, yeah, I also feel like I think I thankfully paved the way for other girls to you know, attend college and you know, do golf professionally at the same time. So I feel like it was all worth it. Um, you know Al's and Lee and you know Bronte Law they finished u c l a UM and then also turned

professional as well. So I just wanted to show other girls and boys that you don't have to give up education to be good at a sport or to be dedicated to a sport. I mean, I got recruited by MG Academy, and I could have easily have left to why gone to I MG Academy and just done golf. But you know, it was really important to my parents that I leave lead a as normal as a life as that I could, and that I you know, pay attention to that. And I'm really glad that they put

a lot of emphasis on that. Which it's funny because the media was, you know, scrutinizing my parents for the complete opposite reason, saying that they were pushing me to be in the spotlight that there you know, that I don't have a normal life that they are. You know, it's cruel that I'm doing all of this, but yet they were focused. I mean, they could easily have been in the parents that they had made them out to

be and made my life completely different. But they put so much emphasis on my my happiness over my career that I felt like all the scrutiny was really unfair. Yeah yeah, I never I never got that either, because I felt like, she wants to go to college. I mean, I wasn't gonna say this before, I you know, I knew what I wanted to do eventually before before college.

And you know, I chose to go to s m U in Dallas because at the time I felt like it was the best theater training program in the country that was not like, uh a Juilliard, Like I wanted a university experience that was something that was really important to me. It was sort of the same thing. I could have gone to Juilliard or Carnegie Melloner, you know, some of those smaller places, or just not gone to school. But for me, and I feel like it sounds like

it's the same from you. I've certainly seen images. My images weren't being paraded around on every broadcast. I had fun, I enjoyed the college experience, and that decision was ultimately really really good for me. Yeah, no, it was. It was the best decision I ever made. I remember, and I give a lot of kudos to Meg Mallon, who's an LPG at Hall of Famer, and I remember replying

with her. You know, she was like my second mom on tour, and I just was like, you know, I'm I'm turning pro, but I also really want to go to college. I was like, do I have to choose between one or the other. And she's like, why do you have to choose? You can, Why don't you just do both? You want to do both? Do both, it's your life. And I was like, okay, Like it makes a lot of sense because you know, at one point there was a lot of doubt in my head if

I could do both. But I'm like, again my life motto, what's the worst that can happen? Exactly, what's the worst that can happen? Yeah, let's just try it out. Let's try I fail, well, but you did it. Also, I do want to ask you this in terms of your support at that time. You know, when you're taking the time off and you're going to participate in outside tournaments, who's going with you? Who's who your parents? Your parents are with you through college? Yeah? If they Yeah, they

travel with me to tournaments. And it was it was great because I didn't have a tutor and my dad was a professor, so I would make him help me with my homework. That's amazing, that's amazing. Yeah, so you had you had support when you were on the road. Were they still living in Hawaii or did they move to California? Um, they moved to California. They did there between Florida and California. I also got a dog as well too. In the middle of college. Again, I was like,

what's the worst that can happen? Oh my gosh. So yeah, now it's like my parents, my dog, and we're just this big traveling circus. Oh my gosh. Um, after you graduate college in you win the US Women's Open, talk to me a little bit about that. Well one at an iconic course, Pinehurst number two. Talk to me a little bit about that experience for you and what it meant to you to win that tournament that had been

very important for you for so long. Yeah. You know when I talk about childhood lifelong dreams when in the US Open was definitely one of them. And two thousand fourteen set up with such a cool, unique event because we were back to back with the men. The men played the week before and then we played the same

golf course a week later. Yeah, and Honor say, I contribute a lot of my win because we followed the men, and I um followed the last group Ricky and Martin Khimer on the last day on Sunday, And it was funny because I didn't see a lot of other golfers walking around, I'm like, why why didn't you as like a free preview, um, And it was like me and Jessica Corner that we were watching all around and I saw Martin Khimer just shoot lights out, so you know,

before I get there, I'm super scared of Pine his number two because everyone's talking about how it is the hardest golf course ever. Winning scores can be like ted over pars andthing like that. I see Martin Khimer shoot you know, a lot under par, and he may He's making the golf course looks so easy. So from then on, I have a complete different attitude going to the week. I'm like, oh, he did this, I can do this.

Oh it's making the game a lot easier. And another fun fact is, you know, I was unclose to Ricky Fowler and he I asked him for his yardage book, so it was like cheating on a test because he wrote down pretty much every break on the green, we're not to go where to miss it on this pin And we basically had the same pins and the men so um, it was a really cool experience, especially to win there you had the same pins all like all four days, like Thursday, Friday, Sturday didn't. Yeah, it was

pretty much the same. Wow, that's crazy, that's so awesome. I remember. And of course again spoiler alert, why do I keep think spoiler alert, we didn't know each other at the time. I remember watching you in that event and rooting for you so hard. I don't I can't even explain it. I don't. But there was something for me about, you know, having seen you for so long, knowing, not really understanding, but intellect really knowing what you had

to have gone through for all of those years. Um, and to see you they're doing it was It's one of my favorite memories watching golf of of all. No for real, um dagger weighing the Masters a couple of years ago, that might have surpassed it, that might have surpassed it. There have been, but there have been a few,

but that no, for real. I, UM, you know we're not we're not a golf program here, but I do want to ask you, um about the evolution you know, at that time of of your your putting stance, so what you call it, you're putting putting stance tabletop that's right. For those of you who are not familiar, I mean she went to a nine degree angle when she was putting at that time. So what wow? What was explained to me? The reason? And then I'll just do it if you if you can give me a compelling reason

right now, I'll start tomorrow. I'll give you two words. And that's all I need to say. Putting yips? Putting yips? Was it? Oh? I had the yips. I had the yips, Dad, And I was so uncomfortable over the ball. I mean I was just like, the ball looks so tiny, the whole looks so tiny. And it was funny. So the year before UM, at the last tournament of the year, the Tour Championship, I'm hitting the ball great, putting awfully.

As as that year UM, and I think I was playing with a really short player, someone who was like five ft tall, and obviously they're making everything and I'm missing everything. And I'm like, you know what, you know what I figured out why I'm missing all my putts. I'm too tall. This is from the ball. Yeah, I'm too far away from the ball. There are five feet tall, there's so much closer to the ball. That's why they pretty well. So then in the middle of the round,

obviously there's no mirrors on the golf course. I start to bend lower to the ball, I start making everything. I'm just like, I feel so great over the golf ball. The ball looks bigger, the whole looks bigger. I'm one with the ball because I'm closer to the wall. And then after the round, reporters are asking me questions about my new punting steps, and like, yeah, I'm just a little lower to the ball, Like what's the big deal? And I see a picture of myself. I'm like, oh,

I understand why I look funny, But it worked. I felt comfortable. I didn't have the US anymore, and that's all I cared about. How long did how long did you continue to put that way? I think I putted that way. Um, I mean I gradually start as the more comfortable effect over the putts that I started gradually coming up a little bit. I mean I would say like two years or so, maybe, okay, I mean degrees. It was yeah, yeah, visually shocking. It was fishually shocking.

I love that you played with someone short, that you attribute that to playing with someone short and thinking, well, there, they can see the ball so much clearer because they're closer to it. Yeah, I I love that. Yeah, well it was I mean, it was iconic. It just felt I mean, you know, I mean I joked about the Tiger thing before. It sort of felt like what needed

to happen. And as you brought up well one in a special place at Pinehurst, number two two in the sort of unique setting with the men there as well, and I feel like, I mean, the US Open in golf always gets attention. I feel like there was extra that year because of that. The opportunity to to see a course so many times. Of course, as you you know, that's the greatest moment for you on a golf course. Yeah,

for sure. Um, I mean the worst moment probably came from when I was looking for my golf all the bush on sixteen. I was going to bring that up and I didn't know. I didn't know if there would still be PTSD talk. People take people through that so so pine Pinehurst. One of the reasons that it makes it so difficult is if you miss the fairway, it doesn't go out abound. There are these little bushes where a place I played golf at a lot at Wilshire

Country Club kind of adopted this same diabolical craziness. I bring it up because the women play there now, have a tour event there now, So talk us through sixteen final round leading the US Open, you hit your ball and what happens? So UM to paint the picture. I start the day with four shot lead, and Stacy Lewis is having a great day, so she's making up ground. And now I t up on sick team with you know, three holes to play with a three shot lead, so

pretty feeling pretty comfortable. I want to play conservative. Um writ my ball into the fairway bunker and I should have played conservative, but from then on I was like, oh, I'm gonna hit a hybrid out of the bunker, and trying to get on the green, I basically shank it out of the bunker. And now I'm in this bush that you mentioned before and we can't find the ball. Everyone's looking for the ball, the real officials looking for the ball, and you and golf you only have five

minutes look for a golf ball. That's it. And now it's like, you know, it's about that time, and I can feel Stacy Lewis coming on the range getting prepared for a playoff now because I'm gonna position where I'm going to make either a double bogie or a triple bogie, and you know, now I won't have a lead. And thankfully the rural officials, I think, with like three seconds left, finds a golf ball. I hit it out. I have like a six quarter five or six quarter for double bogeye,

And now I'm just like super nervous. And I think it was that moment that I'm the most proud of, not the birdie afterwards, but that moment where I was just so nervous. It was like a right to left uphill put um and for double bogey, and um, really proud that I made it and kind of set the next two holes up. Yeah, it was. It was crazy. It was like Rory with the ball in the tree thing. That's what That was the only other thing that reminded me of m Has it been difficult for you to

say goodbye to golf these last few years? And why was that? Was it? The injuries? Yeah? So, Um, I actually gone into a car accident two thousand sixteen where it really messed up by neck. I actually had like a little fracture, I had hern age ship So I've had a lot of cortisol injections and you know, stuff done to my neck. Ended up having to get hand surgery because of that, and my shoulder was messed up.

I have like nerve issues, and you know, after having my daughter, I just never wanted to get to a point where I couldn't play golf with her or hang out with her or lift her up, because I was really scared of that. But after having her, you know, I really wanted to play on tour and you know, show her that mom plays golf. Um. So it was really hard to make the decision. It took me a really long time to make it. But I'm at completely at peace right now because I love being able to

spend almost every day with her. And I still travel a little bit here and there for work, but you know, it's a different type of travel than when you're on tour. UM. I think the biggest decision, the fact that that was that was made was I was gone for two months and I brought her and my husband was traveling as well, so he couldn't see her for two months, and she was really young at that point, and you know, when you're going by months, two months is a really big,

you know step. They're doing new things, you know and all that, and I just never I just didn't feel comfortable with that. But I felt like it was really unfair that either I couldn't see her for a month at a time or my husband couldn't see her for a month at a time. So it was a very personal decision for me and my family. But I feel at peace with it now and definitely was going through a little bit of an identity crisis moment because I felt like I was like, what am I now? But

I'm going through it. I think I've met the other side of it now. Did you play your final professional round of golf with me? Uh? No, I did not, damn it, because it was close though it was very close that I just played the US Open after that, I just played one more tournament. So yeah, I thought

you had. I thought you had. I remember you're talking to me that day about, you know, feeling like you were you were done, but you know, the US Open comes calling and you're going to go back, and damn it, that would have been such a cool feather in my cap. Do you make the put on eighteen? And that was my set off. I make the pot on eighteen, and You're like, guess what this guy does that I can't play anymore. We're done, We're done. I'm hanging it. I'm

hanging it up. You spoke a little bit about your injuries there. You were very guarded, You were very Bill Belichick in about your injuries while you were playing. Why Why was that, I don't know. I think it was just part ego, part I didn't want people to know, part I didn't know what was exactly going on. I think that was the last one, I think with the biggest part, because when I was going through my injuries,

they were never really clear. I mean, some of them were very clear cut, but the first one that I had, you know, it was ever changing. So I never wanted to announce one thing and then have it be changed again and again. But a lot of times I was just like, I don't know, I was I was ignoring the fact that I was injured, which was very stupid, because you can't ignore something like that. And I think it made my injuries go on longer because I just

didn't face it head on. I kind of ignored it for a little bit um but just later on just realized that there's nothing to be ashamed of, you know, you get injured, Athletes get injured. That's just a part of life. And um, I think that's when I just started to be a little bit more at peace with it myself internally, because I did go through a lot of injuries, which was really hard for me mentally and emotionally.

But I just started to realize it's part of life. Yeah, it no, it is, I mean, and golf is really difficult on your body. I mean, I'm so such a genius for thinking of that. Actually, no one's ever said that before. It but it really, you know, it really is risks. As you mentioned, back legs hips, so many things, and especially when you've got a tabletop putting dance. This

is not this is not easy. But I yeah, I so admire you for I mean, you may have been guarded about injuries, but I felt like you were always very open and accommodating to the people around you and to your fans, and in a lot of ways, to the media. I felt like you gave them probably more attention than they deserved at times. But I really admire the way that you handled yourself. Oh, thank you. I mean, the way I looked at it was that the reporters are just trying to do their jobs as well. You know,

I was a communication major. Actually had to write some articles and interview some people as well, and you had to have some uncomfortable interviews, and I just at that point is realized that they're just trying to do their jobs as best they could. You know, I respect the media and you know what they're trying to accomplish. At times, you know, hurtful things were said and done, but you just kind of have to not take it too personally, I guess, and realize that it's all of you know,

professional relationship. Yeah, you had a dream to go to Stanford. You had a dream to become a professional athlete. You also changed women's golf and brought women's golf into the spotlight at a time where women's golf was not getting very much attention. I mean it's been said more times, it's almost a cliche now that you were the Tiger Woods of of women's golf and brought all of that attention.

There was that ever a conscious thought in your mind or was this something that happened to you as opposed to you feel like you driving that Yeah, I was never a conscious thought for me. Um, I think it is a conscious thought. Now I'm doing everything I can to bring more attention to the l p g A and try to make our tour a bigger and better place. Um, you know, but back in the day, definitely wasn't a

conscious decision. Yeah, And I mean, well, let me ask you this, also, at what point were you aware that this was happening. I don't think I was ever really aware. I'm kind of belief at times. Us Come on, I don't know, I just I don't know. I just felt like, I, I don't know, I'm just trying to win out there. I felt like there were so many better players and me out there. Um and you know, so many different and better goats. As you might say, it was never

you know, number one in the world. I felt like, you know, I just felt like I never really lived up to people's expectations. So I never thought of myself as like someone that I guess changed the women's games that in my mind there were so many other women that did. But mean, I think now after retiring, um, you know, it is a very conscious decision for me to know that I have a platform and that you know, I can use it to help future female athletes. Yeah,

it's interesting hearing you talk. And I have gotten to know Anka Sore and Stamp quite a bit. She lives up in Tahoe. I obviously participated in the event up there, and I've gotten to and she's played up there and and at the event in Orlando. Amazingly generous, nice person, always has been to me. But there was something about you, and I guess part of it was we started following you so early, and and that just makes a person root for that person and then want to follow that person.

That just felt different. It felt different with you, and I think that's I think, I mean, I'm sure that's in part where the tiger thing comes in as well. He started so young and we started becoming aware of him so so young. But yeah, it's it's an amazing thing. And for those of you who haven't been out to an LPGA event, it's crazy. I mean, it's truly crazy. I think the distance control is quite frankly better than the p g A tour. I mean, what when I

the people I've played with. I played with Lydia Co one time. I think I told you this last year. I played with her one time in Scottsdale for an event and we were through. We were just farting around and we were through thirteen holes and I suddenly started doing the math, which is difficult for me, and I was like, she's gonna shoot fifty nine today, She's gonna shoot She's gonna shoot fifty nine. Just and it was like all of the shots so just close, just in,

not putting, not She didn't need a tabletop. She just hit it to four ft and knocked it in. It was It was crazy and I feel that way so much there, the distance control, on the approaches to the green on on the LPGA tour. It's so fun to watch, for sure. Yeah, the talent out there is unbelievable. Do you want to be an actor? I was actually telling my agent. I was like, I want to be that random person that's in all these random movies as an extra and like, oh my god, schel in a movie.

It was like hello, But yeah, that's so, that's what Because you did Hawaii five. Oh yeah, I hadn't blast you did. I feel like a lot of times athletes get bored, like they get they get bored of that of that work. Yeah, you know, it's funny because I think athletes are kind of all adrenaline junkies. UM. And it's funny because after transitioning, I haven't you know, felt that adrenal. The only time I feel that greneraline is doing live TV or doing a live you know show

or something like that. Um. But acting in front of a camera, it's kind of like one of It's like well as most we have to perform, you know. So I feel like actors and athletes are very similar. Oh my god, wait a minute, team, can you please get that? Can we cut that sentence right there and send just that to me? And I'm going to use that. I don't know, it's my ring tone that might be weird as a motivational Oh my alarm clock in the morning, That's what I'm going to use it. Athletes and actors

are very similar. Yeah, I think so, Oh god, I love that. I uh well, I wish you luck with that. I mean, you're you say you're going through an identity crisis. You're you're you're doing a hell of a lot already. You're focusing your business on on women and my minority owned businesses. Is this something you have always wanted to do? Is this conscious? Does this has to have to do? With your impact on the LPGA, etcetera. Yeah, for sure.

You know, I want to help bring you know, more access into the game, but also into the venture side, you know, get more give more access to women and minority owned founders, and yeah, hosting LPGA VT next year as well, which I'm super excited about. But kind of my mission to a lot of things that I'm doing is I want to help bring the more access to the game, help bring more diversity into the game, and you hopefully break down barriers. So kind of everything I

do kind of has that thesis, right. I was told one of the companies that you've invested in is sports Box AI. Yeah. Yeah, so talk to me a little bit about this. Sounds fascinating to me, one from gaming perspective, but two actually could be helped full for golfers as well. Talk to me about it. Yeah, it's perfect. AI is a really cool concept. Before, when you had to get three D data for a golf swing, it was very expensive to get because you have to put all those

white dots in your body. The technology is very expensive, so only a few teachers, you know, have that, which means only a few students get to have access to it and those students who usually have to pay a lot of money, they kind of going back to, you know, getting more access into golf with four stocks AI. All you need is your phone and place it in front of you and take a video of you swinging a

golf club and then the phone. Yeah, it makes a two D video into a three D video than which use the eight different angles you can see it from, and it gives you all the very accurate um like shoulder turned rotation numbers, tilt sway, all of that. You know, So teachers, any teacher can now have access to it at a very low pricing point versus you know, you have to buy like a vest before or buy all

this sort of technology. Not just you just have your iPhones an app and they just recently came out with a use your Friendly version UM so that you and me can use it. Because let's be honest, even I when I look at three numbers, I'm like, I have no idea what I'm looking at. UM. So they've kind

of created this like workout program esque for golf. It's like Peloton for golf, where you know you have, okay, I want to fix my slice, so you click on that practice plan and it gives you, you know, like, okay, thirty minutes on the range, here are ten drills that you need to do and it works well. It talks you through it. Yeah, and then you can also in the beginning of the lesson, middle, and then the end, you can also film yourself. He's in the three D

data to see exactly where you are. Instead of being like, oh, yeah, I think I'm rotating my shoulders a little bit more, this gives you the actual data. It's very clear that one you really know what you're talking about in terms of what this company does, and too that you think it's cool I do as well that I can't even I mean, I've done the Dots thing. The Dots thing

is a is a production. But to be able to do this and do a session, do a range session, and mid session be able to kind of recalibrate, that's very cool. Yeah, you have to try it out. I'll send you a code, all right, send me, send me a coach. Can you send me a new phone too, because here's the crazy thing. Your phone can do all these things. But yeah, I'm mad at the phone people. Now. It's it's you know what it is it's exactly two years now. My phone are messed up, exactly two years.

We can analyze me in three D and then it's gonna die in two years. I am so bitter about it. I'm so aggravated on my phone. Um, you started a new podcast, golf mostly with your old bestie Hollie led Better. Talk to me a little bit about well one, how it's going into. What was your your idea about starting it? Yeah,

so Hallie and I've always wanted to start it. We never lived in the same city before, so now both of them in l A. It was a really cool opportunity to, um, you know, do more media content together podcast. Hopefully it is just the beginning. We want to do YouTube, we want to do live shows. Um, we want to do all of it. We want to do get togethers. But mainly we just want to show people the fun side of golf. We it's called golf. Mostly we talk about golf maybe of the time. That's not mostly, that's

not mostly. I know sometimes should be golf, sometimes Quali occasionally it sounds like, yeah, golf occasionally, but yeah, I mean we're both golfers, so I think inherently it is a golf show. Um, but it's been really fun to talk to our guests, our friends who you know don't play a lot of golf, and also ask them what the stigma of golf is and how it's you know, a changing or how it can change. So it's really

fun to get into that. And you know, all the interviewes that we do, um, you know, it's fun to get to know another side of them. Like with Tony, we had both Tony and his wife come on and it's really cool to hear Lena's side of things and you know, her stories of travel with the kids and um, there's things that you know, Tony doesn't really get to talk about a lot, and we really want to deep dive and the things that you don't really see. So

it's it's been a lot of fun. We record it's even one and um we're working on season two right now. But it's been a lot of fun. Honestly, if no one listened to it, Hallie and I are having so much fun doing it that that's all worth it to us. That's awesome. Congratulations, you are easy to root for. I wish you great success moving forward. I appreciate you coming and talking to me, and quite frankly, your candidate answers, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna. I'm gonna leave you

with this. People ask me all the time why I play golf, and for me, it brings me back to win. And this is gonna sound like a joke, but it brings me back to when I was an athlete as a kid, competing and for me, the competition was the thing. And it doesn't matter how good you are or not. There's a handicap system that enables you, as you said before,

to play with anybody at any time and compete. And for me, the reason I love golf I've never talked about this on this program before, is that for me, it's a four hours that I put my phone away and I'm concentrating on one thing and one thing only, which is to get this stupid little ball into this hole. And that's it. That's all, it's it's it's a very simple game when you boil it down to just to

just that, and it makes everything go away. And I think it brings me back to when I used to play basketball and baseball and all these other sports when I was a kid and and compete and I think, dare I say that part of the legend, the aura, the existence of Michelle we is exactly that as well, is taking us back to when we were kids, to watching you as a kid and beginning to root for you and wanting you to make it like almost like as a as a replacement for those of us who

chose different paths. Is like, look at that kid, I want I want her to make it. And you seem likable and all of those things as well, but but really that and and look, getting to know you a little bit, you you you don't disappoint. So good luck to you. Good luck to you and your husband's warriors, um go dubs the rest of the year. And uh yeah, I hope to see you out at the golf course soon. Yeah, which definitely play. Yeah. Thank you so much, Michelle, Thank you, Michelle,

thank you so much for stopping by. I guess now the cat is out of the bag. I am a huge fan and so now thank you for the tip. As another tall person myself, I am going to give your putting stance a try, maybe this month at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, who knows, maybe this year. I'm gonna win it. I'll let you know how it goes, listeners. I will see you all again next week with another

fantastic guest. Until then, I hope that the first week of is off to a spectacular start, and to each and every one of you, I want this year to be the best year ever. We'll see you soon. Off the Beat is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley. Our producers are Diego Tapia, Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Sammy Cats.

Our theme song Bubble and Squeak performed by my great friend Creed Breton, and the episode was mixed by Seth O Landscape, a