“When you're a pro… that's your identity” - Michelle Wie says she is having an ‘identity crisis’ post-retirement 

Michelle Wie West recently announced her retirement from golf and the 33-year-old has now revealed that life post-retirement has been two-sided. The golfer said recently stated that she was 'excited' about her future endeavors but also revealed that she is going through an ‘identity crisis’.

Michelle was speaking at the LPGA when she said that she sometimes struggles with the new life. Five months after her retirement, the former pro-golfer said that she didn’t know ‘who she was.’ Speaking about the past few months, Michelle Wie West said, as quoted by Golf Digest:

“There were a lot of tough days. When you're a professional athlete, that's your identity. That's what you live, eat, and breathe 24/7. That's all you think about: playing golf. When I was a student [at Stanford], I had two identities. And now I'm not a student. I'm not a professional athlete. So, then the question comes up, who am I?”

It is pertinent to note that Michelle has been a pro golfer since the age of 15. The golfer stepped away from the sport following the birth of her first child. She addressed the same in an interview, stating that she was enjoying her time as a mother.

Speaking about motherhood, Michelle Wie candidly said:

“You can voluntarily leave the golf course any time you want but motherhood is a 24/7 gig… It’s amazing.”

However, Michelle also revealed that she doesn’t wish to stay home all the time. The former LPGA star shed light on her mental bucket list and said that she wished to undergo a few adventures. She said:

“I always wanted to go skydiving but my husband nixed that one when we had our daughter. But I did go shark diving.”

Michelle Wie West's retirement

Wie West announced her retirement from the LPGA in June. The golfer last played in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open when she announced she was stepping away from the field. This came after her earlier announcement.

The American, who gave birth to her daughter Makenna in 2020, said that she would hang up her boots at the event. She also revealed that her body had struggled with playing intense golf.

Following her retirement, Michelle looks after a vegetable garden and is an investor in startups. The golfer also joined hands with her lifetime friend and content creator, Hally Leadbetter, to start a podcast.

Speaking about her podcast, Michelle Wie stated that she started it to make golf more accessible for starters and said:

“I feel like there's a lot of stigma in golf, and there's a lot of new players that come into golf and have a certain way of what they believe, what golf is. I'm hoping that we can break down barriers. We're hoping that we can use this avenue to make golf seem less intimidating.”

It should be noted that Michelle hasn’t given up on golf completely. Despite being retired, the golfer also expressed her wish to host an LPGA event, which is taking place next year at Liberty National. She also hasn’t completely ruled out the chances of playing in the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open.