Michelle Wie West was impacting the game long before she joined the LPGA Tour in 2009. In her one-time quest to compete in the Masters Tournament and against the men on the PGA Tour, she set records that stand to this day, becoming the first, youngest and only woman to achieve numerous feats in the sport.
In time, Wie West's focus shifted, and she spent more than a decade competing on the LPGA Tour, winning five times, including a victory at the U.S. Women's Open in 2014. Last season, she walked away from full-time competition but has continued to be an influence on the game. This week she begins a new chapter as tournament host to one of the newest events on the LPGA Tour's schedule at the Mizuho Americas Open.
"When I announced that I was stepping away from competitive golf earlier this season, my goal was to continue to live by the LPGA mantra to 'Act Like a Founder' and to leave the game in a better place than I found it," said Wie West in 2022, upon announcement of her role as tournament host of the Mizuho Americas Open.
For a woman who knows more than a thing or two about being a trailblazer, Wie West was the first female to qualify for a men's USGA event, and she's making sure the Mizuho Americas Open is a first-of-its-kind experience for her fellow pros.
Wie West is using her standing and influence not just in golf but in the wider corporate space to attract high-level sponsors and to provide unprecedented perks for the 120 women who will tee it up at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, N.J. by bringing what is common practice in other sports to women's golf for the first time. Each of the women competing in the tournament have been provided with complimentary hotel accommodations, a common practice in other sports like the NBA, the organization in which Wie West's husband, Jonnie, is employed.
And the site of this week's tournament also marks a milestone for the women's game as Liberty National will serve as the stage for an LPGA tournament for the very first time. The breathtaking venue, which features sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, hosted the Presidents Cup in 2017.
Also new this week, the AJGA will host an event in conjunction with the LPGA. Running concurrently with the Mizuho Americas Open, the AJGA will see 24 juniors compete in their own invitational. During the first two rounds, LPGA and AJGA players will compete in their own separate groups, but after the 36-hole cut is made, which will reduce the field to the top 50 LPGA players, there will be one AJGA player grouped with two LPGA players for the final two days of competition. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for today's stars to compete alongside the stars of tomorrow.
The Mizuho Americas Open has attracted the world's top-ranked players who will compete for a purse of $2.75 million, one of the biggest in the sport outside the major championships. Headlining the field are several players who have already won this season, including two-time winners Jin Young Ko and Lilia Vu. Major champions Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Jennifer Kupcho and Minjee Lee are also amongst the top-ranked players poised to compete in New Jersey. In addition, Pajaree Anannarukarn, the Tour's most recent winner at last week's Bank of Hope Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, is making the cross-country trip from Las Vegas to New Jersey to compete.
Wie West won't be a part of the field at the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, but she will be a presence on-site as she shapes the next phase of her career away from competitive golf. And just as she left those first impressions on the game as a young girl years ago, vying for a chance to compete against the best in the world, Wie West continues to make an impact on the women's game this time, in her newest role - tournament host.
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