Tournament host Michelle Wie West
Thoughts on this competition last year. You are pregnant. I just visited Fallon. You are preparing to attend another great event here. Tell us a little bit about the journey in 2024 and what can we expect this year in 2025?
Michelle Wie West: Yes, it's crazy to think it's been my third year, and yesterday I made a super exciting announcement saying we're renewing it for five years.
It just makes me so excited, just because we’ve seen everything we’ve done in the first two years and this year, which makes me very excited about the future.
Definitely my favorite week of the year and it's great to see all the players and juniors. We have a lot of new juniors this year and I'm very excited about it.
It's already been in the third year and we already have Yana Wilson, our inaugural junior in the career field. It was already a complete moment, so excited. Looking forward to the future.
ask: You made an announcement. What do we look forward to in the future this year? What are we looking forward to this year? What fans and players can expect from you this year and in the future?
Michelle Wie West: Again, we are one of the most iconic venues in the United States, one of the Free Nation. The weather is a bit dull, but I think it will be cleared over the weekend. Just amazing views. The world's top player. You will see the next future talent.
And I think now with the landscape of women’s amateur golf courses and there are a lot of recognizable names in the primary field, I’m really excited.
But again, just elevating the women’s competition and pushing the next generation can move forward. I'm really excited. During the player meal, I saw several juniors having dinner with their mentors, and I knew a lot of people participated in practice this morning.
So it felt great all week.
ask: I want to call this awesome shirt. I know you announced your investment in sports. Tell us what a brand means to you and what this partnership means.
Michelle Wie West: Yes, I invested in a very exciting announcement. I've always been a fan of what they do to the platform, their story telling. And this statement means a lot to me. It's very powerful. It literally everyone watches women’s sports. Not a certain group of people, age or gender. Everyone looked at it.
It's the point that if you build it, people will come. Such a game, you will build it, and people will come. It’s amazing to see the support we have received in the local tri-state area and fans and around the world. You know, people have adjusted over the last two years and our championship is great.
Again, this year is really exciting. I hope we can keep telling stories and really get into golf.
ask: I know this is an event that all players love every year. How much does it mean to you to take care of the players your way and continue to grow in the last three years of this championship?
Michelle Wie West: Yes, I think it’s my core player and I don’t have much time after retirement, so when I know I’m going to be a tournament host, the player experience is very important to me. I've been to games that seem flashy, but nothing behind the scenes.
I want to make sure that even if it's something you can't see in the newspaper, I want to make sure that the players are really taken care of. This is also very important to Ruiam. Within their company, their core culture is empowering women and pushing the next generation ahead.
So you have to touch every part of the game. It's not just branding, or just on a very good golf course. It ensures that the players are treated well. This is very important for us, because there are also top girls in the field. For many of them, this will be their first professional event, so we want to make sure their bars are set up very high and hopefully they can move forward from the competition right now.
So, this is for Mizuho and I.
You know, it's just the guy I told the junior last night. This is a unique format. None of these players were forced to be here. This is their chance to give back and they choose to be here, we are forever grateful and honored that these top players are happy to come this week. They are happy to coach and they are happy to spend time with juniors.
Overall, I think it just creates a better environment.
ask: You're talking about inspiring young women and AJGA players. You also mentioned Yana's last two champions Yana and Gianna had success on the golf course, and you must think that part of it can be attributed to this match. How much does this mean for you to continue to inspire these young girls?
Michelle Wie West: Yes, that means everything to me. It's just the origin of my own career, and I started playing LPGA activities when I was 12 years old. This really solidified my career. Just been in these high pressure situations since childhood and making sure I want to be a professional.
I have to compete in professional competitions, not as a professional, but as an amateur competition. I think this is a bit relaxed. It's so cool to see players like Yana and Gianna really do well in their careers. Surprisingly, Yana won her first game last week in her career debut on Epson Tour and hopes to build great momentum this week.
I had to meet them yesterday. Talk to her father. Her father was so heartfelt to me, and he told me that this game was indeed why her experience here, the victory here, made her move forward.
All I heard was just making me feel so good and making it so – cementing the fact that we make a difference in the lives of these young girls. This is the most important thing we have taken from this event.
ask: Last night at the welcome party, you had the chance to meet the players who showed her and her photos when they were five. Now, she is kicking off the junior in New York City, America. What does this moment have to do with your lasting impact on this generation of golfers?
Michelle Wie West: I think it's really cool. A, it makes me feel very old, but as athletes, the work we do is very important. Giving the next generation the ability to realize their dreams, many times we play actively is a very subconscious effort.
That's why I think this game is so cool. I remember watching Tiger on TV and watching Seri on TV when I was really young, hey, it looks really cool.
Then, you take the next step. Your parents take you to the competition and you can watch the real athletes in person. And then you're like, OK, I really want to do that.
But this game is so important to me because these young girls, impressive young girls, start their careers and get into the ropes with their idols. This takes it to another level. So amazing.
I like to take my daughter to events. I think it’s very important to have a strong role model for women, especially in my daughter’s life. So it was really cool to see her yesterday. I definitely remember her coming. She is so cute. It's really cool to see her in the game.
ask: We love watching Tiktok videos you posted. What did you learn yesterday from girls and Gen Zers?
Michelle Wie West: Well, the first year I learned from Zers Gen was a .5 camera and flip it over. They no longer take selfies. The selfie is not here. Just want you guys to know all the millennials in the group, selfies aren't. You have to .5 and turn around.
I asked them a lot of questions. Who is cool? Who is not? I was surprised. Some singers don't listen at all.
But yes, I learned a lot from juniors this week and I had a great time with them. I thought I could have something to do with them doing a tiktok, I mean Instagram reels because I'm a millennial. It's fun to date and have fun with them.
ask: Championship extension, you mentioned top level, but as the tournament host, seeing these guys, Risui, Aiga, LPGA and the Free Nation nation and mountain ridges, how amazing it is that you can hold it for another five years?
Michelle Wie West: Oh my God, this is a dream come true. This is my ultimate repository list project. Such an honor. But most importantly, it’s amazing to work with people who want to do a good job. You saw it. It's not superficial, nor is it their brand. This is their core. I have to spend money – I spend time with their staff every year. It's amazing to see. Culture bleeds throughout the company. Employees, many of them volunteered to help this week, are very excited about what they have done and are proud of their company.
It's really great to be a part. Obviously the work AJGA does, passionate and develop the future of children, and then obviously the work we do at LPGA, with the people and the Liberty Country and Ridge partners, which are two hugely supported golf courses, which is really great.
And all other sponsors are also part of the event. This requires a lot of work. My team at Excel looks easy, but I see it behind the scenes and they run around.
I'm totally grateful to be in this situation and someone. I look good, but it's the one who works behind the scenes.
