Michelle Wie West was destined for greatness in golf. She was a prodigy. At 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. She also became the youngest U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links winner and the youngest to qualify for an LPGA Tour event. It was 2002 when she played her first Tour event; the LPGA Takefuji Classic. Then in 2005, she became a pro and was considered the ‘next big thing‘ in golf. Everyone believed that she would dominate the LPGA Tour, comparing her to Tiger Woods. 2 years after this, unexpected happened.
In the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open, 19-year-old Michelle Wie West battled through the first round with a score of 11-over par 71. Pretty poor score, right? At the time, she was suffering from a wrist injury. She had to withdraw from the tournament. One could say that since then, the American pro hasn’t been the same as she failed to achieve the success she was destined for. She went on a four-month hiatus that year, and when she returned, several missed cuts, withdrawals, and disqualifications followed.
All the expectations got the better of her as she made a few critical mistakes that derailed her career. She discussed what exactly happened back then in a recent interview. Let’s see what she had to say.
Being compared to the likes of Tiger Woods caused Michelle Wie West a lot of stress. She trained hard to meet the expectations and turn into an exceptional player just like the GOAT. She followed the routines of the best to become the best herself. In a candid conversation on the On the Road with Iona YouTube channel, Michelle Wie West shared intricate details about her training routine back then and how it led to the injury.
The host asked West if there is anything she regrets or if she could have done differently in her journey. Recollecting her own mistakes, Michelle Wie West said, “I can only think of one. I just think it’s like the old-school belief that you got to hit balls until your hands bleed.” Elaborating on how wrong this approach is, she added, “Back in the day, before you had all the science and technology, it was quantity over quality.”
West shared how it was survival of the fittest back then, as she said, “You hear the Tiger Woods mentality of running on a treadmill with a weighted vest and all the stories about how you take the glove off and your hands are bleeding,” as she admitted that most pros had set these as goals. Athletes sure took inspiration for Woods, after all, he was the greatest the golf has ever seen.
Admitting to her mistakes, West said, “I wish I hadn’t done that.” She added how she would have had “a longer playing career” if she had just focused on maintaining a “healthier body.” She said that she regrets the decisions she took back then, as she shared how rigorous her training was in those days. West acknowledged how she would have been better off with the science and technology that are available to the young players today.
This is not the first time Michelle Wie West has talked about the issue. She had a similar conversation earlier this year. She went on to discuss how she was known as the ‘female Tiger Woods‘ and the impact it had on her career. In a podcast for the Pablo Torre Finds Out YouTube channel, she discussed how it wounded her wrist that led to the slump. She mentioned how she used to work out without her trainer, and on one such occasion, she fell on her hand and injured her wrist. That was the injury that derailed the upward trajectory of her career.
The world knows how great of a golfer Tiger Woods was before his injuries started to take a toll. He sure followed a rigorous workout routine.
Extreme fitness regime Tiger Woods once followedA few years ago, Tiger Woods opened up about his fitness routine. “Well, I used to get up in the morning, run four miles,” Woods said. “Then I’d go to the gym, do my lift. Then I’d hit balls for two to three hours. I’d go play, come back, work on my short game. I’d go run another four more miles, and then if anyone wanted to play basketball or tennis, I would go play basketball or tennis. That was a daily routine,” said Woods. He does not follow a similar schedule now, but as per him, when he was at the peak of his career, he had to. To be the best.
His former coach, Hank Haney, also revealed the approach Woods took for his fitness. Haney revealed that the golfer doesn’t sleep much, maybe 4-5 hours a night. The 15x major winner would wake up early, go to the gym by 6-6:30 in the morning have breakfast, and be on the practice tee by 8:45 or 9.
Revealing his practice schedule, Haney said, “Usually, it’s short game first or pitch shots, and then he’d go to the full swing, hit a full swing on the driving range. Then he’d want to play nine holes, we’d go play nine holes. Go eat lunch. Back to the driving range, go hit balls. Go play nine more holes. Go work on the putting. After that, some more short game.”
It sure is an extreme routine, something that West tried to follow as she was regarded as the female Tiger Woods. It took its toll on her, something she clearly regrets. Do you think the golfer who is now retired and a mom of two would have been one of the greatest in the LPGA Tour if she had not injured herself? Let us know in the comments section!
