April 24, 2020 • 37 mins
Michelle Wie West steps into The Clubhouse with Shane Bacon and shares how she handled everything at a young age. She also talks about her desire to get back into the game, her pregnancy, new goals, broadcasting and the best shot she's ever hit.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, a production of
I Heart Radio Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon.
I am your host Shane Bacon. An exciting one today
Michelle we West joined the Clubhouse for the first time
(00:20):
ever and we chatted about golf and her expectations and
and now desire to come back stronger as she is
in her third trimester, and their families expecting a baby
girl this summer, very exciting news for them. We chatted
about her career and early on and and how she
was able to handle everything that came at such a
(00:41):
young age, and what she wants to accomplish now that
she's got this uh, this this vigor to return and
and show the world that she can get back out
there and compete and hopefully win again on the LPGA tour.
And then we had a little bit of fun at
the end, answer some random questions, and on and on
we went. I hope you guys are having a great week.
(01:02):
Hope you guys are staying safe and smart. Wanted to
let you just a couple let you know about a
couple of things. The first thing is this Saturday, April,
Max Homa and myself are doing what we're calling re gripped.
It's a watch party of an old U s g
A championship powered by our friends at Cisco and the
U s g A. And we're gonna get going on
(01:24):
a Saturday, three pm Eastern. We are rewatching the Nix
US Amateur. Oh yeah, Tiger, the three p six U
s g A championships in a row. Can he pull
it off? He's got a young man out there trying
to hold him off at Pumpkin Ridge and Steve Scott
(01:45):
and good news, we've got some guests that will be
joining us. David Faye is going to be a part
of it early on to just let us know he
was in charge of the U s g A at
the time, just to let us know about the hype
that was around the nmeter. Of course, Tiger Woods changing
the interest in golf. He was going for a third
straight US Amateur, which was unprecedented. They had all these
(02:07):
requests for media and tickets and interest in and around
the championship. So David jumps On tells a couple of
great stories about that, and then we're actually gonna have
Steve Scott come on later in the telecast and the
rewatching of this championship, just to talk about battling Tiger
and match play and what would it was like a
ninety six being in the moment, the whole move the
ball mark back that happened. His girlfriend at the time
(02:29):
now wife on the bag as his caddie. So it
should be a lot of fun. We're really excited about it.
We have a few of these U s g A
Championships we're going to focus on moving forward. We have
a US Women's Open we're gonna do. We've got some
old US opens. This is the first one of course
with the US amateurs. So make sure you join us
if you can. The interface is super professional. No more
(02:49):
of this. You watch us as we watch the telecast,
No no, this is all gonna be in the same interface.
You'll be able to watch it on your laptop, your computer,
your phone, whatever, and you'll see the broad US and
you'll see us talking about it all at the same place.
It's amazing. Welcome to two thousand twenty. Thank you Cisco.
That'll be fun. Excited about that this Saturday. Other than that,
(03:10):
don't have a lot. Make sure you're listening and subscribe
to get a grip with Max Holme and Shane bakon
our other podcast. We put those out on Monday's, sometimes Tuesday's.
It just depends on if we're if we're a little
exhausted from some of the rewatching we've done over the weekend. Uh,
and we will get back to, you know, the actual
golf stuff once the PGA Tour returns, which as of
now is expected to be June. Big news with Tiger Phil,
(03:35):
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning. That's exciting. That looks like it's
gonna happen in May. So a lot of things are
slowly returning, and it looks like we will see live
golf at some point this year, and until then we'll
just watch old golf tournaments that we forgot about her
that we want to see again. Okay, that's enough for me.
Let's get to our guest and we welcome in for
(03:56):
the first time to the clubhouse, Michelle we West. Michelle
we West, how long did that take to get comfortable with?
Are you writing it out? Are you? Are you signing
autographs with with a third with a third name? Now? Uh?
You know it's it's kind of funny because I've done
a couple of Thames an if I'd be like, oh, hi,
Michelle We and like see I didn't there again and
(04:17):
I still the samey Michelle We. And then we watch
it and I look at my husband and it gives
me stink I but no, it's definitely like a new
name gets like getting used to. Um. But I feel
it flows pretty well. Girl rolls right off the tongue.
It was easy to say. I was gonna ask before
we started talking about golf and in life and things
(04:40):
like that. You and I were part of a charity
poker event last week that benefited the MGM Foundation and
all the employees that obviously have been affected by COVID,
and I was texting you trying to get a little
info because I was hosting it on the broadcast, and
you mentioned that you played poker when you were in
high school against your dad and his friends, and that
(05:00):
was where you got your basically your your lunch money,
your allowance from that was that where it came from. Yes, Yeah,
So I hung out a lot of my like my
parents friends. Um. You know, we would play golf and
I would definitely hustle them for money. UM, and you know,
my parents to really give you much of an allowance.
So I was like, Okay, I'm gonna like hustle my
(05:24):
dad friends and makes a move off. Um, and then
I think I forgot what day was like once once
one day a week. Um, you know, they would all
get together a play poker, and um I would hustle
them again um. Um. So yeah, I wanted to buy
a car, like a beat up car. By the time
(05:44):
I was sixteen, Um, so I have all this like
I have this all this cash in this envelope that
I would track, um, you know, and you know, track
how much I was taking out and how much I
was putting in. And definitely I think I definitely got
enough to buy a good old beat up car. But
then by the time I turned sixteen, I never really
(06:05):
had to use it. I guess, yeah, that the side
hustle it was. It was a side hustle to make
a little bit of dough. I'm impressed. I mean you
would you would, hut, I'm assuming you would hustle people
on the golf course as well. Oh yeah, oh for sure.
I knew. I knew I was good. Um, And you
know I was like this like eleven twelve year old girl,
like you know, I'm I want to assume it. I
(06:26):
wasn't assuming no one really knew of me back then, um,
and I would just gone eat everyone. When you were
when you were that age, you know, when it was
when it was clicking in your head that you obviously
were massively talented and you had this ability to play
the game at a young age. And I feel like
you were able to and this is the mark of
(06:47):
prodigy and prodigal young people, is you were comfortable in
the moment as well. At what point in your mind
did it click that this isn't normal? You know, the
way I'm able to play isn't normal. There's not people
out there around the world that can do what I'm
doing at eleven, twelve, thirteen years of age. That really
(07:07):
never hit me. Yeah, Um, but I think I was.
I was really large, if you ever like dig up
old Porter, for me, it's like quite a very thing.
I'm wide as I am tall, um, and I was
built like a linebacker. Um. You know, I was five
seven by the time I was ten years old, and
I weighed like a hundred and seventy pounds, you know,
(07:30):
So for me, like it was just that like I
was already so abnormal as it is that it felt normal. Um.
And I think I give a lot of credit to
my parents so making me feel normal. Um. They never
helped me back. Um. You know, even Mary B. Porter
King who you know playing on the LPG, and she's
definitely one of the driving factors of you know, of
(07:53):
my my success as a as a junior golfer. You know,
they put you an age group when you're younger, um,
and they married be and my parents you know talk
and like can she played in an old arranged group
and you know I wanted the tourn of champions in
the fifteen and seventeen age group when I was eleven.
I think, Um, so since then on, it's just they
(08:13):
never there was no boundary, but my parents put on
me there was no you know, they're always like, you know,
sky's a limit. Do whatever you want to do. Um.
And I give them a lot of credit for making
everything that I did feel normal. The abnormal path that
we took, it was just you know, we're doing for
the first time. It's not like there's any you know,
rule book or anything like that. And you know I
(08:34):
was just you know, really strong minded and clueless a
lot of times. And I think I was clueless in
the sense where everything that I was doing, I was like, oh,
I was like, okay, I wasn't normal. I was playing
a tour event. Like that's just normal, right, I mean
I was like, you know, I was the only girl
in the boys baseball team and I made it, you know,
in the in the little leagues, and I was I
(08:54):
made it to the All Stars, and I was like,
that's normal. You know, there's everything I did. You know,
I was comboy, Um, you know, I was just I
knew I wanted to do something. I wanted to be
a professional athlete that from a very young age, um,
you know set in my path. Yeah, and you know
I was. I was. This is a shocker. I was
an awkward kid as well. I mean I was very
(09:17):
I was the opposite of you. I was tiny. I
didn't grow until, yeah, for sure, I was. I was.
I was five. I had to sit on a like
a CD. What were they were? They were like the
Encyclopedia of CDs. We used to have, you know, the
ones that would zip up and they were huge. I
would have to sit on that when I first started driving.
Because I was so short, I could only imagine as
(09:39):
a ten eleven twelve year old who may or may
not feel a little uncomfortable considering you were a lot
taller than everybody, and you were also I would say
you were you were kind of carving out a path
that that nobody has seen before. How were you able
to I know you're talking about your parents and credited
them a lot. How were you personally able to feel
(10:00):
normal a maybe feeling a little abnormal in yourself and
be playing a sport that wasn't quote unquote cool. I mean,
you know, golf wasn't a sport that all the quote
cool kids were playing. So you were really out there
on an island alone. I really was. I was on
an island and the island of myself. Um. But you know,
thankfully so you know, being in school being so tall,
(10:21):
they actually lined us up by height in sixth grade. Um.
And you know, my my best friend, the maid of honor,
actually she was the same height as me. Um. So
we we were like on an island together. So that
was really nice. You know. It's just it's funny how
like you meet a couple of people and they make
you feel so at home. And that's to me where
(10:43):
my parents and you know, my best friend growing up.
And then when I went on tour. You know, I
qualified for my first LA tournament when I was twelve,
and you know, the scary place. And then almost immediately
remember I played with Meg Mallon in the poem when
I was twelve or thirteen, and you know, just her
who being who she is, you know, a Hall of Famer,
and you know from from day one she she welcomed
(11:06):
with open arms, and um, you know, it's just it's
just people like that make you feel so comfortable and
an uncomfortable position. Um that you know, I think I
tried to this day trying to make rookies feel comfortable.
Um does no matter how old you are, no matter
what situation you are, coming out on tour is is
definitely an awkward situation. It's uncomfortable. Um. So I'm just
(11:30):
really grateful that I've had people like that in my life,
like my parents, you know, like you know, people that
I look up to that were just so nice to
me from the very beginning. Yeah, and life changing a
little bit now for you in a different way. Obviously.
What are you are you second trimester right now? How
far along are you? No, I'm you're into three there
(11:51):
you go, Oh, yeah, it's getting real. Yeah, I mean
I we we went through this a year ago. What
you're going through right now obviously a little bit different
when we went through it. I mean it was it
wasn't quarantine. How is how is the third trimester pregnancy
during quarantine been? Has it been nice? Just because you're
basically chilling anyway? Um? It is, and it's also scary too. Um.
(12:17):
You know, it's just you know, new news coming out.
In the very beginning, it is seemed like, you know,
pregnant women and um, people in my category were you know,
at high risk. But then you know you hear a
pregnant woman getting it and then it causing you know,
early labor, and then you hear of like newborn's getting it.
So all these news is like it's it's definitely scary
(12:39):
where you know, we're at higher risk because we're already
our long capacity that its max already, um, you know,
pump more blood and all of that. So definitely being
more careful. Um, you know, just definitely I started crazy,
but I think this time has made me realize that
I'm not cut out to be a stay at home mom.
Definitely more proper to um, women that do because it's
(13:04):
you know, it's hard. But yeah, it's definitely definitely star
crazy a little bit. But the uncertainty of everything is
just a little bit you know, scary. You know, we
were heavily, we're planning on heavily leaning on our parents
to help us out in the beginning. But you know,
it looks like with quarantine that you know, really just
might be the two of us, um stuck in the
house with a newborn, which is great, but also you know,
(13:26):
it's it's it's crazy when your plans change. And you know,
that's what we've realized that was pregnancy and with everything,
I know, it's gonna be a good practice the baby.
You can't have a plant because it's whatever you have
a plan, it's going to be different. So you have
to be loose and go with the flow. And that's
what we're learning. Yeah, I mean, you were, I was
reading some quotes that you mentioned earlier this year, you know,
kind of pre quarantine, when when the world was still
(13:48):
the focus and not this, you know, which is you know,
been the focus for the last three three months or so,
and you were talking about your now passion for getting
back into golf, competitive golf, the LPGA Tour, And it's
because of your soon to be baby girl joining the
world and and you being able to show her, Hey,
(14:11):
mom's got this talent, this ability to go out there
and play. Did you feel like that was going to
be something that came back to you, that this interest
in this desire to get back into the grind mode
and getting back to trying to get to where you
once were with your game, and is and is that
something that you're really excited about eventually getting to Um,
it was surprising for sure. Um, you know, I was
(14:33):
flully ready to walk away from the game. The amount
of pain that I was in, the amount of you know,
just every day looking at the golf ball and just
knowing that it was gonna hurt. Um, it was definitely
getting to me. It was. It was definitely challenging for
me mentally to go out there and step it up
and and to know that every handmal shot was going
(14:54):
to feel a certain type of way. Um. So you
know when I when I first got pregnant, I was
fully ready to walk away. I was sad that, you know,
I didn't get to, you know, finish my career the
way I wanted to, Um, but I was ready to.
I was fully ready to, and then you know, we
found out that it was a girl, and then it's
(15:14):
just it was incredible. Um how my whole perspective on
the world changed after that. Um. I think Partnancy has
changed my on my perspective on the world as well too.
There's so many things that have come to light, but
especially knowing that I'm having a baby girl, like, it
completely changes my perspective just because I want to show her,
(15:35):
you know, I want I want that moment where, like,
you know, a moment like my dream that I'm gonna
have a moment that Tiger had, you know where you
know he came back while on the Masters and his
son was there to watch him. Um. So I it
definitely and more motivated to go out there. I want
to show her that you know that mom is strong
and you know that I can come back. So definitely
(15:58):
doesn't been very entire a motivating for me, um, and
so definitely a new set of motivation. Betterselt before, is
there a is there a new found love or passion
for golf in your life? Because I can imagine the
injuries that you've gone through and the battles you've had.
Getting back to a healthy position where you can compete
(16:20):
has made you at times not like golf. I mean,
I'm not putting words in your mouth, but I would
imagine if I went through something like this, I would
probably be down on the game and the sport personally.
This seems like a rejuvenated Michelle Wee who wants to
go out there and compete weekend in, week out and
there that has to be that has to be basically
(16:42):
bred internally with with a love and a desire for
the game. Um. You know It's funny. When I actually
was playing really well as the kid, um, and then
I hit my struggle, that's when I really actually found
the love of the game enough. Um yeah, like through
my loves, when I really start to appreciate the game, um,
and really start to love it, especially like for my injuries. Um,
(17:05):
you know last year, no matter you know how much
you hurt, I never my love for the game has
never gone away. I think that's why I was focusing,
you know on broadcasting when I wasn't in the games.
I love the game, and you know it truly allowed
me to be a fan of the game. Um, I
really enjoyed, you know, being on TV talking about golf,
just because you can kind of nerd out, um and
(17:27):
not really focus on yourself get to watch the games. Yeah,
you know, just I think for me, it wasn't the
love of the game that went away. It was more
a fear factor. Um. It was just I would look
at the ball and just get terrified. Not terrified about
the result more so, but just like of how I
knew what it would feel like. UM. So that I
(17:51):
think stepping away from the game, um and taking time away,
that memory has definitely gone away more so. UM. And
that's allowed me to heal mentally and physically as well. UM.
And it's been fun, like you know, playing with my
husband and getting competitive with him, and we always you
know have really fun matches. UM. So that's been really
(18:14):
fun to get back into. I've always you know, loved
the game, and I just wanted to go back and
you know, play and have fun and not worry if
the SHOT's gonna break my hand or not. You know. Yeah,
what is the what's the matches like with you and
your husband? I mean, how many shots are you giving him? Around? Um?
Sometimes we'll go from like me not giving him any
like I'll play the back teeth um with him. Um,
(18:38):
or you know, we'll play the same teeth and I'll
give him a couple of strokes here and there. Um.
But yeah, it's pretty competive. He's good, really good at golf. Yeah,
I mean, that's that's impressive if he's if he's going
to get up against you. You know, you you were
talking about Tiger in the moment Tiger had at the
two thousand nineteen Masters. I've also seen you mentioned some
players on the LPGA side of things. You mentioned you Linkster,
(19:00):
Suzanne Arena, some of these these players that either had
a had a child and came back to the game
or played as they were pregnant, and you talked a
lot about the inspiration that you've pulled from those players
in particular. For sure, I mean I would I would
love the chance to play while I was pregnant. Um.
I don't think physically that would have allowed me at all. Um.
(19:21):
You know, I was really sick the first timester and
then you know, more kudos to the girl that played
while they're pregnant. I mean I was thinking, oh yeah,
I'll definitely be that person that plays well they're pregnant.
You know it sounds like so much fun. It's not fun.
I can barely play nine ols now and it's part
um and it's hard. It's hard breathing, it's hard. Um,
(19:43):
you know, so I you know, I hear and I
remember he one Han Juan, I think my seven months
pregnant back in the day. Um. And just like watching
all these girls like I'm a Brittany Lang like played
really late into her pregnancy as well too. It's just
it's crazy, it's it's it's really really incredible, like watching
all these pregnant when they do all these things and
you know, actually going through it and like, you know,
(20:04):
really realizing how hard it is to create a human
like I have so much more respect for whom and
I have so much more respect for like moms, my
mom especially to um. It's just crazy. Yeah. You know
when when my wife, when Cindy, went through the pregnancy,
I was reminded daily that women are just thousands of
(20:25):
times tougher than men because the stuff that you guys
go through, you know, we would all every man on
the planet would be laid up in bed, especially third
trimester and especially early on when you were sick. All
the time. We would not have been I would not
have been able to handle. I can promise you that.
So I couldn't agree with you more. And when you
see you know, Stacy out there playing and she's four
months pregnant, or you see these these these other players
(20:48):
out there competing and knowing the stress of tournament golf
and all that goes through you emotionally and physically, it
really is something I feel like we don't talk about
enough of how impressive that is, oh for sure. And
it's but you mean, especially when they're not showing. Um,
you know he looked the same, but internally only have
hormones making us crazy. Um, and you know, just nausea, tiredness.
(21:14):
I mean like weird things that happened too to your
body that I was like, what is going on? Um?
And it's like things that you don't see, and it's
just like it's it's crazy. It's like an ultra marathon.
And you know, I'm just so much respect more for
respects for women. UM. And it's crazy people that play.
And I see I saw an Instagram video of Alex
(21:36):
Morrigan doing like credible things at nine months old and
nine months pregnant and I was like, Wow, I'm wondering
right now. You're like, I'm good, I'm gonna I'm gonna
enjoy this couch. You once once, once, once the baby
girl was introduced to this summer and you get to
a point where you can play. I kept reading as
(21:57):
I was diving into some of the stuff you've said
this you're about your passion for returning to the game.
I kept reading this one sentence and people are saying
unfinished business. That's what they kept saying. Now, you know,
you've won a major championship. You won the US Open,
and it was it was the moment of your career
that everybody remembers. What what is quote unquote unfinished business
to you in your career when you return to the game,
(22:20):
that you hope or you feel like you haven't accomplished yet,
that you want to accomplish. UM. I mean I think
I have a new goal now. I definitely want to
win a tournament with um, you know, my husband and
my and my baby watching. UM, that's definitely a new
goal of mine. I just want to go out there
and and finished playing paid free. UM. You know, I
(22:42):
don't want my last memory to playing golf to be
of me. I see my hand of me like cringing
every time I had a golf shot. I just want
to go out there and you know play, you know,
play free play, you know, with with having fun and
going out there and I want to you know, win
tournament again. Um, that's definitely something I wanted to do.
(23:03):
We're gonna take a quick break and be right back.
You mentioned the television thing. I thought, I knew you
would be good. I didn't know you'd be that good.
You're supernatural from the word go. You know, you have
(23:26):
a very unique opportunity because you're so popular in the
golf space. You're young, and you can speak to a
younger generation about the game. Is TV something that once
you you get back to golf and you're out there competing,
do you feel like TV is something you could see
yourself doing for five, ten, fift, twenty years, you know,
(23:48):
Johnny Miller asque, I mean, is that something that you're
interested in doing or do you feel like it will
be a part of your life but not your whole
career once golf is done. I don't know. I mean,
I'm haven't really given it too much that Um, you know,
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Um.
When I first said Solheim and then I did the
(24:08):
life from with Golf Channel at the Players, I was
just like okay, like you know, i'll be something to
fill my time up. Um, you know, I want to
be part of the Solheim and all that, and I
didn't realize like how much I really enjoyed it. Um.
I really felt like the generaline of live TV was
the closest thing I felt too, Like first te Jitters
(24:29):
almost um, and I thought that was really exciting. Um.
Like I said before, it just allowed me to be
a golf nerd, to really be a fan of the game. Um.
I think during the Player's Championship with a whole different
beasts as well too, just going out there on a
different tour. I mean, I know a couple of guys,
but you know, I don't know there's stats like I
do the girls, and I know it was just really
(24:50):
fun to do research on them and too, you know,
like I was like, wow, that's a really good and
maybe when I practiced more on my watching their stacks
like hell, like these guys are good. Um. But I
really enjoy it whether I want to, you know, do
it like my whole career. I'm not sure exactly yet.
I do want to do television though. I mean it's
(25:13):
it's fun to me. Um, I feel like talking about
the game. It's a good brain exercise. And I can,
you know, say, I use my major. Um So college
was communications, right, Yeah, always nice when you actually use
the degree. I feel like less and less people are
using what is printed on their degree for what they
(25:33):
actually do at this point, as the world continues to change,
I've got to I've got a few quick hitter questions
for you. First one, I think I know the answer,
but we'll see, funniest golfer in the world. Go, oh,
funniest golfer in the world. Yeah, funniest, funniest, per funniest
golfer in the world. I mean that you know, you've
known and you find the funniest person that that happens
(25:56):
to play professional golf. I mean Tiff Joe. I don't
know if she's like funny, she's like really weird. She's
she was who I thought you were going to say,
that was who I was. I was setting you up
for that, you know. Yeah, yeah, I think it's like
she's like a weird funny though you know, like not normal,
that girl is not normal. Weird funny is the perfect funny.
(26:16):
I feel like, weird funny is the funny I want
in my life. Oh yeah, I mean these songs that
she's coming out in Quarantine like changing the us. She's
a genius. I mean, she's she's hilarious by the way, like, gee, hey,
how can you be this good at everything? She's this
It's so annoying. It's really annoying. I checked her. I like,
at least the ugly teeth. I'm like, she's like brilliant,
(26:41):
incredibly high i Q and it has this you know,
opera level ability to saying You're like, oh cool, so
what can she played professional golf? I know, I know
it's crazy. It's it's absolutely in saying. Now she's like
the one thing I thought she couldn't do was cook
and now she's like cooking and quarantine and she's like
sending me pictures of all the play delicious meals that
(27:01):
she's making. And I'm like, gosh, I'm like, talk at
something clean so I could feel better about myself. But
you know, it's I'm just really just I'm just amazed
that my friends are just so talented. I mean like
weirdos and losers like Tiff Joe. I call her a
loser room because I love her. Um, but you know
she's so talented and as well. I mean all the
(27:21):
stuff that she does with her songs and music, um, surfing,
I mean, it's just it's incredible. What's your best talent
besides golf? What's your what's your secret sneaky best talent? Oh?
I don't know. Um, can you sing that port that
(27:42):
popped into my mind? It's pretty pathetic, was it? Let's
hear it? Um? I can my down five shots and
like feel five Okay, okay, you're like my sister. You're
like my sister. Five shots and you're good to go exactly. No. No,
but I think it's a pretty good cook Okay. I
(28:05):
think that's like a they have something that I do
really well. Um uh yeah, ye, I don't know, cooking
is it? We'll go with cooking all right. Next question, best,
what's the best round that you've ever witnessed in person?
So we can be practiced. It could be tournament, but
the best round that you've ever watched up close? Oh? Um,
(28:29):
it's almost in my tongue. I like remember it. I
don't remember it clearly. UM. Wait I know this one. Um,
you know what it's actually? Um when I play with
Cary Webb and she won the shop right, Um. I
remember playing with her and it was windy, and it's
(28:50):
probably because like it's not of course, I feel completely
comfortable with and she was just like playing so well,
making everything, and I was like watching her and I
was like clapping. I'm like such a fan girl and
web but I was like this amazing. You find yourself
clapping and then you've got to hit a twelve footer
and you're like, oh, I get a pat. I'm back
(29:11):
back with her, like in contention, you know, trying to
win a golf turn. And I was like, oh my god,
you want to just put like the most amazing shot.
What's the shot that you'd consider the best shot you
hit in your career? And it can be a put too.
I always hate that shot sounds like a full swing. Um,
I think shot. I think the one that comes to
(29:33):
mind is two thou nine Solheim Um, my first Solheim
Cup in a singles match against Helen Alfredson and I
was like so intimidated going in. I was so nervous,
my hands are like physically shaking. It couldn't get them
to stop. And she checked out on the first hole
to go one up, and I'm like, oh great, Oh
my gosh, here we go. Um. And then the second
(29:55):
holds a part five and she was sure than me. Said.
She hit her shot to about twelve feat and I
was like, oh boy, and I was like, downhill, Um,
hundred ninety yard shot. I'm hitting a five iron. At
that time, I was hitting blades, um, and I had
a five iron, and I was so nervous, and I
was like, I knew what I need to do. I
just focused and I had it to about like nine seat.
(30:17):
I mean both made eagle to to tie the hole. Um.
So that was definitely the best shot of my career.
I think the nervy five iron that I the Solheim
Cup nerves, I mean, is have you I mean, even
winning a US Open or or the nerves comparable in
those two events, or with the team and country and
all the stuff that goes with the Solheim Cup. Did
(30:39):
it feel bigger in terms of how you felt on
the golf course. Um. I think there's more nerves on
Solhan just because it's not just about you your team
and you know your country. I don't want to let
people down. UM. So I definitely I feel more nervous
at Solhan, but it's something that I can draw upon,
Like when I had that double boat I put on
(31:00):
sixth at the US Open. Um, I had like a
seven futter I think for double UM, and I was
so nervous. But I also drew upon, you know, the
Solheim from the year before, and I knew that I
can do it, just because I have made puts like
that in a more nerve racking situation. So I definitely
(31:21):
draw upon the Solheian every time I'm in a pressure situation,
like even you know, when I want h SCC and
I had that long put to win. UM, I just
kind of did you back the same like passion inspiration
that I that I feel from the Solheim. Do you
feel like you would have been able to win a
US Open and pull from experiences if you hadn't played
(31:43):
in the Solheim Cup. Do you think do you think
that that propelled you to be able to feel comfortable
in those moments? Oh for sure, I think it definitely helped. Um.
I want my first lp DE tournament the same year
that I played Solheim. It happened like just a couple
of months afterwards. Um, And I think that like a
big turning point for me. Like I said, that shot
that I hit on the second hole was a big
(32:04):
turning point for me, knowing that I can handle my
nerves like that, and it was something It's stuff like
that you need to draw upon experience at times, and
you know, when I want um, you know Laurena Chow's
event for my first mate, for my first tournament that
I ever wanted the pro I definitely drew upon that experience.
I drew upon that I knew I could um perform
(32:26):
when I was that nervous. What city do you get
the most excited to visit when you're on the road
on tour. A city you go to, you know obviously
go to year after year. Yeah, I think definitely amplying
back at home back to Hawaii when I go back. Um,
it's definitely the one week I really really looked forward to. Okay,
first week of your daughter's life. Will she have more
(32:48):
Baby Nikes or Baby Warrior Gear? Baby Nikes for sure?
Right now? I mean I'm going hand on the website. Um,
it's just the onesie and the shoes are just I die,
They're so cute, all though, I mean, I want I'm
looking at these onesies and I'm like, why should be
the guess from adult side because I want one sees.
(33:09):
I want someone to like sutt me up enough flott
on me right now? Yeah, my son yesterday I had
him in a So my son is obsessed. I've I've
started playing records, like vinyl records. I would play him
when he was really little, when he was, you know,
two months old, three months old, and he had no
idea what was going on, and I would play records. Well,
now when I put a record on and he's a
(33:30):
ten months old, he starts laughing and getting excited before
the music even starts because he knows what it is.
And so I'll video him occasionally, and I videoed one yesterday.
He was wearing a French bulldog onesie and I had
two separate friends message me and go, can we get
that outfit in adult size? Because that actually looks like
something I would wear in the house, especially during quarantine.
(33:50):
So I'm with you on the adult onesies. Let's get
let's get more, Let's get more availability is what we're
what we're saying yeah, like I wanted to self flattle
like sluggly going. I think you just have to lay
on the ground and roll yourself up in a blanket.
I think that's basically the adult version of a self swaddle.
But you know what, maybe we might be onto something.
You never know. What movie have you seen the most
(34:12):
in your life? The most viewed Michelle movie? Oh, mean Girls,
Mean Girls? Or step Brothers or now You're They're all
they're all comedies. Oh yeah, yeah, I think uh yeah,
Mean Girls is a good call. Okay, when you now this,
I know the answer to this question. Let's see how
close you get when you google Michelle Louis. What is
(34:36):
your guest for? How many hits come back on the Google? Oh,
I have no idea. Let's have let's se let's see
how let's see any you can have any guests in
the world. There's only wrong answers except for one one million.
Now you're more popular than that. You gotta go a
little higher. I'll give you three guesses, and you tell
(34:57):
me which one you think is cracked. Okay, okay, ten million,
forty million, I'm just gonna from the middle. One four million,
eight hundred thousand, hits on Google when you look up
your name. Is that crazy? It's crazy? People are bored
people all right into last question in twenty years, I
(35:21):
want this is you in twenty years. I want people
to remember Michelle we as a blank. Um. I think
I want people to remember me for my resilience. UM.
I just hope that, like I can inspire you know,
golfers or girls or you know, boys, just never give
(35:42):
up and um and to always be true to yourself.
That I just think, you know, as abnormal the path
that I went on. I hope I've inspired some kids
to do the same, to not be scared to do
what they want to do, even if it's not what
quote unquote more walk. Um. So yeah, that's what I
(36:02):
want to be remembered for. I like that. Michelle we West,
thanks for jumping on. I appreciate the time. And you'll
just be hunkered down, just waiting till the summer, until
until baby girl arrives. Yeah, hoping that someone will slattle me.
Thank you for your time, Stay safe, Thank you. We're
(36:22):
gonna take a quick break and be right back. A
big thanks to Michelle for joining for the first time.
I hope you guys enjoyed the conversation. Just to reminder, Saturday,
This coming Saturday, US Amateur or We're gonna rewatch it.
Max Holms and I are gonna be watching three pm
(36:45):
Eastern noon Pacific, jump on joining us. It should be fun.
It's gonna be great. Tiger was down and then he
makes this huge comeback as he always did in the Amateurs.
So I hope you guys are excited about that, and Pump,
we are and uh and that is that. We'll check
back next week. If you like the podcast, make sure
you rate and review it. It helps us out. And
actually do one more thing for me. Follow the Clubhouse
(37:08):
at the Clubhouse pod on Instagram and on Twitter. That
is where we send out stuff like teas and couzies
and stickers. Those are where the announcements are delivered. Have
a great weekend and we will chat with you soon.
The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production of I
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit
the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you
(37:31):
listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, a production of
I Heart Radio Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon.
I am your host Shane Bacon. An exciting one today
Michelle we West joined the Clubhouse for the first time
(00:20):
ever and we chatted about golf and her expectations and
and now desire to come back stronger as she is
in her third trimester, and their families expecting a baby
girl this summer, very exciting news for them. We chatted
about her career and early on and and how she
was able to handle everything that came at such a
(00:41):
young age, and what she wants to accomplish now that
she's got this uh, this this vigor to return and
and show the world that she can get back out
there and compete and hopefully win again on the LPGA tour.
And then we had a little bit of fun at
the end, answer some random questions, and on and on
we went. I hope you guys are having a great week.
(01:02):
Hope you guys are staying safe and smart. Wanted to
let you just a couple let you know about a
couple of things. The first thing is this Saturday, April,
Max Homa and myself are doing what we're calling re gripped.
It's a watch party of an old U s g
A championship powered by our friends at Cisco and the
U s g A. And we're gonna get going on
(01:24):
a Saturday, three pm Eastern. We are rewatching the Nix
US Amateur. Oh yeah, Tiger, the three p six U
s g A championships in a row. Can he pull
it off? He's got a young man out there trying
to hold him off at Pumpkin Ridge and Steve Scott
(01:45):
and good news, we've got some guests that will be
joining us. David Faye is going to be a part
of it early on to just let us know he
was in charge of the U s g A at
the time, just to let us know about the hype
that was around the nmeter. Of course, Tiger Woods changing
the interest in golf. He was going for a third
straight US Amateur, which was unprecedented. They had all these
(02:07):
requests for media and tickets and interest in and around
the championship. So David jumps On tells a couple of
great stories about that, and then we're actually gonna have
Steve Scott come on later in the telecast and the
rewatching of this championship, just to talk about battling Tiger
and match play and what would it was like a
ninety six being in the moment, the whole move the
ball mark back that happened. His girlfriend at the time
(02:29):
now wife on the bag as his caddie. So it
should be a lot of fun. We're really excited about it.
We have a few of these U s g A
Championships we're going to focus on moving forward. We have
a US Women's Open we're gonna do. We've got some
old US opens. This is the first one of course
with the US amateurs. So make sure you join us
if you can. The interface is super professional. No more
(02:49):
of this. You watch us as we watch the telecast,
No no, this is all gonna be in the same interface.
You'll be able to watch it on your laptop, your computer,
your phone, whatever, and you'll see the broad US and
you'll see us talking about it all at the same place.
It's amazing. Welcome to two thousand twenty. Thank you Cisco.
That'll be fun. Excited about that this Saturday. Other than that,
(03:10):
don't have a lot. Make sure you're listening and subscribe
to get a grip with Max Holme and Shane bakon
our other podcast. We put those out on Monday's, sometimes Tuesday's.
It just depends on if we're if we're a little
exhausted from some of the rewatching we've done over the weekend. Uh,
and we will get back to, you know, the actual
golf stuff once the PGA Tour returns, which as of
now is expected to be June. Big news with Tiger Phil,
(03:35):
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning. That's exciting. That looks like it's
gonna happen in May. So a lot of things are
slowly returning, and it looks like we will see live
golf at some point this year, and until then we'll
just watch old golf tournaments that we forgot about her
that we want to see again. Okay, that's enough for me.
Let's get to our guest and we welcome in for
(03:56):
the first time to the clubhouse, Michelle we West. Michelle
we West, how long did that take to get comfortable with?
Are you writing it out? Are you? Are you signing
autographs with with a third with a third name? Now? Uh?
You know it's it's kind of funny because I've done
a couple of Thames an if I'd be like, oh, hi,
Michelle We and like see I didn't there again and
(04:17):
I still the samey Michelle We. And then we watch
it and I look at my husband and it gives
me stink I but no, it's definitely like a new
name gets like getting used to. Um. But I feel
it flows pretty well. Girl rolls right off the tongue.
It was easy to say. I was gonna ask before
we started talking about golf and in life and things
(04:40):
like that. You and I were part of a charity
poker event last week that benefited the MGM Foundation and
all the employees that obviously have been affected by COVID,
and I was texting you trying to get a little
info because I was hosting it on the broadcast, and
you mentioned that you played poker when you were in
high school against your dad and his friends, and that
(05:00):
was where you got your basically your your lunch money,
your allowance from that was that where it came from. Yes, Yeah,
So I hung out a lot of my like my
parents friends. Um. You know, we would play golf and
I would definitely hustle them for money. UM, and you know,
my parents to really give you much of an allowance.
So I was like, Okay, I'm gonna like hustle my
(05:24):
dad friends and makes a move off. Um, and then
I think I forgot what day was like once once
one day a week. Um, you know, they would all
get together a play poker, and um I would hustle
them again um. Um. So yeah, I wanted to buy
a car, like a beat up car. By the time
(05:44):
I was sixteen, Um, so I have all this like
I have this all this cash in this envelope that
I would track, um, you know, and you know, track
how much I was taking out and how much I
was putting in. And definitely I think I definitely got
enough to buy a good old beat up car. But
then by the time I turned sixteen, I never really
(06:05):
had to use it. I guess, yeah, that the side
hustle it was. It was a side hustle to make
a little bit of dough. I'm impressed. I mean you
would you would, hut, I'm assuming you would hustle people
on the golf course as well. Oh yeah, oh for sure.
I knew. I knew I was good. Um, And you
know I was like this like eleven twelve year old girl,
like you know, I'm I want to assume it. I
(06:26):
wasn't assuming no one really knew of me back then, um,
and I would just gone eat everyone. When you were
when you were that age, you know, when it was
when it was clicking in your head that you obviously
were massively talented and you had this ability to play
the game at a young age. And I feel like
you were able to and this is the mark of
(06:47):
prodigy and prodigal young people, is you were comfortable in
the moment as well. At what point in your mind
did it click that this isn't normal? You know, the
way I'm able to play isn't normal. There's not people
out there around the world that can do what I'm
doing at eleven, twelve, thirteen years of age. That really
(07:07):
never hit me. Yeah, Um, but I think I was.
I was really large, if you ever like dig up
old Porter, for me, it's like quite a very thing.
I'm wide as I am tall, um, and I was
built like a linebacker. Um. You know, I was five
seven by the time I was ten years old, and
I weighed like a hundred and seventy pounds, you know,
(07:30):
So for me, like it was just that like I
was already so abnormal as it is that it felt normal. Um.
And I think I give a lot of credit to
my parents so making me feel normal. Um. They never
helped me back. Um. You know, even Mary B. Porter
King who you know playing on the LPG, and she's
definitely one of the driving factors of you know, of
(07:53):
my my success as a as a junior golfer. You know,
they put you an age group when you're younger, um,
and they married be and my parents you know talk
and like can she played in an old arranged group
and you know I wanted the tourn of champions in
the fifteen and seventeen age group when I was eleven.
I think, Um, so since then on, it's just they
(08:13):
never there was no boundary, but my parents put on
me there was no you know, they're always like, you know,
sky's a limit. Do whatever you want to do. Um.
And I give them a lot of credit for making
everything that I did feel normal. The abnormal path that
we took, it was just you know, we're doing for
the first time. It's not like there's any you know,
rule book or anything like that. And you know I
(08:34):
was just you know, really strong minded and clueless a
lot of times. And I think I was clueless in
the sense where everything that I was doing, I was like, oh,
I was like, okay, I wasn't normal. I was playing
a tour event. Like that's just normal, right, I mean
I was like, you know, I was the only girl
in the boys baseball team and I made it, you know,
in the in the little leagues, and I was I
(08:54):
made it to the All Stars, and I was like,
that's normal. You know, there's everything I did. You know,
I was comboy, Um, you know, I was just I
knew I wanted to do something. I wanted to be
a professional athlete that from a very young age, um,
you know set in my path. Yeah, and you know
I was. I was. This is a shocker. I was
an awkward kid as well. I mean I was very
(09:17):
I was the opposite of you. I was tiny. I
didn't grow until, yeah, for sure, I was. I was.
I was five. I had to sit on a like
a CD. What were they were? They were like the
Encyclopedia of CDs. We used to have, you know, the
ones that would zip up and they were huge. I
would have to sit on that when I first started driving.
Because I was so short, I could only imagine as
(09:39):
a ten eleven twelve year old who may or may
not feel a little uncomfortable considering you were a lot
taller than everybody, and you were also I would say
you were you were kind of carving out a path
that that nobody has seen before. How were you able
to I know you're talking about your parents and credited
them a lot. How were you personally able to feel
(10:00):
normal a maybe feeling a little abnormal in yourself and
be playing a sport that wasn't quote unquote cool. I mean,
you know, golf wasn't a sport that all the quote
cool kids were playing. So you were really out there
on an island alone. I really was. I was on
an island and the island of myself. Um. But you know,
thankfully so you know, being in school being so tall,
(10:21):
they actually lined us up by height in sixth grade. Um.
And you know, my my best friend, the maid of honor,
actually she was the same height as me. Um. So
we we were like on an island together. So that
was really nice. You know. It's just it's funny how
like you meet a couple of people and they make
you feel so at home. And that's to me where
(10:43):
my parents and you know, my best friend growing up.
And then when I went on tour. You know, I
qualified for my first LA tournament when I was twelve,
and you know, the scary place. And then almost immediately
remember I played with Meg Mallon in the poem when
I was twelve or thirteen, and you know, just her
who being who she is, you know, a Hall of Famer,
and you know from from day one she she welcomed
(11:06):
with open arms, and um, you know, it's just it's
just people like that make you feel so comfortable and
an uncomfortable position. Um that you know, I think I
tried to this day trying to make rookies feel comfortable.
Um does no matter how old you are, no matter
what situation you are, coming out on tour is is
definitely an awkward situation. It's uncomfortable. Um. So I'm just
(11:30):
really grateful that I've had people like that in my life,
like my parents, you know, like you know, people that
I look up to that were just so nice to
me from the very beginning. Yeah, and life changing a
little bit now for you in a different way. Obviously.
What are you are you second trimester right now? How
far along are you? No, I'm you're into three there
(11:51):
you go, Oh, yeah, it's getting real. Yeah, I mean
I we we went through this a year ago. What
you're going through right now obviously a little bit different
when we went through it. I mean it was it
wasn't quarantine. How is how is the third trimester pregnancy
during quarantine been? Has it been nice? Just because you're
basically chilling anyway? Um? It is, and it's also scary too. Um.
(12:17):
You know, it's just you know, new news coming out.
In the very beginning, it is seemed like, you know,
pregnant women and um, people in my category were you know,
at high risk. But then you know you hear a
pregnant woman getting it and then it causing you know,
early labor, and then you hear of like newborn's getting it.
So all these news is like it's it's definitely scary
(12:39):
where you know, we're at higher risk because we're already
our long capacity that its max already, um, you know,
pump more blood and all of that. So definitely being
more careful. Um, you know, just definitely I started crazy,
but I think this time has made me realize that
I'm not cut out to be a stay at home mom.
Definitely more proper to um, women that do because it's
(13:04):
you know, it's hard. But yeah, it's definitely definitely star
crazy a little bit. But the uncertainty of everything is
just a little bit you know, scary. You know, we
were heavily, we're planning on heavily leaning on our parents
to help us out in the beginning. But you know,
it looks like with quarantine that you know, really just
might be the two of us, um stuck in the
house with a newborn, which is great, but also you know,
(13:26):
it's it's it's crazy when your plans change. And you know,
that's what we've realized that was pregnancy and with everything,
I know, it's gonna be a good practice the baby.
You can't have a plant because it's whatever you have
a plan, it's going to be different. So you have
to be loose and go with the flow. And that's
what we're learning. Yeah, I mean, you were, I was
reading some quotes that you mentioned earlier this year, you know,
kind of pre quarantine, when when the world was still
(13:48):
the focus and not this, you know, which is you know,
been the focus for the last three three months or so,
and you were talking about your now passion for getting
back into golf, competitive golf, the LPGA Tour, And it's
because of your soon to be baby girl joining the
world and and you being able to show her, Hey,
(14:11):
mom's got this talent, this ability to go out there
and play. Did you feel like that was going to
be something that came back to you, that this interest
in this desire to get back into the grind mode
and getting back to trying to get to where you
once were with your game, and is and is that
something that you're really excited about eventually getting to Um,
it was surprising for sure. Um, you know, I was
(14:33):
flully ready to walk away from the game. The amount
of pain that I was in, the amount of you know,
just every day looking at the golf ball and just
knowing that it was gonna hurt. Um, it was definitely
getting to me. It was. It was definitely challenging for
me mentally to go out there and step it up
and and to know that every handmal shot was going
(14:54):
to feel a certain type of way. Um. So you
know when I when I first got pregnant, I was
fully ready to walk away. I was sad that, you know,
I didn't get to, you know, finish my career the
way I wanted to, Um, but I was ready to.
I was fully ready to, and then you know, we
found out that it was a girl, and then it's
(15:14):
just it was incredible. Um how my whole perspective on
the world changed after that. Um. I think Partnancy has
changed my on my perspective on the world as well too.
There's so many things that have come to light, but
especially knowing that I'm having a baby girl, like, it
completely changes my perspective just because I want to show her,
(15:35):
you know, I want I want that moment where, like,
you know, a moment like my dream that I'm gonna
have a moment that Tiger had, you know where you
know he came back while on the Masters and his
son was there to watch him. Um. So I it
definitely and more motivated to go out there. I want
to show her that you know that mom is strong
and you know that I can come back. So definitely
(15:58):
doesn't been very entire a motivating for me, um, and
so definitely a new set of motivation. Betterselt before, is
there a is there a new found love or passion
for golf in your life? Because I can imagine the
injuries that you've gone through and the battles you've had.
Getting back to a healthy position where you can compete
(16:20):
has made you at times not like golf. I mean,
I'm not putting words in your mouth, but I would
imagine if I went through something like this, I would
probably be down on the game and the sport personally.
This seems like a rejuvenated Michelle Wee who wants to
go out there and compete weekend in, week out and
there that has to be that has to be basically
(16:42):
bred internally with with a love and a desire for
the game. Um. You know It's funny. When I actually
was playing really well as the kid, um, and then
I hit my struggle, that's when I really actually found
the love of the game enough. Um yeah, like through
my loves, when I really start to appreciate the game, um,
and really start to love it, especially like for my injuries. Um,
(17:05):
you know last year, no matter you know how much
you hurt, I never my love for the game has
never gone away. I think that's why I was focusing,
you know on broadcasting when I wasn't in the games.
I love the game, and you know it truly allowed
me to be a fan of the game. Um, I
really enjoyed, you know, being on TV talking about golf,
just because you can kind of nerd out, um and
(17:27):
not really focus on yourself get to watch the games. Yeah,
you know, just I think for me, it wasn't the
love of the game that went away. It was more
a fear factor. Um. It was just I would look
at the ball and just get terrified. Not terrified about
the result more so, but just like of how I
knew what it would feel like. UM. So that I
(17:51):
think stepping away from the game, um and taking time away,
that memory has definitely gone away more so. UM. And
that's allowed me to heal mentally and physically as well. UM.
And it's been fun, like you know, playing with my
husband and getting competitive with him, and we always you
know have really fun matches. UM. So that's been really
(18:14):
fun to get back into. I've always you know, loved
the game, and I just wanted to go back and
you know, play and have fun and not worry if
the SHOT's gonna break my hand or not. You know. Yeah,
what is the what's the matches like with you and
your husband? I mean, how many shots are you giving him? Around? Um?
Sometimes we'll go from like me not giving him any
like I'll play the back teeth um with him. Um,
(18:38):
or you know, we'll play the same teeth and I'll
give him a couple of strokes here and there. Um.
But yeah, it's pretty competive. He's good, really good at golf. Yeah,
I mean, that's that's impressive if he's if he's going
to get up against you. You know, you you were
talking about Tiger in the moment Tiger had at the
two thousand nineteen Masters. I've also seen you mentioned some
players on the LPGA side of things. You mentioned you Linkster,
(19:00):
Suzanne Arena, some of these these players that either had
a had a child and came back to the game
or played as they were pregnant, and you talked a
lot about the inspiration that you've pulled from those players
in particular. For sure, I mean I would I would
love the chance to play while I was pregnant. Um.
I don't think physically that would have allowed me at all. Um.
(19:21):
You know, I was really sick the first timester and
then you know, more kudos to the girl that played
while they're pregnant. I mean I was thinking, oh yeah,
I'll definitely be that person that plays well they're pregnant.
You know it sounds like so much fun. It's not fun.
I can barely play nine ols now and it's part
um and it's hard. It's hard breathing, it's hard. Um,
(19:43):
you know, so I you know, I hear and I
remember he one Han Juan, I think my seven months
pregnant back in the day. Um. And just like watching
all these girls like I'm a Brittany Lang like played
really late into her pregnancy as well too. It's just
it's crazy, it's it's it's really really incredible, like watching
all these pregnant when they do all these things and
you know, actually going through it and like, you know,
(20:04):
really realizing how hard it is to create a human
like I have so much more respect for whom and
I have so much more respect for like moms, my
mom especially to um. It's just crazy. Yeah. You know
when when my wife, when Cindy, went through the pregnancy,
I was reminded daily that women are just thousands of
(20:25):
times tougher than men because the stuff that you guys
go through, you know, we would all every man on
the planet would be laid up in bed, especially third
trimester and especially early on when you were sick. All
the time. We would not have been I would not
have been able to handle. I can promise you that.
So I couldn't agree with you more. And when you
see you know, Stacy out there playing and she's four
months pregnant, or you see these these these other players
(20:48):
out there competing and knowing the stress of tournament golf
and all that goes through you emotionally and physically, it
really is something I feel like we don't talk about
enough of how impressive that is, oh for sure. And
it's but you mean, especially when they're not showing. Um,
you know he looked the same, but internally only have
hormones making us crazy. Um, and you know, just nausea, tiredness.
(21:14):
I mean like weird things that happened too to your
body that I was like, what is going on? Um?
And it's like things that you don't see, and it's
just like it's it's crazy. It's like an ultra marathon.
And you know, I'm just so much respect more for
respects for women. UM. And it's crazy people that play.
And I see I saw an Instagram video of Alex
(21:36):
Morrigan doing like credible things at nine months old and
nine months pregnant and I was like, Wow, I'm wondering
right now. You're like, I'm good, I'm gonna I'm gonna
enjoy this couch. You once once, once, once the baby
girl was introduced to this summer and you get to
a point where you can play. I kept reading as
(21:57):
I was diving into some of the stuff you've said
this you're about your passion for returning to the game.
I kept reading this one sentence and people are saying
unfinished business. That's what they kept saying. Now, you know,
you've won a major championship. You won the US Open,
and it was it was the moment of your career
that everybody remembers. What what is quote unquote unfinished business
to you in your career when you return to the game,
(22:20):
that you hope or you feel like you haven't accomplished yet,
that you want to accomplish. UM. I mean I think
I have a new goal now. I definitely want to
win a tournament with um, you know, my husband and
my and my baby watching. UM, that's definitely a new
goal of mine. I just want to go out there
and and finished playing paid free. UM. You know, I
(22:42):
don't want my last memory to playing golf to be
of me. I see my hand of me like cringing
every time I had a golf shot. I just want
to go out there and you know play, you know,
play free play, you know, with with having fun and
going out there and I want to you know, win
tournament again. Um, that's definitely something I wanted to do.
(23:03):
We're gonna take a quick break and be right back.
You mentioned the television thing. I thought, I knew you
would be good. I didn't know you'd be that good.
You're supernatural from the word go. You know, you have
(23:26):
a very unique opportunity because you're so popular in the
golf space. You're young, and you can speak to a
younger generation about the game. Is TV something that once
you you get back to golf and you're out there competing,
do you feel like TV is something you could see
yourself doing for five, ten, fift, twenty years, you know,
(23:48):
Johnny Miller asque, I mean, is that something that you're
interested in doing or do you feel like it will
be a part of your life but not your whole
career once golf is done. I don't know. I mean,
I'm haven't really given it too much that Um, you know,
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Um.
When I first said Solheim and then I did the
(24:08):
life from with Golf Channel at the Players, I was
just like okay, like you know, i'll be something to
fill my time up. Um, you know, I want to
be part of the Solheim and all that, and I
didn't realize like how much I really enjoyed it. Um.
I really felt like the generaline of live TV was
the closest thing I felt too, Like first te Jitters
(24:29):
almost um, and I thought that was really exciting. Um.
Like I said before, it just allowed me to be
a golf nerd, to really be a fan of the game. Um.
I think during the Player's Championship with a whole different
beasts as well too, just going out there on a
different tour. I mean, I know a couple of guys,
but you know, I don't know there's stats like I
do the girls, and I know it was just really
(24:50):
fun to do research on them and too, you know,
like I was like, wow, that's a really good and
maybe when I practiced more on my watching their stacks
like hell, like these guys are good. Um. But I
really enjoy it whether I want to, you know, do
it like my whole career. I'm not sure exactly yet.
I do want to do television though. I mean it's
(25:13):
it's fun to me. Um, I feel like talking about
the game. It's a good brain exercise. And I can,
you know, say, I use my major. Um So college
was communications, right, Yeah, always nice when you actually use
the degree. I feel like less and less people are
using what is printed on their degree for what they
(25:33):
actually do at this point, as the world continues to change,
I've got to I've got a few quick hitter questions
for you. First one, I think I know the answer,
but we'll see, funniest golfer in the world. Go, oh,
funniest golfer in the world. Yeah, funniest, funniest, per funniest
golfer in the world. I mean that you know, you've
known and you find the funniest person that that happens
(25:56):
to play professional golf. I mean Tiff Joe. I don't
know if she's like funny, she's like really weird. She's
she was who I thought you were going to say,
that was who I was. I was setting you up
for that, you know. Yeah, yeah, I think it's like
she's like a weird funny though you know, like not normal,
that girl is not normal. Weird funny is the perfect funny.
(26:16):
I feel like, weird funny is the funny I want
in my life. Oh yeah, I mean these songs that
she's coming out in Quarantine like changing the us. She's
a genius. I mean, she's she's hilarious by the way, like, gee, hey,
how can you be this good at everything? She's this
It's so annoying. It's really annoying. I checked her. I like,
at least the ugly teeth. I'm like, she's like brilliant,
(26:41):
incredibly high i Q and it has this you know,
opera level ability to saying You're like, oh cool, so
what can she played professional golf? I know, I know
it's crazy. It's it's absolutely in saying. Now she's like
the one thing I thought she couldn't do was cook
and now she's like cooking and quarantine and she's like
sending me pictures of all the play delicious meals that
(27:01):
she's making. And I'm like, gosh, I'm like, talk at
something clean so I could feel better about myself. But
you know, it's I'm just really just I'm just amazed
that my friends are just so talented. I mean like
weirdos and losers like Tiff Joe. I call her a
loser room because I love her. Um, but you know
she's so talented and as well. I mean all the
(27:21):
stuff that she does with her songs and music, um, surfing,
I mean, it's just it's incredible. What's your best talent
besides golf? What's your what's your secret sneaky best talent? Oh?
I don't know. Um, can you sing that port that
(27:42):
popped into my mind? It's pretty pathetic, was it? Let's
hear it? Um? I can my down five shots and
like feel five Okay, okay, you're like my sister. You're
like my sister. Five shots and you're good to go exactly. No. No,
but I think it's a pretty good cook Okay. I
(28:05):
think that's like a they have something that I do
really well. Um uh yeah, ye, I don't know, cooking
is it? We'll go with cooking all right. Next question, best,
what's the best round that you've ever witnessed in person?
So we can be practiced. It could be tournament, but
the best round that you've ever watched up close? Oh? Um,
(28:29):
it's almost in my tongue. I like remember it. I
don't remember it clearly. UM. Wait I know this one. Um,
you know what it's actually? Um when I play with
Cary Webb and she won the shop right, Um. I
remember playing with her and it was windy, and it's
(28:50):
probably because like it's not of course, I feel completely
comfortable with and she was just like playing so well,
making everything, and I was like watching her and I
was like clapping. I'm like such a fan girl and
web but I was like this amazing. You find yourself
clapping and then you've got to hit a twelve footer
and you're like, oh, I get a pat. I'm back
(29:11):
back with her, like in contention, you know, trying to
win a golf turn. And I was like, oh my god,
you want to just put like the most amazing shot.
What's the shot that you'd consider the best shot you
hit in your career? And it can be a put too.
I always hate that shot sounds like a full swing. Um,
I think shot. I think the one that comes to
(29:33):
mind is two thou nine Solheim Um, my first Solheim
Cup in a singles match against Helen Alfredson and I
was like so intimidated going in. I was so nervous,
my hands are like physically shaking. It couldn't get them
to stop. And she checked out on the first hole
to go one up, and I'm like, oh great, Oh
my gosh, here we go. Um. And then the second
(29:55):
holds a part five and she was sure than me. Said.
She hit her shot to about twelve feat and I
was like, oh boy, and I was like, downhill, Um,
hundred ninety yard shot. I'm hitting a five iron. At
that time, I was hitting blades, um, and I had
a five iron, and I was so nervous, and I
was like, I knew what I need to do. I
just focused and I had it to about like nine seat.
(30:17):
I mean both made eagle to to tie the hole. Um.
So that was definitely the best shot of my career.
I think the nervy five iron that I the Solheim
Cup nerves, I mean, is have you I mean, even
winning a US Open or or the nerves comparable in
those two events, or with the team and country and
all the stuff that goes with the Solheim Cup. Did
(30:39):
it feel bigger in terms of how you felt on
the golf course. Um. I think there's more nerves on
Solhan just because it's not just about you your team
and you know your country. I don't want to let
people down. UM. So I definitely I feel more nervous
at Solhan, but it's something that I can draw upon,
Like when I had that double boat I put on
(31:00):
sixth at the US Open. Um, I had like a
seven futter I think for double UM, and I was
so nervous. But I also drew upon, you know, the
Solheim from the year before, and I knew that I
can do it, just because I have made puts like
that in a more nerve racking situation. So I definitely
(31:21):
draw upon the Solheian every time I'm in a pressure situation,
like even you know, when I want h SCC and
I had that long put to win. UM, I just
kind of did you back the same like passion inspiration
that I that I feel from the Solheim. Do you
feel like you would have been able to win a
US Open and pull from experiences if you hadn't played
(31:43):
in the Solheim Cup. Do you think do you think
that that propelled you to be able to feel comfortable
in those moments? Oh for sure, I think it definitely helped. Um.
I want my first lp DE tournament the same year
that I played Solheim. It happened like just a couple
of months afterwards. Um, And I think that like a
big turning point for me. Like I said, that shot
that I hit on the second hole was a big
(32:04):
turning point for me, knowing that I can handle my
nerves like that, and it was something It's stuff like
that you need to draw upon experience at times, and
you know, when I want um, you know Laurena Chow's
event for my first mate, for my first tournament that
I ever wanted the pro I definitely drew upon that experience.
I drew upon that I knew I could um perform
(32:26):
when I was that nervous. What city do you get
the most excited to visit when you're on the road
on tour. A city you go to, you know obviously
go to year after year. Yeah, I think definitely amplying
back at home back to Hawaii when I go back. Um,
it's definitely the one week I really really looked forward to. Okay,
first week of your daughter's life. Will she have more
(32:48):
Baby Nikes or Baby Warrior Gear? Baby Nikes for sure?
Right now? I mean I'm going hand on the website. Um,
it's just the onesie and the shoes are just I die,
They're so cute, all though, I mean, I want I'm
looking at these onesies and I'm like, why should be
the guess from adult side because I want one sees.
(33:09):
I want someone to like sutt me up enough flott
on me right now? Yeah, my son yesterday I had
him in a So my son is obsessed. I've I've
started playing records, like vinyl records. I would play him
when he was really little, when he was, you know,
two months old, three months old, and he had no
idea what was going on, and I would play records. Well,
now when I put a record on and he's a
(33:30):
ten months old, he starts laughing and getting excited before
the music even starts because he knows what it is.
And so I'll video him occasionally, and I videoed one yesterday.
He was wearing a French bulldog onesie and I had
two separate friends message me and go, can we get
that outfit in adult size? Because that actually looks like
something I would wear in the house, especially during quarantine.
(33:50):
So I'm with you on the adult onesies. Let's get
let's get more, Let's get more availability is what we're
what we're saying yeah, like I wanted to self flattle
like sluggly going. I think you just have to lay
on the ground and roll yourself up in a blanket.
I think that's basically the adult version of a self swaddle.
But you know what, maybe we might be onto something.
You never know. What movie have you seen the most
(34:12):
in your life? The most viewed Michelle movie? Oh, mean Girls,
Mean Girls? Or step Brothers or now You're They're all
they're all comedies. Oh yeah, yeah, I think uh yeah,
Mean Girls is a good call. Okay, when you now this,
I know the answer to this question. Let's see how
close you get when you google Michelle Louis. What is
(34:36):
your guest for? How many hits come back on the Google? Oh,
I have no idea. Let's have let's se let's see
how let's see any you can have any guests in
the world. There's only wrong answers except for one one million.
Now you're more popular than that. You gotta go a
little higher. I'll give you three guesses, and you tell
(34:57):
me which one you think is cracked. Okay, okay, ten million,
forty million, I'm just gonna from the middle. One four million,
eight hundred thousand, hits on Google when you look up
your name. Is that crazy? It's crazy? People are bored
people all right into last question in twenty years, I
(35:21):
want this is you in twenty years. I want people
to remember Michelle we as a blank. Um. I think
I want people to remember me for my resilience. UM.
I just hope that, like I can inspire you know,
golfers or girls or you know, boys, just never give
(35:42):
up and um and to always be true to yourself.
That I just think, you know, as abnormal the path
that I went on. I hope I've inspired some kids
to do the same, to not be scared to do
what they want to do, even if it's not what
quote unquote more walk. Um. So yeah, that's what I
(36:02):
want to be remembered for. I like that. Michelle we West,
thanks for jumping on. I appreciate the time. And you'll
just be hunkered down, just waiting till the summer, until
until baby girl arrives. Yeah, hoping that someone will slattle me.
Thank you for your time, Stay safe, Thank you. We're
(36:22):
gonna take a quick break and be right back. A
big thanks to Michelle for joining for the first time.
I hope you guys enjoyed the conversation. Just to reminder, Saturday,
This coming Saturday, US Amateur or We're gonna rewatch it.
Max Holms and I are gonna be watching three pm
(36:45):
Eastern noon Pacific, jump on joining us. It should be fun.
It's gonna be great. Tiger was down and then he
makes this huge comeback as he always did in the Amateurs.
So I hope you guys are excited about that, and Pump,
we are and uh and that is that. We'll check
back next week. If you like the podcast, make sure
you rate and review it. It helps us out. And
actually do one more thing for me. Follow the Clubhouse
(37:08):
at the Clubhouse pod on Instagram and on Twitter. That
is where we send out stuff like teas and couzies
and stickers. Those are where the announcements are delivered. Have
a great weekend and we will chat with you soon.
The Clubhouse was Shane Bacon as a production of I
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit
the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you
(37:31):
listen to your favorite shows.
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