A player knows when it’s time to step away. It gradually becomes obvious over time as the competitive desire fades away, as the mental tenacity dulls, as the shots become a little harder to hit. Or golf gets more difficult, less fun, more of a grin-and-bear-it sort of torture than a genuine pleasure. Or the body breaks down, with muscles and joints aching and creaking just enough to make a backswing shorter or turn a little tighter, even with a two-hour warmup.
While Michelle Wie West is still as competitive as ever, it’s her body that’s put up a stop sign, giving her the signal that the time to move on is now. When she announced last year at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club that this week at Pebble Beach would be her last, no one was surprised. It had been tough for the five-time LPGA Tour winner, battling through injuries and physical ailments while trying to still compete on Tour full-time. She’d been in the spotlight for years, essentially growing up inside the ropes in front of a camera, something that opened her up to plenty of criticism throughout the last decade.