A gift from Rickie Fowler helped Michelle Wie West win the U.S. Open — here’s how

The women’s golf icon, five-time LPGA Tour champion and 2014 U.S. Women’s Open winner joined me for a scoop of vanilla ice cream (with rainbow sprinkles) to discuss all things golf.

Next up on the Scoop: Michelle Wie West!

Coming 11/20 to @GOLF_com pic.twitter.com/NutFEgBZI2

— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) November 19, 2024

Michelle Wie West joins @kclairerogers on a new episode of The Scoop🍨

🚨 Listen Wed. 11/20 🚨 pic.twitter.com/r0izel8Mke

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) November 19, 2024

I first became a fan of Michelle Wie’s when I attended the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Rhode Island’s own Newport Country Club. So getting a chance to sit down with her wasn’t just incredible access to a golf legend and entrepreneur — it was a literal childhood dream come true. We took a trip down memory lane, with Wie West walking me through her junior golf career, her time at Stanford, how she knew it was time to take a step back from competing and even how Rickie Fowler’s yardage book helped her win the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst.

Let’s focus there for a second: In June of 2014, the men and women played back-to-back U.S. Open Championships at Pinehurst No. 2. Wie West was thinking ahead and asked Rickie Fowler if she could have his yardage book after his week at the U.S. Open so she could see Fowler’s notes and have a “cheat guide.” Wie West says that Fowler went above and beyond. After he finished tied for second at Pinehurst, he handed off his yardage book to Wie West.

“He took so many notes being like, ‘this bunker, you shouldn’t be here for this pin, you should be there for that pin,’ and the system of how he did it, I learned a lot from looking at his yardage book. But he also wrote down like, every single break that he had on most of the holes, and most of our pin positions were very similar. And on 17, the birdie putt that I made, he actually had the same putt and wrote down the break.”

Wie West says that she signed Fowler’s yardage book after her win and returned it to him. Power move!