When Michelle Wie West announced her return to play at WTGL, the entire world experienced a heightened sense of entropy. But for Lydia Ko, the story seemed a bit different. 

At the HSBC Women’s World Championship press conference, when Ko was asked about her opinion on Wie West’s stance on WTGL, she said, “All of the 16-ish players that has been announced, they are very all high-caliber players.”

Ko talked about how TGL and WTGL are helping the game evolve and broaden the demographic population interested in the sport. She believed that the tech-infused tournament was a platform for the game to grow. But it’s still pretty new, given that WTGL is a fairly new product that hasn’t debuted yet. 

“I'm interested to kind of see where this goes to,” Ko continued. “There might be some trial and error here and there, but I'm excited to be part of this generation that's starting it.”

“it's going to be a great platform to be a part of, and I am honestly interested to see how it goes because I just don't have that much experience in that, either.”

All in all, Ko claimed that it’s going to be fun, as she loves playing in a team. WTGL is something that she’s currently looking forward to. 

However, her response was in complete misalignment with the question. Despite the intrigue around Wie West’s return, Ko kept the focus on the league. 

Nevertheless, Wie West seemed pretty excited about her return. 

Michelle Wie West Looks Forward to Competing at WTGL

Wie West was already involved in TGL as an investor in the Los Angeles Golf Club. When she got the chance to enter the WTGL, she expressed her excitement through a press release. 

“I’m passionate about growing the game, and TGL has proved how new formats through the lens of innovation and creativity can bring golf to a broader audience,” Michelle Wie West stated. 

“The team aspect, matched with the unique environment at SoFi Center, is something I want to be part of and it’s going to be incredibly fun to challenge myself, this time alongside teammates, to compete against the best in the world.”

Ko centered her comments on WTGL’s long-term growth rather than on Wie West’s comeback narrative. Meanwhile, Wie West embraced the opportunity and signaled strong enthusiasm for competing in the new format. But is there a deeper reason to why Ko avoided talking about Wie West?

What do you think? Tell us in the comments!

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Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu