What was supposed to be a comfortable win turned into a loss for a team featuring the most decorated Olympian of all time. And that was a tale Michelle Wie West narrated on SmartLess Media a few months ago.

Host Brian Baumgartner recounted an “epic battle” in Las Vegas against a squad led by Michael Phelps, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist, and former ATP pro Mardy Fish. Now, both Phelps and Fish are both solid golfers, so there was a lot of trash talk coming towards their rivals, Team Timberlake. But it all turned at one point.

“Kira [Timberlake] made like a 45-footer,” Wie said, describing the putt that shifted momentum. Brian Baumgartner further added that “where it all turned,” even though he had just hit it to a foot on the par five. What seemed like a routine march to victory suddenly became a collapse.

“The amount that these guys were talking,” Wie laughed. “There’s a lot of egos at play. Phelps has never lost in his life.”

Phelps remains the most decorated Olympian ever, and Fish has taken celebrity golf by storm after his tennis career. However, pressure can lead to unusual behavior. Wie wrapped it up by sinking a further long putt on the last hole.

 “Walked it in. It felt so amazing,” she said. “We definitely messed up those greens.”

From being four points down to scoring the game-winning shot on a 40-footer, the comeback not only bruised egos - it shut down two athletes who hardly ever experience defeat.

And now, Wie West will channel that same competitive energy once more.

Michelle Wie West Finds a New Stage

Even after stepping away from full-time professional golf, she still appears to relish instances when the pressure is up.

The five-time LPGA winner is now gearing up for a different kind of return through WTGL. It's a team-based competition that will be indoors for the first time.

“As an investor in Los Angeles Golf Club and a fan of TGL, I’m excited for the chance to compete again through WTGL, which will be a powerful platform for women’s golf,” Wie West said in the official announcement.

After holding her own in a pressure-filled showdown against athletes like Michael Phelps, the team format and high-energy atmosphere at SoFi Center could be right in her comfort zone.

West will join golfers like Charley Hull, Jeeno Thitikul, Lottie Woad, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson, and Rose Zhang for WTGL.

Written by

Dolly Bhamrick

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar