PINEHURST, NC – JUNE 22: Michelle Wie of the United States celebrates a birdie putt on the 17th hole during the final round of the 69th U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, Course No. 2 on June 22, 2014 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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In Men’s golf, the topic of tinkering with the schedule to reduce overlap with the NFL playoffs has gained momentum.
If the idea moves forward, the festive stretch from Thanksgiving through Christmas could have room to expand. A revived Skins Game returned to the calendar this month, joining jolly season favorites like the sentimental PNC Championship, where pros team up with a parent or child, and the PGA/LPGA Tour holiday mixer that is the Grant Thornton Invitational.
Two years into her retirement from the pro game, Michelle Wie West, a mother of two and “dog mom” to a pair of Old English Sheepdogs and a Cane Corso, has time to contemplate a silly season addition that plays into her pet appreciation. Asked whether a tournament where every player competes alongside a four-legged companion would be a hit, she didn’t hesitate to give an enthusiastic endorsement.
“Oh my God, let’s make that happen,” she said.“I would love to see more golf courses where you can bring your dogs…Obviously they have to be well behaved and all that. But we can figure out those details later. I think it’s a great overarching concept. Let’s make it happen.”
Tees And Wagging Tails
“I traveled with my dog Lola for a lot of my career,” she said of her late Pomeranian who was a fixture on tour. “Professional sports can get very lonely sometimes, especially golf. You’re away from your friends, your family, and it was amazing to have someone to come home to. It was really helpful in my mindset when I was playing,” she said.
Her current crew — Gatsby, Daisy (both Old English sheepdogs and Rome (a Cane Corso) — arrived after she stepped away from the LPGA Tour, but she says their impact has been just as meaningful. “They are the true MVPs of our house,” she said. “They make us smile when a day is hard… I think dogs really make the world a better place.”
This week Wie West debuts a new partnership with Royal Canin, the Mars-owned pet food brand and presenting sponsor of the American Kennel Club National Championship, held Dec. 13–14 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center and the event will air on ABC on the 28th. The partnership comes as the AKC National Championship marks its 25th anniversary.
“I’m really excited to partner with Royal Canin ahead of the AKC National Championship,” Wie West said. They showcase amazing dogs there. I feel like I put a lot of work into our dogs, I prioritize their health and their happiness. Our dogs are a huge part of our family so I get pretty excited when I get to talk about them.”
Wie regularly tunes into dog shows, fascinated by the overall pageantry and displays of discipline. She sees overlap between elite canine competitors and her own career in professional golf, likening preparing for the show ring to the discipline of tournament prep.
“I can relate to the prep and focusing on the right nutrition and being at your best when it matters the most,” Wie explained. She also marvels at the dogged dedication of the exhibitors,
the largely unsung heroes behind all the care and conditioning of the canines. “I think it’s fascinating when they are in the proper posture because I’ve tried it at home and I fail miserably so I have a lot of respect for dog handlers,” she said.
Her softest spot, though, is reserved for four-legged working and herding breeds she lives with at home. She laughed that her own Old English Sheepdogs bear little resemblance to their show-ring counterparts. “I don’t know how they get the floof on the butt up that high—our dogs could never,” she admitted. She is eager to see which dog comes out on top this year. “I’m really biased. I feel like you never see a Cane Corso win these dog shows, so I’m hoping they break through.”
Asked what criteria she’d use if she ever fulfilled what she deemed a ‘bucket list’ dream of judging a dog championship, Wie West said she would emphasize obedience, posture, and overall health. “Shininess of coat, how healthy and happy the dog looks is really important,” she said. But she also wishes temperament could count.
“One thing you can’t see in dog shows is… how good they are with kids and how loving they are. That’s obviously impossible to showcase in that short amount of time but if I were a judge, I think that is what I would judge criteria on.”
The Big Wiesy was among golf’s most high-wattage stars for nearly two decades—a teenage phenom who grew into a U.S. Women’s Open champion and five-time LPGA Tour winner. She amassed $6.9 million in prize money at a time when purses in women’s golf were far slimmer than they are today, and earned many multiples of that through endorsement deals with Nike, Omega and Sony in her early career, followed by much more recent partnerships with Mizuho, Delta and T-Mobile, a sign that Wie West’s marketability remains as strong as a Sunday gallery at a major.
This past summer Wie became an investor in Togethxr, the fast-growing media and commerce brand, spanning merchandise, a production studio and a podcast network, all built with a mission to expand the visibility of women’s sports. Its “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” trademark made a fast break into the cultural zeitgeist after South Carolina coach Dawn Staley wore the shirt courtside, a move followed by other high-profile early adopters including Jason Sudeikis, Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal and Aubrey Plaza. That visibility bounce helped drive $6 million in merch revenue last year—a figure that’s expected to climb markedly thanks to a Nike apparel collaboration that kicked off this spring.
“I’m so stoked about Togethxr,” Wie enthused, calling it “an honor” to join the backers of that group. She praised the company’s storytelling and its ability to “really boost everyone’s exposure,” while at the same building a viable business around promoting women’s sports.
Speaking of playing a role enhancing women’s sports, The Mizuho America’s Open, a tournament hosted by Wie-West which at its inception featured one of the highest payouts for a non-major, recently ratcheted up the purse for their 2026 event to $3.2 million.
This came amid a steady stream of prize-money announcements that will lift next year’s LPGA Tour purse to a record $132 million across 33 events.
“All tides rise and it’s great to see,” Wie West exclaimed. She noted that the event was “the first tournament to provide free hotel rooms for players,” a benefit now spreading across the schedule. “It’s a really cool time to be a fan of women’s sports and it’s a really cool time to be part of women’s sports.”
She highlighted the tournament’s focus on mentorship, pointing to the success of Yana Wilson—its inaugural junior champion—who has now earned her LPGA card. “That’s what the tournament is all about. It’s about mentorship and pushing forward the next generation,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see someone like Yana, a great case study, and we are hoping to see more of this in the future.”
Starting in 2026, the LPGA Tour will be seen more on television than at any point in its 75-year history, with every tournament round set to air live for the first time. Wie West views what seems like a “simple” shift as nothing short of transformative, calling the expanded live coverage—powered by new investment from FM and enhanced production from Golf Channel and Trackman—truly monumental. Live broadcasts, she says, are the foundation of fandom and a sign that women’s golf is finally being given the space it needs to grow.
