Wei Shengmei at the Kia Classic
On March 26, Beijing time, with Wei Shengmei's first shot in the Kia Classic, the "Little Witch" officially returned!
Returning to the long-lost arena, Wei Shengmei obviously felt strange. After the first round she only shot 81 (+9).
After a difficult day, Wei Shengmei said in an interview: "I managed to catch the bird in the first hole, which was a good start. Throughout the day, I played some good balls, but unfortunately there was always some unlucky bounce that made me lose a lot of points. ”
Wei Shengmei attributed the problem to "lack of self-confidence." "My putter wasn't in shape either, I didn't hit too many confident shots throughout the day and I believe I can improve tomorrow." Although the first round result was unsatisfactory, and the difference with the leader Park In-fei was 15 strokes, Wei Shengmei was still grateful as a comeback after a gap of two years.
"I also saw a lot of positive stuff from this round. I'm grateful to be back on the field, and I'm excited about the atmosphere I've been around for a long time. This experience has also allowed me to better prepare for the ALLA Tournament. As Wei Shengmei herself said, the Kia Classic is more like a rehearsal for the first Grand Slam All Nippon Air Championship of the year that starts next week.
Wei Shengmei's family
Before the game, the world's top ten confirmed participation in the Kia Classic can be described as star-studded, but Wei Shengmei is definitely the deserved focus of this game. The 2020 Kia Classic is the first comeback of 31-year-old Wei Shengmei after 9 months of giving birth to a child, and it is also her women's PGA Tour debut after the June 2019 U.S. Women's PGA Championship.
Injuries have always been the biggest obstacle to Wei Shengmei's high-ball career. As early as 2018, she had no choice but to announce her retirement at the British Women's Open due to an injury to her right hand. The following season, Wei Shengmei also struggled with injuries. At the 2019 Women's PGA Championship, she failed to qualify due to a recurrence of a right-handed injury, and then announced a truce, admitting that she had considered retiring at that time.
Wei Shengmei with daughter
In August 2019, Wei Shengmei married Golden State Warriors operations director Johnny West. Her coach, David Libett, described her wedding as "opening a new chapter in her life." This is also after the PGA Championship did not qualify and chose to take an offseason, she returned to the public eye with a radiant posture.
Soon after, with the birth of her daughter, Wei Shengmei truly entered the next stage of her life. Like all mom golfers, how to balance family with golf is the biggest challenge she faces at this stage. Although Wei's parents flew in from Hawaii to help take care of her newborn daughter, Wei admitted that since becoming a mother, the time she spent on the court has inevitably decreased.
"I might have spent an hour on the putting green, but now I have to go home." Wei Shengmei said, "After becoming a mother, the priority of things changed. ”
"Hopefully I'll catch more birds tomorrow, I know I can do it." At the end of the interview, Wei Shengmei said. For the sports that he loves, and for the sake of becoming an idol in his daughter's heart.