Michelle Wie gives birth to daughter; husband’s name immediately trends

Pro golfer Michelle Wie on Friday gave birth for the first time, delivering a daughter. The world spent much of the weekend searching for her husband, Jonnie West, one of five sons of NBA legend Jerry West.

“Kenna baby, I have waited my entire life to meet you,” Wie posted on Instagram of her daughter, whom the couple named Makenna Kamalei Yoona West.

As news of the birth circulated, people began searching “Michelle Wie husband,” and after they discovered she was married to Jonnie West, his name began trending. West works for the Golden State Warriors front office.

Wie, 30, and West, 32, married last summer and announced in January that she was pregnant. She spoke then of her aspirations for the future.

“I do know, especially now having a baby girl, the motivation to come back is even stronger,” Wie said in January. “Because I’m having a girl, I want her to see me play, and be a strong woman. That’s really important. I always thought I’d be the person that I’m going to quit when I have kids. Now it’s different.”

She was a golf phenom as a child, qualifying for a pro event at age 10. Wie has five LPGA tournament victories, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. She shot the lowest score by a woman competing on the PGA Tour with a 68 at Sony Open when she was 14.

Jonnie West and Michelle Wie attend the Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50 on July 18, 2019, in Los Angeles.

(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

Wie has been sidelined for much of the past year because of a wrist injury. She has spent time away from tournament play providing analysis for the Golf Channel and agreed to cover the Masters for CBS Sports until it was postponed because of the coronavirus.

West broke into the basketball business with the Warriors in 2012, when he joined their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, first as a scout and director of basketball operations. He was later promoted to assistant general manager. West continued to rise in the organization, becoming Golden State’s director of basketball programs before the club elevated him to the role of director of basketball operations.