LPGA legend Michelle Wie West drops a cryptic 3-word bomb about a possible return to golf

At the U.S. Women’s Open, Michelle Wie West said goodbye to professional golf. Less than five months later, she shared a cryptic message about a possible return.

There is at least a chance that she will unretire, per TMZ Sports. Wie West channeled her inner Justin Bieber to answer when the publication asked if she would play professional golf again.

“Never say never,” Wie West said while at LAX, utilizing the Bieber song reference.

That is an exciting message as golf fans were robbed of Wie West’s incredible talent cut short. But her retirement announcement at the U.S. Women’s Open seemed definite.

The 34-year-old was a golf phenom. Wie West accomplished so much as an amateur and into her pro career. On paper, her five LPGA wins and one major, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, don’t ring out as legendary.

But she did so much to help move the women’s game forward.

Wie West was one of seven women to compete on the PGA Tour. That includes becoming the youngest woman to ever do so at the age of 14 when she missed the cut by a single stroke.

There is no denying golf is better with Wie West, but it’s not like golf isn’t still part of her life. She stepped away from competitive golf, not the game as a whole.

She hosts the Mizuho’s Americas Open, which Rose Zhang made history at this year. She still plays golf, but not seriously enough to warrant a comeback just yet.

“I definitely don’t practice, that’s for sure,” she said. “I just play.”

Wie West seems to be enjoying being a mom and gardening. She may not play golf, professionally, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t busy because, as a mom to a toddler, relaxing is not on her radar.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.