Michelle Wei, born October 11, 1989, is an American professional golfer of South Korean descent. Wei was born to South Korean parents who lived in Honolulu, Hawaii. She started to play golf at the age of 4 and at age 10, became the youngest player to qualify for the Women’s Amateur Public Links championship, a feat that captured the attention of golf fans and a record that she held for ten years. By the time she was 11 years old she had won the Hawaii Women’s Stroke Play championship and the Jenny K. Wilson Women’s Invitational, one of the most prestigious golf events in Hawaii. After winning several more amateur tournaments with her amazing ability to drive the ball nearly three hundred yards, a distance some professional women golfers never even achieve, Wei decided to take on the big leagues, qualifying for the Takefuji Classic in 2002, again making history by being the youngest golfer to qualify for an LPGA event. She made another record when she reached the semifinals at the 2002 WAPL, the youngest player to do so.

Wei played in her first Major in 2003, at the age of 13. She scored a 66 in the third round of the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship and a year later, won the WAPL, becoming the youngest player to win the event.

In January 2004, Wei was up and competing against the big boys. She was the youngest golfer to play for a PGA event when she played at the Sony Open at the Waialua Country Club in Honolulu, where she tied for 88th place, a far-better performance compared to the 40 or so male golfers who also competed. She was also the youngest player to play for the victorious US Curtis Cup team.

She accepted another invitation to the Sony Open in 2005, but after missing the cut she went on to play for the LPGA tour and finished second at the SBS Open held at Turtle Bay. After tying for first place at the in a qualifier for the US Amateur Public Links, Wei became the first female golfer to qualify for a national USGA men’s tournament. After turning pro in 2005 she competed at the LPGA Samsung World Championship, where she played under a sponsor’s invitation. She was disqualified, however after it was found out that she had signed an incorrect scorecard, something which happened again in 2008 during the State farm classic, a mistake that again cost her a disqualification from the LPGA event.

Although Wei currently has no professional wins, she was awarded the Lareus World Newcomer of the Year in 2004 and despite controversies surrounding her withdrawals and disqualifications, continues to enjoy a loyal following of golfing fans from all over the world.