Michelle Wie West kicks off Shaw Charity Classic week at Canyon Meadows

An LPGA icon, Michelle Wie West, came to Calgary to deliver a message to girls who have an interest in developing their golf game.

Wie West, a past winner of the women's U.S. Open, was in town Monday to kick off the 10^th anniversary of the Shaw Charity Classic.

She participated in Blake's Women's Day at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, where she was the guest star at a golf networking event for 104 Calgary-based corporate women, along with 15 of Alberta's top junior female golfers.

Earlier Monday, Wie West hosted a short clinic before joining participants in an 18-hole shamble golf event, before leading the junior golfers in a clinic of their own.

Whether aspiring pros or simply weekend duffers, Wie encouraged women to engage in golf and said there were plenty of reasons to play a round.

"Not only is there a path to become pro, it's a valuable life skill to have, a valuable business skill to have," she said. "So for more girls and more girls of colour to acquire this life/business skill, I get very excited when I see girls start to golf. It doesn't even matter if they turn pro. It's a great life and business skill to have."

Wie West recently retired from the LPGA, but said she is looking forward to playing in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach next year.

The Shaw Charity Classic takes place Aug.5-7 at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club.