After finishing with a tied result for 12th in the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, the two-time event winner Marina Alex announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour.
Alex finished the event’s final competitive round at 6-under-par 66, tying Jennifer Kupcho, Celine Boutier of France, and Jin Young Ko of South Korea. They trailed Thai winner Jeeno Thitikul by ten strokes.
Announcing her retirement, the athlete declared: “It’s always hard to say goodbye… I know this is what I want, and it’s the right decision for me right now. That doesn’t change the fact that this is a life that I built for the last 11 years out here, and golf has been my life since I was a kid. We’re about to enter a new world of a new identity. It’s great, but change is never easy.”
Alex made her LPGA Tour debut in 2013, and the New Jersey native won the Portland Classic in 2018 and the Palos Verdes Championship in 2022.
Moreover, the athlete earned $5 million in her career, including $720,000 this season with five top 10 finishes and 10 top-25 finishes. In her years as an athlete, she placed 35 times in the top 10 and 83 times in the top 25.
Several other players said goodbye to competitive golf this year. Among them were Catriona Matthew of Scotland, So Yeon Ryu of South Korea, Angela Stanford, Mariajo Uribe of Colombia, Laura Davies of England, I.K. Kim of South Korea, Amy Olson, Gerina Piller, and Brittany Lincicome.
Source: CNA