Choi Na-yeon Retires with 15 Career Wins: "Golf, I Loved It So Much but Also Hated It, I'm Quitting"

KLPGA 6 Wins & LPGA 9 Wins Performance
"I Will Enjoy Living My Second Life"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seohee] Choi Na-yeon (35) has put an end to her career as a professional athlete.

On the 5th, Choi Na-yeon announced her retirement through her agency, Jiad Sports. In her official statement, she said, "It was not an easy decision to retire, but I thought now is the most appropriate time to do so. I want to make another choice without regrets."

She added, "There were many happy times winning, but sometimes it was very hard and lonely. Every athlete can relate to this. Now, I am going to quit golf, which has been my whole life, something I loved deeply but also sometimes resented."

She continued, "From now on, I plan to live an exciting second life. I will try to find greater happiness with my family and friends in Korea and to experience more things, so I ask for your strong support." She also revealed her future plans, saying, "I want to live by sharing my experiences and knowledge with you all, remembering the love and support I have received so far."

Choi Na-yeon won the KLPGA ADT Caps Invitational in 2004 as an amateur and immediately entered the professional stage. Since then, she has been active, winning 6 times domestically and 9 times internationally, totaling 15 victories.

The domestic tournaments she won include the 2004 ADT Caps Invitational, 2005 Lakeside Ladies Open, 2006 KB Kookmin Bank Star Tour Round 3, and the 2007 Shinsegae Cup KLPGA Championship.

On the LPGA Tour, she secured 9 wins starting with the 2009 Samsung World Championship, followed by the 2010 Hana Bank Championship and the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. In 2010, she topped the LPGA Tour in both earnings and scoring average, and in 2012, she won the major US Women's Open. Her last victory was at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in June 2015.

Below is the full text of her retirement statement.

"You are already great and amazing players."

Hello, this is golfer Choi Na-yeon.

Recently, after much difficult contemplation, I made a big decision. I am writing this to share that decision with you.

I debuted as a professional at 16 and played on the KLPGA Tour for three years before moving on to the global stage of the LPGA Tour, where I have been a tour professional for 18 years.

At 19, I challenged myself in the unfamiliar land of the United States, spent my twenties as a professional athlete, and now I am about to turn 35.

There were many happy times winning, but sometimes it was very hard and lonely. I believe every athlete understands and empathizes with this.

Nevertheless, I always set goals and ran toward my dreams, but now I stand at a crossroads to choose my next future.

Every athlete faces the time to decide on 'retirement.' I believe now is the most appropriate time for me to retire, and I think I have played my career diligently without any shame or regret.

Of course, the time spent contemplating retirement was never easy, but I decided to make a choice without regrets for myself once again.

I am now going to quit golf, which has been my entire life, something I loved deeply but also sometimes resented. It is true that it was very hard, and I will probably miss it a lot, but from now on, I want to live my exciting second life.

I will try to find greater happiness with my family and friends in Korea and to experience more things, so I ask for your strong support. Remembering the love and support I have received so far, I want to live by sharing my experiences and knowledge with you all.

I sincerely thank LPGA, USGA, KLPGA, and KGA for creating the many stages where I nurtured my dreams.

Also, I sincerely thank SK Telecom, Daebang Construction, and all the sponsors who supported me in various ways during my 18 years as a professional. I apologize for not mentioning everyone by name, but I am truly grateful to all the sponsors I worked with. I also sincerely thank the many fans around the world who supported me, not only in Korea.

Wherever I went to compete, the support from many fans there gave me strength.

On the other hand, after deciding to retire, I feel regret that I did not make many foreign friends while living abroad. I was not comfortable with English, was shy, and was always focused on moving forward without much leisure, so relationships with overseas fellow players were always put aside. But since they were my colleagues and friends, I will definitely cheer for them from afar in the future.

Knowing better than anyone that this path is a lonely battle with oneself, rather than just telling them to keep going, I want to tell them to sometimes take a break, look back on themselves, and cherish and love themselves for how proud they are.

"You are already great and amazing players."

Lastly, I am very grateful to my precious friends who listened to my story from afar, understood me, and gave endless support when I was very tired and exhausted; to fellow and senior players who gave generous advice and mental support while competing together; and to my teammates who shared the course and hardships with me. Without all of you, I believe I could never have achieved my career.

Finally, I am truly thankful and love my family who always believed in me, supported me, and sacrificed so much.

Once again, thank you for everything.

Thank you for reading this long letter.

Professional golfer Choi Na-yeon