Yoo So-yeon Leaving the Field: "Thank You"

Retirement Match at April Chevron Championship
‘The Promised Place’ Where Won in 2017
Plans to Serve as Titleist Ambassador

Yoo So-yeon is leaving the field she has dominated for 16 years

Yoo So-yeon

Management company Wow Management Group announced on the 21st, "Yoo So-yeon has decided to retire after the Chevron Championship, a major tournament on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, which will be held over four days starting April 18." Yoo said, "I have participated in many tournaments, and thinking that I am about to play my retirement match brings mixed emotions. Playing my retirement match is the best way to express my gratitude for being able to have a job doing what I love, and for the love and support I have received from many people for my dreams." She added, "Having learned so much through golf, I want to contribute to the golf world in various ways going forward."

The Chevron Championship, which Yoo So-yeon has chosen as her retirement stage, is the tournament she won in 2017. At that time, it was held under the name ANA Inspiration. Yoo explained, "I chose it as my retirement stage because it is a place where unforgettable memories were made, including winning the tournament and jumping into the pond next to the 18th hole green, following tradition." She recently signed a three-year contract as a brand ambassador with Titleist. After retirement, she plans to engage in promotional activities for Titleist for the time being.

Yoo So-yeon has left significant marks both domestically and internationally. As a middle school student in 2006, she participated in the Doha Asian Games and won gold medals in both individual and team events. On the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, she accumulated 10 wins from her rookie year in 2008 until 2020. She entered the LPGA Tour by winning the 2011 U.S. Women's Open and claimed six titles there. In 2017, she also held the world No. 1 ranking. Yoo received the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and Player of the Year in 2017.

She also secured one win each on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET). Yoo So-yeon became a champion in national title tournaments across five countries, including the U.S. Women's Open, Korean Women's Open, Japan Women's Open, Canadian Women's Open, and China Women's Open. Since the 2018 Meijer Classic, she has not won on the LPGA Tour. Her most recent victory was the 2020 Korean Women's Open.