Major winner So Yeon Ryu announces retirement with heartfelt hand-written note

So Yeon Ryu is calling it a career. In a heartfelt, hand-written note posted to Instagram, Ryu announced she will retire after next month’s Chevron Championship. The 33-year-old pro is a past champion of the Chevron, having made the leap into Poppie’s Pond back in 2017 following her playoff victory over Lexi Thompson.

“Hello everyone, Soyeon Ryu here,” her note reads. “I wanted to share one of the most significant decisions in my life with all of you today. Sadly, the Chevron Championship will be my last game on the LPGA Tour.”

Ryu, who is from South Korea, turned pro in 2007 and initially competed on the South Korean LPGA Tour. In 2012, she joined the LPGA Tour and won Rookie of the Year.

“After deciding to retire, I spent much time looking back on my career,” she wrote. “So many memories came flooding back, and I felt so many emotions. But the more I thought about it, the more I was thankful for so many things. I am so grateful that I could do what I loved to do, day in and day out, and even make a career out of it. I am not going to lie; I had some hard patches, but despite some of the challenges, I truly enjoyed it all. And more than anything, I feel incredibly grateful for the love and support I’ve received from all of you throughout my career.”

Ryu won six times on the LPGA Tour, including her maiden victory at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. Following her triumph, she had continued success at the U.S. Women’s Open, finishing in the top 10 five times over the next eight years, never finishing worse than 23rd.

Ryu earned LPGA Player of the Year honors following her 2017 Chevron Championship victory, and she rose to No. 1 in the world that same year.

She last won on the LPGA Tour in 2018, with her last victory worldwide coming at the 2020 Korean Women’s Open. Ryu has yet to tee it up on the LPGA circuit this season.

“I’m looking forward to giving a big hug to all of my friends on tour soon,” she said. “I sincerely appreciate all of your love and support throughout the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.