Saying goodbye: 10 notable LPGA players who are retiring in 2024

The announcements trickled out over the course of the year, each greeted with a tinge of surprise followed by an appreciation for their accomplishments. That’s what happens when successful LPGA players reveal they are stepping away from the game.

Yet as 2024 rolled on, the numbers doing the revealing started to accumulate. Among them were tour stars, major champions and some of the great personalities in the women’s game. Some have said they’re merely retiring from playing full schedules on tour, so a few of the names will still be seen at LPGA events to come. But it is still the end of an era, as a wave of great golfers say farewell.

Here are 10 notable names taking a step back from the competitive game, several sharing a common reason for their goodbyes:

Lexi Thompson

Scott Taetsch/PGA of America

Age: 29
Rookie Year: 2012

Don’t let her age deceive you; Thompson has already had a long career. Remember, she did play in her first U.S. Women’s Open as a 12-year-old in 2007. Over her decade-plus time on tour, Thompson claimed 11 LPGA wins, including a major, while becoming one of the most popular and recognizable players in women’s golf. (As she walked down her penultimate hole at the CME Tour Championship last month, fans were chanting her name.) Thompson expressed a desire to see what else there is to life, after devoting so much to golf. That said, her retirement is from playing full seasons on the LPGA Tour, so we are likely to see her on-course again in 2025.

Brittany Lincicome

Cliff Hawkins

Age: 39
Rookie Year: 2005

Playing via a special exemption at the Annika driven by Gainbridge last month, Lincicome was able to finish her career as a full-time LPGA player (she too says she’ll still play in a handful of events moving forward) about an hour from her home in Florida. Her dad was on the bag for the final hole (see photo above), and her husband and two children followed her throughout the tournament.

Lincicome leaves having won eight times on the LPGA and has played in six consecutive Solheim Cups for Team USA from 2007-2017. She even ventured onto the PGA Tour for one event, the 2018 Barbasol Championship, where she shot one-under in the second round.

Of what she’ll miss on the LPGA Tour, she said: “Probably just the competition. Being in contention on a Sunday, there is really nothing like it. The feeling that you get through your bones. But I’m a mom of two now, I can’t wait to just be a stay-at-home mom and maybe volunteer a little bit at the school. It’s a new chapter in my life so it’s going to be great.”

Ally Ewing

Michael Reaves

Age: 32
Rookie Year: 2016

Ewing played college golf at Mississippi State before turning pro in 2015. Many fans were introduced to her when she was called up to the 2019 Solheim Cup team at the last moment after Stacy Lewis had to withdraw due to an injury. The next year, Ewing won her first LPGA tournament and went on to win twice more while also playing in three more Solheim Cups.

“I’ve seen so much of the world and met so many incredible people, but I’ve also never felt more alone at times and have missed out on things that are so close to my heart,” Ewing wrote when announcing her retirement. “I’ve cried many tears, but I will never take for granted what this game has done for me. I fulfilled a dream that many strive for.”

Marina Alex

Mike Stobe

Age: 34
Rookie Year: 2013

Alex’s retirement wasn’t public knowledge until the final event of the season, the CME Group Tour Championship. She finished T-12, including an impressive final-round 66. The two-time LPGA winner was surrounded by family and friends as she walked off the course, getting a healthy dousing of champagne as she left the LPGA Tour.

“I wanted to end my career in the most positive way that I could. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a bit,” Alex said. “The last few years have been tough, the travel, the grind. This is year 11. Trying to keep up with everyone out here, I’m doing my absolute best. I’m happy to have ended on my best, and that’s not something everyone can get. I’m really thankful for that and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Angela Stanford

Andy Lyons

Age: 47
Rookie Year: 2001

Stanford’s most incredible accomplishment might be holding the record for most consecutive starts in majors: 98. During her 23 years on tour, she earned seven LPGA victories, including one major (2018 Evian Championship). Stanford has been and continues to be a presence for the United States in team play. She competed in six Solheim Cups and has served as assistant captain for three. While she is retiring from the LPGA Tour, she’s someone who we will likely see more of as a leader in Solheim Cups to come.

“I hope my legacy would be that I was one of the good ones,” Stanford said. “I was one that loved the tour and made it better.”

So Yeon Ryu

Gregory Shamus

Age: 34
Rookie Year: 2012

In March, Ryu announced that the 2024 Chevron Championship would be her last LPGA Tour event. She won that event in 2017, one of two major championships she claimed during her career. Ryu won four other LPGA titles and in 2017, reached No. 1 in the Rolex World Rankings. She retires having earned more than $12 million on-course.

“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,” Ryu wrote on Instagram. “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.”

Mariajo Uribe

Pierre-Philippe Marcou

Age: 34
Rookie Year: 2010

Uribe came onto the golf scene in a big way when she won the 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur, becoming the first woman from Latin America to be victorious in the championship. During her LPGA career, she had two top-10 finishes in majors, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2014 Evian Championship. Most notably, she represented Colombia in three Olympic games, choosing to retire in Paris after the final round. Despite the potential pressure on her at Le Golf National, she was in contention for a medal through the final round, eventually finishing tied for 10th. That said, her final hole was memorable as she made an eagle on the 18th to close out her career.

I.K. Kim

Oisin Keniry/R&A

Age: 36
Rookie Year: 2007

Kim found success early in her golf career, winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2005. She played LPGA Q School as an amateur in 2006, earning status for the following season. She turned pro and won her first title in her second LPGA season. She finishes her career with seven LPGA victories, including the 2017 AIG Women’s British Open. She retired after playing this year’s AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.

“I’m most proud of the hard work that I’ve put into it,” Kim said to the press in a tearful farewell at St. Andrews. “I wasn’t the most talented or most gifted, but I loved the game. I was willing to travel anywhere to play golf and learn the game, and I wanted to thank all the girls here. I’ve learned so much from them.”

Amy Olson

Ezra Shaw

Age: 32
Rookie Year: 2013

Olson and her husband, Grant, welcomed their first child in 2023—she made headlines for qualifying for that summer’s U.S. Women’s Open while pregnant. Olson has been vocal about wanting to focus on raising a family, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour in April. The former U.S. Girls’ Junior winner never claimed an LPGA title, with her best finishes in majors coming with a T-2 in the 2018 Evian Championship and T-2 in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open.

Gerina Mendoza

Sam Hodde

Age: 39
Rookie Year: 2010

Mendoza turned pro in 2007 and played everywhere from on Golf Channel’s The Big Break to the Epson Tour before making it to the LPGA Tour. Mendoza played three times for the U.S. in the Solheim Cups.

In July, Mendoza announced on Instagram that she would be retiring from golf and that she was pregnant with her second child. “I’m looking forward to a fourth trimester where I’m just soaking in the moments of the newborn phase without focusing on training or getting back in the game,” Mendoza wrote on Instagram. “I know my passion for golf will always be there, so I’m sure I will keep my golf game strong and continue to support and work with the golf community.”