Former world No. 1 Shanshan Feng has revealed she will retire from professional golf at the age of 32.
The first Chinese golfer to become a member of the LPGA, Feng won 23 pro victories including the Women’s PGA Championship in 2012. In 2016 she won the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
I dream that one day in future professional golf we will see more Chinese players
Absent from tournaments for several months, she does not hesitate to explain that the Covid-19 pandemic and her desire to spend more time with her family are at the origin of this decision.
“In recent years, the global pandemic has changed a lot of things and made me think” , reads the Instagram post announcing the news.
“I traveled for the majority of my later years. It’s time to slow down a bit, focus more on my personal growth and spend time with my family.”
The previous Lorena Ochoa
Turned pro in 2007 Feng revealed that she had set her sights on playing at the highest level for 10 years, but after her Olympic success she said she decided to have more fun.
Now his goal is to dedicate more time to helping the next generation of Chinese golfers.
“I dream that one day in future professional golf we will see more Chinese players”she says.
She’s not the first high-profile golfer to leave the pro world young. When the Mexican Lorena Ochoa decided to retire in 2010, she was only 28 years old and then occupied the first place in the world! An announcement that had the effect of a bomb at the time.
Photo Zheng Huansong / XINHUA / Xinhua via AFP
