So Yeon Ryu Prepares To Wave Goodbye To Her Pro Career At This Week's Chevron Championship
The two-time Major winner announced her retirement last month and will bow out after this week's tournament in Texas


Two-time Major winner So Yeon Ryu is preparing for her final tournament as a professional golfer at this week's Chevron Championship.
After turning professional as a 17-year-old in 2007 following a gold medal in the individual and team events at the 2006 Asian Games, the now 33-year-old revealed on social media last month that she would be retiring, describing it as "one of the most significant decisions" of her life.
"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," she said. "I am not going to lie; I had some hard patches, but despite some of the challenges, I truly enjoyed it all."
The first Major of the season will mark the last chapter of a remarkable 17-year career in which the South Korean has claimed 20 professional wins - including four regular LPGA Tour titles and 10 LPGA of Korea Tour victories.
Ryu is set to tee off in a group of former Chevron champions which includes Patty Tavatanakit - the 2021 winner - and Jin Young Ko - the 2019 victor - at 8:10am CDT (2:10pm GMT) in the first round on Thursday.
A post shared by 유소연,골퍼 /Soyeon Ryu, Golfer (@1soyeonryu)
A photo posted by on
The 2017 Chevron winner is not expected to bow out with a final success, however - at least according to bookmakers. While Nelly Korda is the heavy favorite to land a fifth successive LPGA Tour title and a second Major success of her career at +500, Ryu is out at between +25000 and +40000.
Ryu - who spent 19 weeks atop the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings between June and November 2017 - has struggled at this tournament since 2017, missing the cut last season and managing a best result of T39 otherwise, which arrived in 2019.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Should she pull off a memorable finale, Ryu could be the latest player to jump into the body of water next to the 18th green - formerly known as Poppie's Pond at the Mission Hills site - with anti-alligator netting and an extended dock having been added since the competition moved to The Club at Carlton Woods in 2023.
Lilia Vu is the current holder of the Chevron Championship and will be hoping to add a third Major to the two that she picked up last year.
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
-
5 Things The Biggest Hitters Do To Generate Power In Their Golf Swing (And How You Can Copy Them)
Generating more power is a great way to improve your handicap and shoot lower scores. So, we analysed the biggest hitters in golf to help you hit it further...
By Barry Plummer Published
-
Vessel Player V Pro Carbon Stand Bag Review
Mike Bailey tested the most expensive bag to ever hold his golf clubs, the Vessel Player V Pro Carbon stand bag, to see if the experience justified the price
By Mike Bailey Published
-
After Nelly Korda And Charley Hull Called Out Slow Play, The LPGA Tour Has Taken Another Step Towards Fixing The Issue With Season-Long Tracker
The LPGA is introducing a new season-long tracker for bad hole times, with players being fined depending on how many they collect
By Paul Higham Published
-
Charley Hull Makes £10,000 Bet To Give Up Smoking Habit
Posting to her Instagram story, Hull revealed that she has made a £10,000 bet to quit smoking over the next two months
By Matt Cradock Published
-
You Don't See This Very Often... Why Does This Tour Pro Have A Right Handed And Left Handed Putter In The Bag This Week?
Playing the Australian Women's Classic, it was revealed that Marianne Skarpnord had put two putters in her bag for the week, with the reason being quite simple
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Charley Hull And Georgia Hall Knocked Out Of Sunningdale Foursomes
The LPGA Tour stars fell short against Tom Shadbolt and Ben Evans in the last 16 of the prestigious contest
By Mike Hall Published
-
Charley Hull And Georgia Hall Progress As Gareth Bale Knocked Out Of Sunningdale Foursomes
The Solheim Cup stars made it through on Tuesday as five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale lost on the final hole
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Charley Hull and Gareth Bale Among Star Names At Sunningdale Foursomes
Some big names are set to appear in the historic foursomes event for 2025, which has seen the likes of Luke Donald and Sam Torrance win previously
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Japanese Star Ties Course Record To Secure Blue Bay LPGA Title
Rio Takeda carded a closing eight-under 64 at the difficult Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course on Hainan Island, China to clinch her second LPGA Tour title
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Australian WPGA Championship Cancelled Ahead Of Gold Coast Cyclone
The Australian WPGA Championship has been cancelled due to the threat posed by Cyclone Alfred
By Mike Hall Published