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LPGA player Ally Ewing shocked the world by announcing her retirement on Wednesday, September 25. The 31-year-old said in an Instagram video that she'll be quitting golf at the end of the year.
Ewing was born in Mississippi in 1992 to Jamie McDonald and Angie McDonald. In the retirement video, she mentioned that she started playing golf at the age of four. She played collegiate golf at Mississippi State University. She won five events and represented her country several times in her amateur career.
Ewing turned professional in 2015 and joined the LPGA Tour in 2016. She has had three wins, 25 top-10 finishes and 70 top-25 finishes in her career. As per LPGA Tour, she has official career earnings of $6 million in her career with $1.8 million of it coming in 2024.
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She captioned the retirement video:
"I’m forever grateful! Thank you to the @lpga_tour and many many others!"
In the retirement video, Ally Ewing said:
"It is with a heavy but grateful heart that I want to announce that I will be retiring from professional golf at the end of this year. When I envisioned my career, I never dreamed a small-town Mississippi girl could have had the career that God has blessed me with."
Ewing expressed that earning full status on the LPGA Tour was a dream come true for her. She said that she has experienced both joy and disappointment in the game of golf. She also acknowledged feeling lonely and missing out on things close to her heart because of the game.
Ally Ewing recently helped the US win the 2024 Solheim Cup. USA won the tournament for the first time after 2017. Talking about her highest honour in her career, she said:
"While the losses far outweigh the wins, the highest honor of my career will always be representing my country at the Solheim Cup and finally being able to lift it with my team this year."
She also thanked her caddies. She acknowledged her family's contribution to her journey and said:
"My family has been on this ride with me since the beginning. While you may not have seen me physically hit every shot, you never missed one.You spent more hours than people can believe following me around the course in person and online. Thank you so much."
"Mom and Dad, I can't begin to imagine the sacrifices you made for me to pursue this dream, but I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me," she added.
Let's take a look at Ally Ewing's performance on the LPGA Tour year-wise since 2016:
- 2023: 20 events, 16 cuts, $1,014,008, 5 top-10 finishes, Solheim Cup member.
- 2022: 21 events, 15 cuts, $660,511, 2 top-10 finishes, Kroger Queen City Championship win.
- 2021: 22 events, 20 cuts, $663,150, 4 top-10 finishes, Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play win, Solheim Cup member.
- 2020: 14 events, 13 cuts, $629,772, LPGA Drive On Championship win.
- 2019: 25 events, 18 cuts, $638,014, 3 top-10 finishes, Solheim Cup member, best finish T6 at ANA Inspiration.
- 2018: 25 events, 17 cuts, $315,781, 3 top-10 finishes, career-best T3 at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
- 2017: 24 events, 19 cuts, $257,519, best finish 13th at Evian Championship, ranked 9th in eagles.
- 2016: 8 top-10 finishes on Epson Tour, 4 runner-ups, finished 2nd in earnings, T30 at Evian Championship.
- 2015: T22 at Final Stage, earned LPGA Membership for the 2016 season.
Ally Ewing has had a great 2024 season so far. In 16 starts, she has had six top-10 finishes and made 15 cuts. She is currently positioned ninth in the Race to CME Globe rankings.
Her best performances this year include a second finish at the Dow Championship, a T3 finish at the US Women's Open, a fourth finish at the Meijer LPGA Classic and a T5 finish at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
A look at Ally Ewing's best performances
Let's take a look at Ally Ewing's 10 best performances in her career:
- 2021 Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play: 1st
- 2022 Kroger Queen City Championship: 1st
- 2024 U.S. Women's Open: T3
- 2020 LPGA Drive On Championship: 1st
- 2020 Pelican Women's Championship: 2nd
- 2024 KPMG Women's PGA Championship: T5
- 2023 AIG Women's Open: T6
- 2021 ANA Inspiration: T7
- 2019 ANA Inspiration: T6
- 2018 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship: T3
