After nearly two decades of competing on the LPGA Tour, Eun-Hee Ji announced her retirement from competition at the BMW Ladies Championship on Saturday. Ji had hoped to say a quiet farewell at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G in September, but when the tournament was weather-shortened to just 18 holes, BMW Korea contacted Ji with the offer for her to come to Korea and compete and make her final start in her native country. It was an invitation the 39-year-old was happy to accept.

"I didn't want to get any spotlight on my retirement, but now I appreciate very much," Ji said about her decision to step away from competition. "Regarding my plan, I don't have much yet. I've been on the LPGA 19 years, more than 20 years without having much break. So I would like to take a break."

In 2008, Ji made headlines in her second season on the LPGA Tour when she came from three strokes back on the final day of the Wegmans LPGA to beat Suzann Pettersen by two strokes for her first victory on Tour. She followed up her breakout win with an even bigger victory the following season when she captured her first career major title at the U.S. Women's Open at Saucon Valley Country Club in 2009. Ji won in thrilling fashion by rolling in a 20-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole to win by a single stroke ahead of Candie Kung in what remains the ultimate highlight of Ji's career.

Although Ji got off to a stellar start to her LPGA Tour career with wins in back-to-back seasons, she'd wait more than eight long years before getting her third career title at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship, in which she secured a commanding six-stroke victory ahead of Lydia Ko in 2017. Ji won again the next two seasons at the Kia Classic in 2018 and the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in 2019. Ji's sixth and final victory on the LPGA Tour came at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards in 2022, which earned her a spot in the field at the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club.

"I had two events that I particularly remember. Of course, the first one is my U.S. Open victory. I was able to win that event with my last putt at the last hole, so that was really memorable," said Ji about her major title. "The second one was a match play that I won, because of that victory, I was able to compete in the U.S. Open. So those two are very memorable."

Ji has gone by the nickname of Mickey Mouse because of her love for the tiny character, as well as her big smile, and with her six victories on the LPGA Tour, she will be remembered as one of the most decorated Koreans on the LPGA Tour with as many wins as Grace Park and So Yeon Ryu.

Throughout her career, Ji has seen the number of players from her home country grow on the LPGA Tour, which made for a more enjoyable life for Ji competing across the globe, as she says she not only had more players to dine and travel with, but she also created lasting friendships and deep bonds with the other Korean players on Tour.

Some of those friends, as well as family members, were waiting for Ji after her round on Saturday to celebrate her as she prepares to play her final round on the LPGA Tour on Sunday. And while she says she got the impression they'd like her to continue to compete, Ji says she is ready to explore what's next for her in her life away from competitive golf.

"There were many fans who are here and have supported me and gave me a lot of energy," Ji said about the turnout at her final event. "I think they want me to play more, but I think it is time for me to show another side of me for a new chapter."

A year after more than a dozen players announced their retirement from the LPGA Tour, Ji becomes the third player to step away from full-time competition in 2025, joining Stacy Lewis and Pernilla Lindberg.

Major Champion Eun-Hee Ji Announces Retirement from LPGA Tour

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