One-time Japanese teen phenom turned nine-time LPGA winner Ai Miyazato has announced she will retire from the tour at the end of the 2017 season.
The former World No.1 had a successful and popular career on the Japanese LPGA – which included winning an event as an amateur – before coming to the US to qualify for the LPGA. She cruised through Q-School in December 2005, easily qualifying for the 2006 season. Her first win on the LPGA came during the 2009 season.
In addition to her nine wins, Miyazato, who turns 32 next month, had 59 top-10 finishes on the LPGA. Five of her victories came in 2010, which pushed her into the No.1 spot that year, where she stayed for 12 weeks.
Miyazato’s last win came in 2012. The biggest hole on her resume was the fact that she never won a major, although she twice won the Evian Masters before the tournament earned its designation as a major in 2013.
According to the LPGA, Miyazato will speak about her decision to retire in a press conference on May 29.
