NAPLES, Fla. ― Ally Ewing will miss plenty about the LPGA Tour next year, her first away from professional golf since 2016. But the 32-year-old will not miss the solitude that comes with being in an individual sport requiring months of living out of hotel rooms.
A topic that has been been rightfully prioritized in sports, especially for those with so much isolation.
“There are just things that I miss, like I miss my bed,” Ewing said. “Just the little things like that. Making my own coffee at home. There are tons of things I’ll miss about this tour. I’ll miss the people. I’ve always been a homebody so the travel gets pretty tough on me.”
CME Group Tour Championship: Leaderboard | Photos
Ewing is not the highest profile women’s golfer in her prime to walk away this year. Lexi Thompson, 29, was even more direct when announcing in May this would be her final season of full-time competitive golf. Thompson has been outspoken in the past about her mental health struggles and feeling the pressure to perform.
“It can be exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside,” Thompson said.
And there are others. So Yeon Ryu, a former No. 1 in the world, left the game this year at 33, saying she has realized she is happiest when she wakes up in her own bed.
Several factors led to walking away in prime
Ewing, who is from Fulton, Mississippi, is No. 18 in the world. She is a three-time winner on the LPGA and is walking away after her best year with six top 10s and a career best $1.9 million in prize money entering the CME.
The decision is a little bit easier as Ewing gets closer to starting a family. She has Type 1 diabetes and her condition could result in a high-risk pregnancy.
“So you just put a lot of things into the equation and this was just the right timing for me,” she said. “When I looked at my career, I wanted to play good golf as I finished my career. I didn’t want to just fizzle out. Fortunately, knowing this year was my last year I’ve played some of my best golf.”
Ally Ewing of Team USA plays her shot from the 15th tee during Foursomes matches against Team Europe during the second round of the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
And Ewing never once wavered. Just the opposite. She said her play this year is just how she drew it up, part of that was finally having success as a member of the U.S….
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