"'Older Brother Jungmin' Retires: 'I Was So Happy'"

Lee Jungmin bids farewell to the domestic tour after 11 career wins
A bright smile, not tears, at her retirement ceremony
"I want to give myself 1,000 out of 100 points"

"We will never forget the passion you showed on the course, and the excitement and inspiration you brought us."

There were smiles, not tears. Lee Jeong-min, a veteran born in January 1992 and now 34, said goodbye to the course she had called home. On October 15, she held a retirement ceremony at H1 Club (par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the Iceberg Golf-Seoul Newspaper Open, a KLPGA Tour event with a total prize purse of 1.5 billion won, is being held. The ceremony marked the end of her 17-year career as a professional golfer.

"Time really flew by. There were difficult moments, but I'm satisfied with my career," Lee said with a bright smile. She added, "I never regretted it, even when I hit a ball out of bounds (OB). I did my best every moment, so I can put down my clubs without any regrets."

At the tournament venue, banners cheering Lee on in her next chapter were displayed. Her friends, including Moon Do-yeop, arranged a coffee truck to support her on her final journey. Her junior colleague Han Jin-seon gave her a cake, while fellow players Cho Yoon-ji, Bae Hee-kyung, Park Min-ji, Park Ji-young, Lee Se-hee and Choi Ye-rim joined the celebration to congratulate her on her new beginning. Kim Sun-hee, senior vice president of the KLPGA, presented Lee with a flower lei and thanked her for all her hard work.

Lee Jeong-min smiles brightly at her retirement ceremony on the KLPGA Tour. Photo courtesy of the KLPGA.

Lee is one of the KLPGA Tour's leading stars. After making her regular-tour debut in 2010, she competed consistently for 17 seasons, earning 11 career wins, including one major title. In her debut season, she made a name for herself by winning the Doosan Match Play Championship, beating a field of formidable senior players. She went on to enjoy the peak of her career, claiming two wins in 2014 and three in 2015. Her career earnings on the KLPGA Tour alone amount to approximately 4.6 billion won.

She also faced adversity. She went five years without a win, starting in 2016. But she showed she was still a force to be reckoned with by winning the Dongbu Construction-Korea Land Trust Championship in 2021. In 2024, she lifted her final trophy at a major, the Chris F&C 46th KLPGA Championship. She shot 23-under-par 265, tying the KLPGA Tour record for the lowest score over 72 holes. This year, however, she struggled, making the cut only six times in 17 tournaments.

The decisive factor in her retirement decision was injury. After injuring the cartilage in her left wrist in the second half of 2024, she found it difficult to regain her previous level of play. "After the injury, I struggled to play in cold weather and on courses with deep rough," Lee said. "I decided to retire because I wasn't playing the way I wanted to."

Lee Jeongmin had 10 career wins but no major titles until she captured her first major at the 2024 KLPGA Championship. Courtesy of KLPGA.

Still, she has no regrets. "Throughout my long career, I never thought I was competing against other players. I always thought I was competing against myself," Lee said. "I played golf without regrets, and I want to give myself 1,000 out of 100 points," she said with a laugh.

Lee is known by the nicknames "Philosopher" and "Jeong-min hyung." The names reflect her relaxed walk, unpretentious personality and firm personal philosophy about golf. She is also a role model whom younger players aspire to emulate. Kim Ga-hee, who made her tour debut this year, expressed her admiration: "I started playing golf because I was captivated by Lee Jeong-min, a senior player. She has so much charisma, and her iron shots are truly outstanding."

Lee's characteristic composure also came through in her advice to younger players. "I hope you don't put too much into every single shot," she said. "Even if you hit one out of bounds, the ball is still on the golf course. It's not going to run off somewhere far away." Her message was to enjoy golf over the long term rather than dwell on a single mistake.

Lee has no set plans for life after retirement. "For a while, I want to live like an unemployed person and clear my mind. If I empty it out, won't it eventually fill up again?" she said. She has no immediate plans to start working in golf. Instead, she plans to spend her time off enjoying skiing, one of her favorite activities. Last winter, Lee earned a Level 1 teaching certification, which qualifies her to coach others.

Lee Jungmin's strength is her charismatic play. Courtesy of KLPGA.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.