So Yeon Ryu wedding a reminder that LPGA No. 1s retire young

AI-assisted summary
• Two-time major champion So Yeon Ryu's recent wedding was attended by numerous former top-ranked LPGA players.
• Ryu retired from professional golf in the spring of 2024 at the age of 33 after a 16-year career.
• Many former No. 1 players, including several in attendance, have retired or left the LPGA to be closer to family.
• Of the 18 players who have reached No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings, only nine are still competing nearly full-time on the LPGA.

The recent wedding of two-time major champion So Yeon Ryu looked like an LPGA all-star reunion. The impressive number of former top players in attendance speaks to the value Ryu placed on relationship during her time on the LPGA.

As players gathered at the luxury Shilla Hotel to celebrate, there were a striking number of former No. 1s at the reception who have either retired or no longer play on the LPGA full time. The photos served as a reminder of how quickly the stars turn over in today's modern game.

The bride, for example, retired in the spring of 2024, at age 33. She turned professional at age 17, winning 10 times on the KLPGA and joining the LPGA in 2012 after her breakthrough win at the 2011 U.S. Women's Open.

While 33 might seem young, consider that she played professionally for 16 years, traveling the world away from her family for more than a decade. Now married at 35, Ryu is ready for a life that keeps her closer to home.

Fellow former No. 1s Inbee Park, Yani Yseng, Shanshan Feng, Jiyai Shin and Ai Miyazato were among those in attendance at Ryu's wedding. Park, now a mother of two, hasn't competed on the LPGA since August 2022 and doesn't plan to return in 2026.

Feng and Miyazato, both retired, are also now moms while Shin left the LPGA more than a decade ago to compete on the JLPGA and be closer to family.

Tseng, 36, won on the LET earlier this year, coming back from the abyss in dramatic fashion on home soil. After a string of injuries and setbacks, the five-time major winner is still working her way back to a full-time schedule.

The Rolex Rankings debuted 20 years ago, and since then, 18 different players have held the No. 1 ranking. Of those 18 players, only nine are still competing at least close to full time on the LPGA. Former No. 1 and two-time major winner Stacy Lewis headlines this year's list of LPGA retirements. Lewis retired at age 40, a rare feat by today's standards. Annika Sorenstam was 38 when she retired to start a family, and Lorena Ochoa was 28.

Complete list of LPGA players who have reached No. 1:

*indicates still playing on the LPGA