I’M BACK: American professional golfer Nelly Korda officially announce her return to… see more 👇 👇 

I’M BACK: American professional golfer Nelly Korda officially announce her return to… see more 👇 👇 

The LPGA Tour is having a mass exodus this year with a number of players retiring. 2024 has already seen the likes of Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, Angela Stanford, and a few other names have their final swing. The conclusion of the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Naples, Florida added one more name to the list- New Jersey’s Marina Alex

Alex didn’t want to make a big deal of her retirement from the LPGA Tour. In fact, very few were aware of it before it was announced on Sunday’s NBC broadcast. Some of her close friends and family showed up in t-shirts featuring action shots of Marina throughout her Tour career in various stages of walk, swing, and putt. Once it was official, tributes poured in for the player who spent 11 years on the Tour.

With the CME Group Tour Championship as her last event, Alex officially stepped away as a full-time member of the LPGA Tour. And what a year it was. With back-to-back top-10 finishes in Asia and nearly collecting a third LPGA win at the TOTO Japan Classic, it seemed like Alex would head into the 2025 season with full force. But she had other plans.

Looking back, Alex had a remarkable career, one that many could only dream of. She joined the Tour in 2013, and in her 11 years she won twice, claiming the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship in 2022 and the Portland Classic in 2018. She also represented her country at the 2019 U.S. Solheim Cup, earning two points in her first and only appearance at the prestigious event. Over her career, she earned more than $5 million, with $719,855 of that coming in the 2024 season alone. Impressive, right? Maybe that’s why it was so hard for Alex to say goodbye to such a great career.

Her final competitive round was a 6-under-par 66 that left her in a tie with Jennifer Kupcho, France’s Celine Boutier, and South Korea’s Jin Young Ko. Alex also thanked those who supported her as she choked up while bidding farewell.

“Friends and family, my childhood coaches, my godfather who was my putting coach for the longest time, the head pro from my home club in New Jersey who also lives in Florida now, they’ve seen the beginning and now the end. It’s kind of sweet,” she said. Alex starred at Wayne Hills High School and won two straight NJSIAA girls’ championships. She was a two-time Record Athlete of the Week in 2007-2008. She also won the 2010 SEC title at Vanderbilt before earning her LPGA Tour card in 201