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Twenty one years after turning professional and competing on the ALPG and LPGA Tours, Wendy Doolan has announced her retirement from professional competition.
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Doolan, 43, drew the curtain following her week at the Evian Masters two weeks ago. It wasat this event eight years earlier that the Sydneysider recorded her most famous victory, shooting a final round 65 to snatch the title from then world number one, Annika Sorenstam.
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The Evian title was one of three earned by Doolan, adding to her 2001 LPGA Champions Classic and 2003 Welch&aposs Frys Championship. Whilst her LPGA career has extended more than two decades and has rewarded her with in excess of $3 million, recent years have dealt challenges off the golf course which have limited her playing opportunities. Rib injuries and breast cancer treatment occupied Doolan&aposs focus from 2009 to 2011 and despite coming back to the game with a renewed enthusiasm and much preparation, she was unable to rediscover the game which she had hoped would see her competitive and consistent in her return.
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"After I played the first two rounds at Evian I realised I didn&apost have it in me to shoot those low numbers which the other girls were posting. Doloan said. "When I came back, as I got healthy, I worked really hard to get my game back but I just wasn&apost seeing the results for my work. I always promised myself that if I didn&apost feel I could have an opportunity to win, I was going to pursue something else."
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"There are so many things I am looking forward to doing. I am looking forward to being at home. I have only been married for four years and I&aposm looking forward to spending some quality time with my husband."
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Doolan says her passion for the game will never be lost and plans to pursue her goal of coaching the younger generation. "The LPGA is not something I want to walk away from," Doolan said. "I would love to be involved in whatever way I can and I look forward to whatever that may mean in the future away from tournament golf. Joining the LPGA was a dream come true for me. I started playing competitive golf when I was 15 and doing junior events and representing Australia, and ever since then I had dreamed about playing on the LPGA so it was a dream come true just to play. I have met so many people over the years who have influenced my personal decisions and career decisions. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be exposed to all that and I hope to continue to mentor the young players I had the opportunity to develop relatioships with."
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On the ALPG Tour Doolan won the Heart Health Victorian Open in 1992 and has notched four top ten finishes in the Womens&apos Australian Open.
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Warren Sevil, CEO of the ALPG said Doolan&aposs record is among the best of any Australian. "Wendy&aposs career has been highly successful and she must be remembered as one of the best Australia has produced. Her success on the LPGA was significant, perhaps overshadowed by the success of Karrie Webb and Rachel Hetherington who accumulated many wins between them during the same period that Wendy snuck her wins in. She is a well respected player who has and will give back to the game. Her presence will be missed but we salute her achievements and wish her continued good health and success in her future endeavours."
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