‘Still Talk to My Therapist’: LPGA’s So Yeon Ryu Gives Raw Look into Mental Health Battle Days Before Retirement

So Yeon Ryu knows what a tough time is. A teenage prospect, Ryu won a major before having a full-time LPGA Tour card. But she also had rough patches, going winless for two years at a stretch. More than once. That, more than anything, has taught her patience.

Now four days away—if she makes the cut—from playing her last competitive round, Ryu reveals how she has stayed mentally strong. The six-time LPGA Tour winner still talks to her therapist. Nowadays, the conversion veers into deeper things than her on-course performance.

For Ryu, there is more to life than golf 

Ryu started playing golf at the tender age of 8. Come June, the South Korean will turn 34. That’s a 25-year-old career in golf, 16 of which were as a pro. The decision wasn’t easy. Not when your life has revolved around one sport. Ryu has sought the help of her therapist to find her passion outside, golf. 

Seeking out a therapist also helped her be more patient. Golf can be rewarding, but rewards are sporadic. Ryu went through a two-year slump after earning the 2012 Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year award. Following a lone victory in 2014, Ryu experienced another two-year spell without any silverware. The two-time Major champion’s last LPGA Tour victory came in 2018. But So Yeon Ryu doesn’t want to bind her career to only these numbers.

“I still talk to my therapist, and then I try to figure it out what I want instead of what other people want. And then nowadays, I talk to my therapist quite a lot to find out what my passions are… I believe that I’m — I can do more than just being professional golfer, so I’m still journey to find out what I truly want.”

Ryu plays the violin and piano. The latter, when she is stressed out, is not music but golf course architecture, which is what she wants to segue into. The early retirement caught everyone by surprise. However, the two-time Major had reason to pack her bag.

So Yeon Ryu didn’t like being competitive

The South Korean pro revealed that the happiest time of her day was getting up from bed and making coffee. Not crossing the Atlantic to play on the LPGA Tour. Not driving to the range with fellow golfers. She loves golf; there is no question about that. It’s just that the 34-year-old doesn’t get any thrill from going head-to-head against each other. 

Ryu said in the pre-tournament press conference, “I don’t think I born with the competitiveness. You know, like some players just naturally really enjoy the competition… But every time after I compete I was so exhausted, and then I started to feel like competing is just not my thing.” Chevron, the first major of her career, was an easy choice to draw the concluding line. Her only regret is that she wanted to play in the Olympics. She couldn’t. However, that in no way diminishes her status in the sport; she will undoubtedly forever be a legend to many.