NAPLES, Fla. ― Ally Ewing will miss plenty about the LPGA Tour next year, her first away from professional golf since 2016. But the 32-year-old will not miss the solitude that comes with being in an individual sport requiring months of living out of hotel rooms.
Two months ago, Ewing shared her decision to retire, one she started mulling two years ago. This week, before her opening-round 71 Thursday at the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon, Ewing spoke about those times when, as she has said in the past, she never felt more alone and was missing out on important family events.
A topic that has been been rightfully prioritized in sports, especially for those with so much isolation.
“There are just things that I miss, like I miss my bed,” Ewing said. “Just the little things like that. Making my own coffee at home. There are tons of things I’ll miss about this tour. I’ll miss the people. I’ve always been a homebody so the travel gets pretty tough on me.”
Ewing is not the highest profile women’s golfer in her prime to walk away this year. Lexi Thompson, 29, was even more direct when announcing in May this would be her final season of full-time competitive golf. Thompson has been outspoken in the past about her mental health struggles and feeling the pressure to perform.
“It can be exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside,” Thompson said.
And there are others. So Yeon Ryu, a former No. 1 in the world, left the game this year at 33, saying she has realized she is happiest when she wakes up in her own bed.
Several factors led to walking away in prime
Ewing, who is from Fulton, Mississippi, is No. 18 in the world. She is a three-time winner on the LPGA and is walking away after her best year with six top 10s and a career best $1.9 million in prize money entering the CME.
The decision is a little bit easier as Ewing gets closer to starting a family. She has Type 1 diabetes and her condition could result in a high-risk pregnancy.
“So you just put a lot of things into the equation and this was just the right timing for me,” she said. “When I looked at my career, I wanted to play good golf as I finished my career. I didn’t want to just fizzle out. Fortunately, knowing this year was my last year I’ve played some of my best golf.”
Ally Ewing of Team USA plays her shot from the 15th tee during Foursomes matches against Team Europe during the second round of the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
And Ewing never once wavered. Just the opposite. She said her play this year is just how she drew it up, part of that was finally having success as a member of the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Ewing has played in three Solheim Cups, with the U.S. defeating Europe, 15.5-12.5, in September at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, its first win since 2017.
Going out on top gave her “more and more peace,” and solidified that decision. She even resisted her family’s attempt to “poke at me a little bit.”
While nothing replaces family — Ewing is married to Charlie Ewing, head women’s golf coach at her alma mater, Mississippi State — Ewing has found fellowship in her weekly Bible Study. A devout Christian, her faith has been a big part of her getting through any struggles with the ups and downs of tour life.
“It’s so easy to make what you do your priority,” she once said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “For me, that is not what I try to define myself as.”
Having a support group while away from family is important. The LPGA tour provides health professional support at 10 events in person and with other virtual opportunities.
An outstanding athlete who played high school basketball, Ally wanted to play quarterback on the boys team in middle school before her mom nixed that idea. She was the first girl to win the Mississippi boys state high school golf championship. Ewing could now become a de facto assistant golf coach, helping her husband. She won five times at Mississippi State before joining the Epson Tour in 2016.
“I do like to just pop my head in,” she said. “If I can contribute in any way to practice ideas. I don’t think I’ll hesitate to go play nine holes with them on occasion.”
Preparing for an emotional walk on 18
Ewing got a taste of what it will be like playing her final hole. Last Sunday at The Annika, she played with Brittany Lincicome, who had announced this would be her final season.
Lincicome’s caddy handed his bib to her father, who then carried the bag for his 39-year-old daughter’s final hole.
Ewing felt emotions bubbling and put on her sunglasses, to cover up any tears.
On Sunday, she may not be able to mask those tears.
“Kurt (Moskaly) is going to stay on my bag on hole 18,” Ewing said. “I’ll try to avoid eye contact with the family until after I finish hole 18 for sure.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.