Lee Jeong-min, who secured 11 career victories on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour backed by her trademark "computer iron shots," has announced her retirement.

Lee held a press conference on the 15th at H1 Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, bringing an end to her 18-year professional career.

Having claimed her first win at the Doosan Match Play in 2010—the year she debuted on the KLPGA regular tour—Lee lifted numerous championship trophies up until the major KLPGA Championship in 2024.

Lee decided to retire after injuring the cartilage in her left wrist during the second half of 2024.

"Following this injury, I struggled when playing in cold weather or at tournaments with deep rough," Lee said. "As I wasn't able to produce the level of performance I wanted, I made the decision to retire."

She added, "I had no regrets even when I hit out-of-bounds (OB). Because I did my absolute best every single moment, I can put down my golf club without any lingering regrets."

Having sometimes faced remarks that she lacked a competitive drive after missing out on multiple winning opportunities during her tour career, Lee smiled and said, "That is absolutely not true."

"Throughout my long playing career, I never thought of it as competing against other players," Lee added. "I thought of it as battling myself, and in that regard, I played golf without regrets. I would give myself 1,000 points out of 100."

Stating that she has not yet made plans for after her retirement, Lee said, "For the time being, I want to live like an unemployed person and empty my mind. I think once I empty myself, things will naturally fill back up again."

Although she stated she has no golf-related plans for the immediate future, Lee mentioned that she intends to ski enthusiastically during her break.

She also revealed that she earned a level 1 teaching certification, which allows her to instruct others, this past winter.

As Lee held her retirement ceremony at H1 Club—where the KLPGA Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open is taking place—many fellow and junior players gathered to offer words of encouragement and congratulations.

Lee left a piece of advice for her junior players, saying, "I hope you don't pour your absolute all into every single shot. Even if you hit out-of-bounds, the golf ball stays inside the course; it doesn't run away anywhere else."

(Photo courtesy of KLPGA, Yonhap News)