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It was back in 2006 when Inbee Park turned pro. Since then, she has amassed seven major championships, 31 worldwide victories, and was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. However, Park last competed in the LPGA in 2022.

She took a maternity break and gave birth to her first daughter, Yeonseo, in April of 2023. Soon after a year, her family welcomed her second daughter, Inseo, in October of 2024. Some expected her to return to the greens next year. 

But the 37-year-old golfer’s agent recently confirmed to Golfweek that Inbee Park is not looking forward to making a return to the sport next year. However, she will continue to serve as an International Golf Federation board member. 

The maternity leave policy enforced by the LPGA Tour allows golfers a time of up to two years to return to the competitive realm postpartum. Park has been absent from the field since 2022. However, her second daughter was born at the end of 2024, thus she is supposed to get time till October of 2026 to make her return.

The 21-time LPGA Tour winner, who married her long-time coach, Nam Ki-hyeop, in 2014, recently shared some heart-warming family moments on her Instagram. She was celebrating the first birthday of Yeonseo. While the 37-year-old now seemingly prioritizes her mom duties over the sport, she has already inspired many to take up the sport.

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How Inbee Park inspired a generation with her magnificent performance

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, golf as a sport was accepted after 112 years. And that was the time when Park was in her prime. The Seoul native had clinched as many as three major titles in a row back in 2013, becoming only the fourth LPGA pro to win three majors in the same calendar year. And while that was impressive enough, she also completed her Career Grand Slam in 2015. Thus, when she stepped into the fairway at Rio, the entire nation was watching. 

And Park did not disappoint. Displaying some incredible performance, she clinched the Gold Medal.  According to reports from Korea’s national news agency Yonhap, her closing round garnered a whopping 23.9% of the TV viewing. And since then, her impact on the next generation was such that almost 6.36 million people out of 50 million in Korea started playing golf.

She was also inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame the same year. Thus, it is evident that the mark left by Park has been pretty incredible. And after all these years, the nation refuses to forget one of its greatest athletes who made the country’s name shine bright on the world stage.