Carmen Alonso has announced that she will be retiring from the LET after the La Sella Open.
“It will be an emotional farewell to professional golf, but I look back at my career on the LET with huge gratitude,” said Alonso, from Valladolid, Spain.
The 42-year-old wraps up her 22-year playing career at her 287th LET tournament.
Since turning professional in November 2004, the popular player has earned 55 top ten finishes and five wins across golf’s global tours, with her crowning achievement being her LET victory in the 2023 Ladies Open by Pickala, in Finland.
“I want to thank all my friends on Tour and the whole LET staff. After 22 years on the Ladies European Tour, I can honestly say that we have grown together. When I look back now, I can only feel incredibly proud to have been part of this Tour for so many years and, above all, grateful for everything it has given me,” she said.
“There have been so many tournaments, so many countries, so many weeks travelling, competing, laughing, crying, winning, losing and sharing life together. The LET has been such a huge part of my life that it is difficult to imagine my journey without it. In many ways, it has become my second family.
“I have met some incredible people through this Tour, made friendships that I hope will last forever, and collected memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
“Golf has given me much more than I could ever have imagined when I started dreaming about becoming a professional player. And the Ladies European Tour has been a very special part of that dream.
“This week will undoubtedly be emotional, because saying goodbye to something that has been your life for 22 years is never easy. But I leave with the peace of knowing that I gave everything I had, and with an enormous amount of gratitude for the journey.
“Thank you to every single person who has been part of the LET family during all these years. Thank you for the support, for the work behind the scenes, and for the good moments.”
Alonso will now focus on developing her golf travel company, Alonso Golf Travel, which she founded together with her brother, Agustin, a former LET rules official and golf club director who is caddying for her at the La Sella Open. They will be joined by the wider family, including their mother, Carmen, who has been a huge part of Alonso’s journey since she picked up the game at the age of seven, inspired by Spanish golfing heroes Severiano Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. Ryder Cup hero Olazabal coincidentally designed the La Sella Golf course where Alonso will be playing in her final tournament this week.
