Kelly Tan
After 13 years competing on the LPGA Tour, Malaysia’s Kelly Tan brought her professional playing career to a close at the Maybank Championship on Sunday, choosing to make her final appearance in front of the home fans who had supported her throughout her journey.
The 32-year-old, who carded a final-round two-over-par 74 to finish at six-over-par 294, described the occasion as an emotional one, with family, friends and fans present to witness the final chapter of her career.
After her round, holding flowers, Tan said she could not have asked for a better tournament to bring her playing career to an end.
“I don’t think I could ask for a better event to retire my career. I just really want to say thank you to Maybank for giving me this invite,” she said, also expressing her gratitude to her sponsors and everyone who had supported her from the beginning.
For Tan, having an LPGA Tour event in Malaysia made the occasion especially special. After spending much of her career competing overseas, she was able to share the experience with her family and friends, many of whom rarely had the chance to watch her play in person.
“It’s very, very special. I’ve been playing on Tour for like 13 years, and I don’t think they get to watch me play or compete much at all when I’m overseas,” she said.
Tan described her 13-year career as something she would always treasure, having fulfilled her childhood dream of competing on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s not easy to play on Tour nor keep your card playing every year. It’s something a very small percentage of the world gets to do, something they love, let alone playing the sport they love as a living,” she said.
Although she did not achieve her ultimate ambition of becoming the first Malaysian to win on the LPGA Tour, Tan believes her journey has helped pave the way for the next generation of Malaysian golfers.
“My family and friends would say, you played in two Olympics and playing on Tour for 13 years wasn’t easy. I know I’ve done a lot, but obviously to me, I fell just shy of what I really wanted to achieve,” she said.
“Maybe I’m not the person who’s supposed to win the first LPGA event. Maybe Mirabel or somebody else. The person who paved the path is as important as the first person to win, so hopefully, they see that I have gone down this road for so many years, and so they can.”
While she will no longer compete regularly, Tan made it clear that golf will remain a major part of her life. She may still make occasional tournament appearances, but her focus will shift towards growing the game in Malaysia.
She has already begun coaching and hopes to establish a Kelly Tan Golf Academy, where she can organise camps and help develop more champions in Malaysia.
“I have a big passion to grow the game. I eventually want to have a Kelly Tan Golf Academy. I started coaching, so I’ll be running some camps, and hopefully we can grow more champions from Malaysia,” she said.
Reflecting on what golf has given her beyond the course, Tan said the sport had shaped her into the person she is today, teaching her to be brave, accept failure and keep moving forward.
She recalled how nervous she was during her early interviews as a young golfer, when she struggled to speak English and even felt terrified about winning tournaments because of the media attention.
“Through it all, it’s given me the strength to be brave enough to fail. It’s okay not to be able to speak, and it’s okay not to play well. I feel like because of that, I became the person I am,” she said.
After 13 years, two Olympic appearances and a career spent representing Malaysia around the world, Tan may be stepping away from regular competition, but her contribution to Malaysian golf is far from over.
