Feng Shanshan's retirement: The most important game is over

The year she set foot on the LPGA at the age of 18, Feng Shanshan set a goal: to retire after playing the LPGA for ten years. The reason why

has this idea is mainly considering that female players are about 30 years old, and it is inevitable that they will have to face the professional pause of getting married and having children. She thought very clearly that Feng Shanshan, a professional golf player, is only a part of her life. "Ten years of professional career is actually a very long time. If I want to achieve results, I must have achieved results in the first few years. If I still can't get results in ten years, it proves that I can't get results, then there is no need to force myself to do these things." She said to Rilakkuma Sports.

later proved that her career achievements are far more worthy of a narrative than "playing results" - in 2012, the 23-year-old Feng Shanshan won the LPGA Championship of the World Women's Professional Golf Grand Slam; throughout her career, she She has won multiple championships on the Women's PGA Tour, Women's Japanese Tour, Women's European Tour and Women's Chinese Tour, with 22 professional championships; in 2016, Feng Shanshan won the bronze medal in the Olympic women's golf event for the Chinese team; she has won 23 consecutive weeks Ranked No. 1 in the world and remained in the top 10 in the world for nearly 200 consecutive weeks - every achievement of hers can be regarded as the first person in the Chinese (mainland) golf industry.

On August 2, 2022, the fifteenth year of her career as a professional player, Feng Shanshan officially announced her retirement, marking the end of her career as a golf professional with few regrets.

On personal social media, Feng Shanshan wrote, "My 33rd birthday is coming soon, and I also have to make an important life decision. Everyone says that one life is two, two begets three, and three are three. All things are born, and I hope this turnaround is not the end, but the beginning of more possibilities." The person selected by golf

entered 2022, and Feng Shanshan's pace of life has slowed down. Instead of living according to the established schedule, she wants to give herself more time to settle down and think about what she will do in the future.

"Rest" used to be an extravagant word for her. Since her father took her to golf at the age of 10, she has lived almost 24/7 for the past two decades. Looking back now,

is very grateful to her parents for choosing the "right project" for her. Before practicing golf, Feng Shanshan had learned to swim, tried ice skating, and practiced tennis, but she couldn't stick to it. In 1999, Guangzhou established a city youth golf team to prepare for the Provincial Games. Feng Shanshan's father was working in the Guangzhou High School Association at the time, so she often followed her father to watch the brothers and sisters in the team train. One day, the coach said to the young Feng Shanshan, "You come and watch every day, why don't you try it too". Feng Shanshan tried to pick up the club for the first time and started hitting the ball. The coach who served as the team guide found her to be very savvy and active, and decided to keep her.

Feng Shanshan's family is a typical "strict father and mother" education. The father himself is engaged in the sports industry, and has a clear understanding and planning of cultivating children to embark on professional sports, while the mother is more in charge of "logistics" and is responsible for her daughter's life and study.

Feng Shanshan recalled to "Sanlian Life Weekly" that when she was a child, in addition to school, she played golf. On weekdays, she went to the driving range to play 200 balls after school, and she went home after 8 pm. She didn't start her homework until after eating and taking a shower. The time outside of study is all occupied by golf, watching TV occasionally, and playing golf games.

When she was twelve or thirteen years old, Feng Shanshan, a fledgling, was already able to win many big sisters in domestic amateur events. A reporter asked her what dreams or goals you have. She never thought about it. After the reporter asked, she thought of the LPGA round-robin players she saw on TV, and thought they were very bright, everyone had their own style, and they were all very confident and generous," I dream that one day I will be able to compete with these top international players from all over the world." Feng Shanshan blurted out at the time, saying that she wanted to play on the LPGA Tour in the future. Things decided by

cannot be easily changed, and you must be responsible for your own choices. What's more, the whole family is supporting her to realize her dream.

Gilchrist and Feng Shanshan and Zeng Yani

By 2006, Feng Shanshan had no rivals in domestic junior golf events. At this time, golf gold coach Gary Gilchrist threw an olive branch to the Chinese girl, and that's it, 17-year-old Feng Shanshan left her parents for the United States and began to receive international training. After

turned 18, Feng Shanshan took the LPGA qualifying exam according to her own plan. At the beginning of the registration, she just wanted to see how far her level was from her goal, but she did not expect to successfully pass the exam and become the second Chinese mainland female player after Ye Liying to compete in the LPGA; she was also the first to win the LPGA competition. Cards of Chinese mainland women players. Years later, her father told her that the family spent nearly 20 years of savings that year, and if she did not pass the exam, the family planned to sell the house and continue to support her in learning to play football. After

got the full LPGA card, Feng Shanshan began to participate in the professional arena and earn bonuses. The sponsors also came, and the family no longer had to worry about money.

is a dream come true, the perfect 18-year-old bar mitzvah.

became famous in the first battle, and the commercial value soared. When

was still playing in the youth competition and amateur competition, Feng Shanshan was a winning general on the field, but after turning professional for a year or two, she has not made a big breakthrough. In the first year of

in the LPGA, she successfully guaranteed the card. In the second year, her performance was not as good as the first year. She once dropped to the 75th place. At that time, she was in the top 80 guaranteed cards. She almost went back to retake the qualifying exam.

In the winter offseason that year, she returned to Guangzhou, and her father followed her to the training ground as before. When she was concentrating on practice, her father would say that she was holding the pole incorrectly, and that the ball was not being placed correctly. Feng Shanshan said, Dad, you don't know how Coach Gary taught me, and you don't know what's good and what's bad. She gave her father two options, either go and learn how to be a coach from a coach, or just be a dad. After Feng Shanshan's father heard this, he said, I'll still be a father.

's once stern father gradually retreated behind the scenes, and Feng Shanshan, 20, is used to insisting on herself and taking responsibility for her own choices and decisions. When

played in the LPGA for three and a half years, Feng Shanshan doubted whether she could win the championship in this high-level professional arena. So she took the qualifying exam for the Japanese Tour, hoping to participate in more events to grow herself. On the Japanese Tour in 2011, Feng Shanshan finally won her first championship as a professional golfer - the Meiji Cup of the Japan Women's Tour. "After winning that game, I felt my whole body broke free. I realized how to win the game. It turns out that I can win even in the high-level professional arena."

Feng Shanshan became the No. 1 golf major in mainland China People

Throughout 2012, Feng Shanshan was on a tear, winning six championships in a row, including the Grand Slam LPGA Championship. In that match, Feng Shanshan's opponents included Zeng Yani, who was ranked No. 1 in the world at the time, and Stie, who was ranked No. Stacy Lewis, etc., she said in a post-match interview that Li Na's victory in the French Open has set off a tennis boom in China, and she hopes that by winning the championship herself, more Chinese people will know the sport of golf. After the

LPGA Championship, Feng Shanshan's world ranking jumped to fifth, and her commercial value soared. The Americans nicknamed Feng Shanshan "Jenny Money", Jenny is her English name, and "Money" is because she is always at the forefront of the tour money list - in 2013 she won the LPGA championship with the most lucrative CME Championship, and got a single-game championship bonus of 700,000 US dollars. From the 2013 to 2015 season, Feng Shanshan's annual income was 3.6 million, 4.5 million and 4.5 million US dollars, of which the annual commercial income was 1.6 million US dollars, 2.8 million US dollars and 3 million US dollars, both in terms of amount and percentage of total income. are increasing year by year.

On the eve of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Feng Shanshan's sponsors reached 13, including Buick, Reignwood, Honma Golf, Kumho Tire, China Trust, Omega Watches, etc. A reporter at

once asked her a question: If you had to choose one, would you win an Olympic gold medal or a Grand Slam title? Feng Shanshan said that her answer at the time was that she would definitely choose the Olympic gold medal, because the Olympic Games are only once every four years, but the Grand Slams are played five times a year.

For golfers, the Olympics were a distant dream, because golf was not an Olympic sport for more than a hundred years, until the 2016 Rio Olympics,Golf returns to the Olympic family after 112 years. It was Feng Shanshan's first time participating in the Olympic Games, and it was also the first time that a Chinese golfer set foot on the Olympic field.

In Rio, Feng Shanshan won the bronze medal. She was very excited when she walked off the field, and put on the national flag to circle the field for a week. This was a major breakthrough for Feng Shanshan herself and for Chinese golf. In an interview with USA Today,

said: "If a golfer, a Chinese golfer, can win an Olympic gold medal, or an Olympic medal, it will bring glory to China, make us proud, and It may change people's attitudes (to golf)."

I am the "guinea pig" of Chinese golf.

In November 2017, which is the 11th year of becoming a professional player, Feng Shanshan's world ranking has increased from more than 600 climbers ten years ago. Climbed to No. 1 in the world and held the No. 1 position for 5 months.

When she made history in 2012, the vast majority of Chinese people did not know what a golf Grand Slam title was or what an 18-hole 72 really meant, and she was the only player from mainland China on the PGA Tour. Up to now, Chinese golfers have reported good news on major tours.

Lin Xiyu, a Chinese player who is also competing in the LPGA, once said in an interview with The Paper that she is Feng Shanshan's "little fan girl". "Since the first day I played, Shanshan has been my role model. Shanshan's dad was the one who brought me into the golf world. The first person I saw on the practice range was Shanshan...she didn't just play by herself. Playing well, it has made a lot of positive impact on the entire Chinese golf game, becoming the target and idol of many children, and helping many players on the tour, which is also the responsibility I hope to achieve."

Climbing up step by step, people have more expectations for Feng Shanshan, whether it is for the sport or the development of this industry in China. But Feng Shanshan has a clear understanding of this. "When I was still an athlete, the biggest contribution I could make to this project was actually to play my own ball. Of course, I have gained a lot from this sport, and we should also undertake some corresponding responsibilities and obligations. But I, as a specific athlete, let everyone see on the international stage that Chinese athletes can win the championship, see the Chinese flag at the forefront of the rankings, and in the Olympics, Chinese athletes can stand on the podium. It's the greatest contribution I can personally make to this industry." The impact of

is real. Before the Rio Olympics, in 2015, there were less than 3,000 young players registered by the China High School Association. After the Tokyo Olympics, this number has exceeded 100,000.

​​In the past few years, a lot of young people started to study or engage in this project, but Feng Shanshan felt that the influence was not enough, and maybe Chinese golf still needs an Olympic gold medal. She postponed her retirement plan and wanted to try harder to represent China in another Olympics.

"Everyone says I'm a leader in golf, and I see it this way - I'm a little guinea pig. I've found the road ahead for everyone, and everyone can stop detours in the future." Feng Shanshan once said Rilakkuma Sports said so.

Feng Shanshan's effect continues

As the most accomplished golfer in China, Feng Shanshan established Shanshan Sports in 2014 with golf teaching and training as its main business. Since then, Shanshan Sports has continuously expanded the space outside the field from studio to campus golf promotion to full-time academy. In May 2017, the full-time Feng Shanshan Golf-Nansha Academy was completed, becoming another development direction of Shanshan Sports.

Feng Shanshan told Rilakkuma Sports at the time that there are two considerations for the establishment of an academy: first, China's golf foundation is weak, and she hopes to cultivate strength from the grassroots; More children will take fewer detours and can receive international high-level education at home.

"I'm aware of all the financial sacrifices my parents made to get me to play golf -- I don't want other families to have that experience," she said.

After the Shaanxi National Games last year, the national team found Feng Shanshan, hoping that she could serve as the head coach to train young players. Feng Shanshan also felt that she had a lot of good things in her body that she wanted to extract, so she took a month of training to try it out to see if she was a good person.Can a player become a good coach. It feels good to try it out, "The overseas advanced and scientific training methods, combined with my own experience as a young player born and raised in China to reach the top of the world, I combined my experience and experience to form a set that is most suitable for our Chinese players. A set of teaching training system." Feng Shanshan said.

Feng Shanshan feels that being a coach is not just a matter of her personal preferences. "You have to ask me if I want to be a coach in the future. I can tell everyone very directly and absolutely: I don't want to." Feng Shanshan said, "Because I think I can do too many things, and many coaches can do it. Do, I can play my usefulness in other aspects, but I have the responsibility and obligation to continue to do this. Besides, what I should do in the future is actually still in the process of precipitation.”

Right now The rhythm of life, if there is anything special, there is only one more thing than before: weight loss. In the past, the domestic media gave Feng Shanshan the nickname "National Treasure Shan", probably because of the image of the panda - Feng Shanshan was always smiling and talking freely, and was liked by golf media all over the world. In the era of

, Feng Shanshan tried to lose weight. One winter, she tried to lose more than 20 pounds, but when she returned to the court, she could no longer play, and she lost her former strength. When I gained weight, my grades gradually recovered. So at that time, she gave herself an excuse not to lose weight deliberately, "and I didn't think I was not good-looking at that time, I thought fat people were cute," Feng Shanshan said, "but now I'm getting older. , If you maintain a relatively heavy weight for a long time, it is not particularly good for your health. There are still many possibilities for me in the future, but first of all, I want to have a healthy body, so with this starting point, I did weight loss The decision.” The

golf season is underway, and Feng Shanshan occasionally watches the game at home, but she doesn’t miss the days of playing all over the world. "You now let me choose to play in bad weather with wind, sun and rain, and I'm not willing to do so. My life as a professional player has turned over. But looking back, I still enjoy those days very much. Yes."

She said that the 18-hole golf course is full of uncertainty, and each golf course has different terrain and obstacles. After playing 18 holes, it is like living a life. This process is full of ups and downs, full of unknowns and obstacles. challenge. She likes it very much.

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