At a time when Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have tried to figure out how to retire from tournament golf, Rosie Jones thought she had it made.
The 13-time winner has said this would be her final year on the United States LPGA Tour, and it appeared to be a perfectly scripted farewell. Jones was competitive enough to be runner-up at a major championship and earn a spot on her sixth US Solheim Cup team, for which she went 1-2-0 as the US won.
But it’s no longer that simple.
”I don’t know how clean of a break it’s going to be,” Jones said as she left Crooked Stick.
Part of the problem is that Jones (45) tied for 19th in the US Women’s Open. The top 20 are exempt from qualifying, so Jones will play next year at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.
”I’ll probably play a few tournaments in the summer to get ready,” Jones said. Then pausing, she added, ”The question is how much am I going to dedicate myself to play.”
She said she now might play 10 times, but not a full schedule. She will not set any goals, such as trying to earn Solheim Cup points or finishing in the top 30 to get into the ADT Championship.
”I’m going to go out slower than I anticipated,” Jones said with a smile.
Jones, on the tour since 1982, is considered the best player never to have won a major. She has been runner-up three times, at the 1984 US Women’s Open, 2000 du Maurier Classic, and this year’s Nabisco Championship. – Sapa-AP