On Tuesday afternoon Tiffany Joh shared that this week’s 2021 Marathon LPGA Classic will be the final event she plays in her 10 year LPGA career. She will start a coaching job at the end of this month.
Joh, an avid surfer and burrito connoisseur who makes her home in San Diego, explained part of her thought process.
“This is my 10th year on the LPGA Tour, 12th year as a professional golfer.. It takes me 40 minutes of foam rolling in the morning to just feel like a human body again. And at the same time I would love to be home a little bit more. And I think when it comes down to it, the more I travel and the more people I meet. Playing golf tournaments and Majors is awesome, it’s such a great experience, but I think when it comes to what is important to me, at least now, it’s things like making human connections and building relationships, and growing the game. So for me, I think it was sort of a natural progression.”
In January of 2017 Tiff was diagnosed with melanoma. She had surgery removing the cancer from her scalp, and remarkably was back on the LPGA Tour competing by March of 2017.
More recently Joh was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. She was the first ever four-time All-American at UCLA.
Joh said, “It was such an honor. I think about my time at UCLA, and you know, my time as a student athlete under Coach Carrie and it really molded me as a person. Not even as a golfer.. Taking all that stuff off the table, like, just as a human being it really helped me grow.”
Heading into this week Joh has 6 career Top-10’s on the LPGA.
She leaves a legacy of perseverance, unmatched charisma, and is one of the most beloved players to ever tee it up on the LPGA Tour.
I’ve had the great opportunity to watch and get to know Tiff since 2017, she is one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met, and this is a sentiment shared by everyone who has spent any time with her.
I have no doubt she will succeed in this next chapter, change the lives of those she coaches for the better, and I wish her all the best in all her future endeavors.
