“I know I can find pleasure elsewhere” – 33-year-old Victor Dubuisson announces retirement after pulling out of LIV Golf qualifier

Former DP World Tour star and Ryder Cup winner Victor Dubuisson announced his retirement on Tuesday. The Frenchman made the announcement after he pulled out of the week’s LIV Golf Promotions on Monday. The 33-year-old claimed that he had ‘reached his limits’ and would ‘find pleasure elsewhere.’

Dubuisson was on the 2014 European Ryder Cup winning team. He was a regular on the European Tour as well. However, his game declined in the past couple of years due to a series of injuries.

The golfer played only eight events on the DP World Tour last season, withdrawing thrice. Speaking in an interview with France’s L’Equipe, Victor Dubuisson said:

“I feel like I’ve reached my limits and I know I can find pleasure elsewhere, I’m convinced of that… It's life, for me it's not an end. I started from nothing, so I'm extremely satisfied with what I've done. I still see myself as a little kid with my little bag and my Decathlon clubs. I was not predestined to have this career at all.

"I’ve been thinking for a few years about the fact that I’ve given up on my life as a professional golfer for some time… I was finding it more and more difficult to cope with life on tour. I’m turning the page but life goes on.”

While the retirement call may come as a surprise for many, Dubuisson said he was happy with the decision. The 33-year-old stated that he had a good career and didn’t ‘regret’ anything.

“Many people will say that I could have done more and that I could have been world No. 1," Victor Dubuisson added. "But I’m more than happy with it (career). I don’t live in regret all the time. When I look behind me, where I started and where I am, I can tell you that I am very happy.”

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Looking back at Victor Dubuisson's golf career

Victor Dubuisson was born in Cannes, France, in 1990. He burst onto the professional golf scene in 2009 when he won the European Amateur. He became the No. 1 amateur that year.

Dubuisson turned pro in 2010 and competed on the DP World Tour. He quickly made a name for himself by setting the course record at St. Andrews (62) at a European Tour event.

The golfer won the Turkish Airlines Open in 2013 and 2015. His loss to Jason Day in the finals of the 2014 WGC Accenture Match Play Championship also earned him a reputation. Dubuisson was given the nickname “Cactus Kid” at the event because of his heroics in the desert.

He joined the Ryder Cup team later that year and helped the team to victory at Gleneagles in Scotland.

Dubuisson climbed to a career-best 15th in the world rankings in 2015. This was the best-ever ranking position held by a French golfer at the time.

However, he began to drop off soon after. Dubuisson underwent an operation on his sinuses in late 2017 and reportedly perforated an eardrum in 2019. Injuries sidelined him for months after that.

Having played only eight events on the European Tour last season, Victor Dubuisson dropped to 1035th in the world rankings. Following that, he enrolled himself for the LIV Golf Promotions this week in Abu Dhabi.

However, he pulled out of the qualifiers on Monday and has now announced his early-age retirement.