"It's always hard to say good-bye"- Marina Alex gets emotional after announcing surprise retirement

At the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship, Marina Alex played her final round on Sunday. The American professional golfer shot 66 in the final round to score 66-76-68-66 and finish T12 along with fellow American golfer Jennifer Kupcho, South Korean Jin Young Ko, and French national Celine Boutier.

After the tournament's end, Marina Alex attended a press conference at the Tiburon Golf Club, which hosted the CME Group Tour Championship. During this press conference, the 34-year-old professional golfer spoke about her emotions about saying goodbye to the sport of golf.

Marina Alex said:

"Yeah, it's hard. Everything -- it's always hard to say good-bye. I know this is what I want and it's the right decision for me right now. That doesn't change the fact that this is a life that I built for the last 11 years out here and golf has been my life since I've been a kid. So we're about to enter a new world of a new identity. It's great, but change is never easy."

In her professional career as a golfer, Marina Alex registered two wins, which came on the LPGA Tour. While her first win came at the Cambia Portland Classic in 2018, her next win on the tour came four years later when she won the Palos Verdes Championship in 2022.

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How much did Marina Alex earn at the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship?

The 2024 CME Group Tour Championship had a total purse of $11,000,000. While the largest share of this purse went to the tournament winner Jeeno Thitikul, who earned $4,000,000, Marina Alex earned $94,000 for her T12 finish. Here is a detailed look at the payout for the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship:

• 1 Jeeno Thitikul $4,000,000
• 2 Angel Yin $1,000,000
• 3 Lydia Ko $550,000
• 4 Ruoning Yin $350,000
• T5 Nelly Korda $227,500
• T5 Narin An $227,500
• 7 Nataliya Guseva $155,000
• T8 Brooke Henderson $119,125
• T8 Amy Yang $119,125
• T8 Ayaka Furue $119,125
• T8 Hye-Jin Choi $119,125
• T12 Marina Alex $94,000
• T12 Jennifer Kupcho $94,000
• T12 Jin Young Ko $94,000
• T12 Celine Boutier $94,000
• T16 Ally Ewing $84,500
• T16 Lucy Li $84,500
• T16 Charley Hull $84,500
• T19 Ariya Jutanugarn $80,167
• T19 Mi Hyang Lee $80,167
• T19 Hannah Green $80,167
• T22 Megan Khang $77,000
• T22 Ryann O’Toole $77,000
• T22 Linn Grant $77,000
• T25 Mao Saigo $73,000
• T25 Grace Kim $73,000
• T25 Yealimi Noh $73,000
• T25 Albane Valenzuela $73,000
• T25 A Lim Kim $73,000
• T30 Sei Young Kim $68,500
• T30 Minjee Lee $68,500
• T30 Chanettee Wannasaen $68,500
• T30 Pajaree Anannarukarn $68,500
• T30 Jasmine Suwannapura $68,500
• T35 Gabriela Ruffels $64,750
• T35 Allisen Corpuz $64,750
• T35 Haeran Ryu $64,750
• T35 Hyo Joo Kim $64,750
• T35 Linnea Strom $64,750
• T40 Lilia Vu $62,250
• T40 Xiyu Lin $62,250
• T42 Leona Maguire $60,750
• T42 Jin Hee Im $60,750
• T42 Andrea Lee $60,750
• T42 Esther Henseleit $60,750
• T46 Carlota Ciganda $59,000
• T46 Sarah Schmelzel $59,000
• T46 Nanna Koerstz Madsen $59,000
• T49 Yuka Saso $57,583
• T49 Maja Stark $57,583
• T49 Lexi Thompson $57,583
• T52 Lauren Coughlin $56,750
• T52 Arpichaya Yubol $56,750
• T52 Rose Zhang $56,750
• T55 Jenny Shin $56,000
• T55 Moriya Jutanugarn $56,000
• T55 Nasa Hataoka $56,000
• 58 Bailey Tardy $55,500
• 59 Madelene Sagstrom $55,250
• 60 Patty Tavatanakit $55,000