Former Ryder Cup player surprisingly withdraws from LIV Golf qualifying event to retire

Instead of trying to revitalize his career with LIV Golf, a familiar face to many European golf fans has called it quits.

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson is calling it quits.

Dubuisson changed his mind after entering his name to compete in the LIV Golf Qualifying Event in Abu Dhabi this week. According to French newspaper L’Equipe, he decided to retire at the age of 33.

“I feel like I’ve reached my limit, but I know that I can find joy elsewhere. I’m sure of that,” Dubuisson said.

“Many people will say I could have done more, I could have been number one in the world.” But I’m quite happy with my career. I don’t always live with regrets. Looking back at where I started and where I am now, I can say I’m very happy.

The Frenchman played on the victorious 2014 Ryder Cup team, earning 2.5 points for the Europeans. Only Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell and Dubousisson didn’t lose a game that week at Gleneagles in Scotland.

The following February, Dubuisson moved up the ranking to his 15th place, the highest of his career. That year, he played in all four major tournaments, but missed the cut in three of them. He finished 18th at the PGA Championship at Whistling Strait.

But in his only Ryder Cup appearance, Dubuisson looked like one of the best European golfers in the world. He finished ninth at the British Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, followed by seventh at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, both won by Rory McIlroy.

However, the Cannes, France native has struggled to adjust to life on the PGA Tour, which may explain why he struggled in the United States throughout his 2015 season.

He felt more comfortable playing on the European Tour by splitting his time between the two circuits. Dubuisson won the 2015 Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya in the fall.

As a result, he lost his PGA Tour card after the 2015 season and ended up playing only on the European Tour for 2016 and his 2017.

However, Dubuisson struggled to gain momentum in the following years, and his victory on the Turkish Riviera in 2015 was his last professional win. He finished 287th in the Race to Dubai standings after the 2022 season and lost his DP World Tour card. For this reason, his name appeared among the first participants of the LIV Golf Qualifying Event.

However, Dubuisson stopped completely and decided to go in a different direction instead.

“It’s life. For me, it’s not an end,” Dubuisson added.

“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.”