LPGA Tour winner Nicole Castrale announces 

her retirement at 36 due to injuries

FROM GOLF CHANNEL.COM

By Randall Mell

Nicole Castrale, an LPGA winner and two-time U.S. Solheim Cup veteran, announced her retirement on Twitter and Instagram on Thursday morning.
Castrale, 36, has battled injuries much of her career. She has had two surgeries on her left shoulder, two on her right shoulder and hip surgery. A lingering back injury that required surgery in November ultimately led to her decision to retire.
“After multiple surgeries, dedication, determination and successful comebacks, my most recent setback is something that, unfortunately, I simply can’t overcome,” Castrale wrote on Instagram.
Castrale won the LPGA’s Ginn Tribute in 2007 and played on the U.S. Solheim Cup teams in 2007 and 2009. She will continue to do television work for Golf Channel as a studio analyst and on-course reporter.
“I’ve had ample time to reflect over the last two years as I played here and there trying to get back to the form that made me an LPGA winner and two-time Solheim Cup team member,” Castrale wrote. “I can say happily that my dream of playing golf at the highest level did actually come true.
“I have also now come to grips with the reality that dreams can be shattered when your body won’t let you compete at the level you have become accustomed to ... I know that I’ve had a wonderful career as a player and I am at peace with the idea that my full-time playing days are now over.”