Victor Dubuisson, the former Ryder Cup champion, has hung up his clubs at the tender age of 33, expressing regret for not retiring earlier.
The Frenchman officially stepped away from professional golf seven months ago to focus on a coaching career. Despite being tempted by a lucrative offer from LIV Golf, Dubuisson chose to honour his year-long commitment to his coaching project and declined, hoping another player would benefit from the opportunity instead.
Speaking to Bunkered, Dubuisson revealed: "[LIV] offered me an invite at the last minute. I had many, many plans for coaching and it was difficult to throw it all away. One year of preparation for this project and I didn't want to again be in between two things. That's why I didn't take the invite. I prefer that another guy got the invite and used it well."
Now based in Tenerife, Dubuisson is dedicated to mentoring golfers at his new facility, tailoring programs to enhance their skills.
Turning pro in 2010, Dubuisson climbed to world number 15 without clinching a major title, though he boasts three wins on the European and French tours.
His crowning glory came with Team Europe's victory in the 2014 Ryder Cup. However, as his passion waned, culminating in withdrawals from 15 tournaments over his last three seasons, Dubuisson found solace in retirement.
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Dubuisson has opened up about his career crossroads, confessing: "I was always stuck between coaching and playing. I didn't want to go to tournaments... I was feeling good with my game, but I was just feeling bad with all the travelling and I felt like I wanted to do something else. I was not mentally in a good place."
The golfer revealed his discontent, stating: "I knew I was not happy anymore with this life. After 13 years I was tired of it and wanted to have a different life."
He elaborated on his new focus: "I have the same mentality for coaching as I did for golf when I was at the top. I don't just do it to spend the time. I have really big targets and motivation. For me, it's not a job. It's the same mentality as competition. Now I could become one of the main coaches in Europe, not really for a professional but for every level."
