I haven’t heard much from Yinbee Park lately. She hasn’t played in an LPGA event since her AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield in August, and her social presence on her media gives us a closer look at her life. I can not do it. Well, usually not. But on Monday, her 21-time LPGA winner announced some big news: she and her husband are expecting her first child.
Park, a seven-time major champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist, wrote: Thank you for all your support and love. ”
Park, 34, didn’t reveal her due date, but maternity leave while on tour has never been better. Current Tour rules stipulate that players can take up to two years off. When you return, you will have the same status as when you started your vacation. The policy went into effect in 2019, thanks in part to his other LPGA players with children. Karine Icher has worked hard to change her policies so that Tour pros don’t see their careers ruined by taking time after giving birth.
Similarly, Stacey Lewis worked with the USGA in 2019 to help update the governing body’s maternity policy regarding championships. Petitioned the USGA to play in the U.S. Women’s Open at a country club in South Carolina. Lewis took time off after giving birth, so even though her world ranking meant she was ranked high enough to automatically qualify when she took maternity leave, she No longer fully exempt from championships. The USGA accepted Lewis’ petition and updated her maternity leave policy. If a player is currently on maternity leave and was waived from participating in the U.S. Women’s Open, she will be waived the following year.