On Thursday, at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla., I will make the 332nd start of my LPGA career.

I will approach this tournament with the same goal that I have set for myself in every event I’ve entered since joining the tour in 2001: win. That is the sole reason I continue to play out here; I have accomplished all my professional, financial and philanthropic goals.

Except, this time, something will be different. I will be making the first start of my final LPGA season.

I actually had planned to retire in 2010, when I was 27. My body was done, my back shot. Four surgeries later, my back feels fantastic — it’s strong and pain free. But the lingering issues, which started in 2006, have led me to realize I’ll never be the player I was. My back limits my practice time to a maximum of three hours per day and keeps me from competing on courses with deep rough and uneven lies. A routine like that might work for some, but, for me, I can’t give my best unless I play regularly. If I can’t give my best, I don’t want to be out there. I’m a professional athlete. I have pride.