Jones continued playing on the LPGA tour through the middle of the 2006 season, when she retired after recurring back and neck problems made it difficult for her to perform at the level she demanded of herself. During her two final years, her partner, Carrie Sexton, was by her side as her caddie.

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Jones's last appearance on the LPGA tour was in the 2006 U.S. Women's Open. It was the twenty-fifth time that she had competed in that event. After putting out at the eighteenth hole on the final day, she removed her golf shoes and glove and set them near the side of the green to symbolize her departure.

But Jones was far from done with golf. She joined the LPGA Legends Tour, on which she is enjoying success, including a victory at the Wendy's Charity Challenge in Jackson, Michigan in August 2007, when, characteristically, she made a tricky putt on the last hole to bring home the win.

Jones has expanded her role with Olivia from guest celebrity on cruises to the leader of RosieJones [sic] Golf Getaways, special tours on which Jones takes lesbian golfers "to play all those courses in the world [that she] never got to because [she] was on tour so much."

Jones has also continued her association with golf by becoming a commentator and reporter on events telecast on the Golf Channel network.

While she has yet to define herself as an activist, Jones is doing her part to increase the visibility of the glbtq community. Among her activities was an appearance with basketball star Sheryl Swoopes at the Women's Kickoff Party at the Gay Games in Chicago in 2006.

On that occasion she stated, "Men and women, young and old, everyone has come up to me and said, 'Thanks,' and that I've been such a positive force for the LGBT community, and that really means a lot to me because I really haven't been able to give back a lot to the gay community, but this is a way I can do that."

Jones was honored with induction into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in January 2006.

Jones and Sexton reside in Atlanta, along with their mixed-breed dog, Rosko, whom Jones adopted from a shelter. Jones has described her hobbies as gardening, home improvement, fishing, and woodworking: "You know, regular lesbian stuff. I have the Home Depot credit card."

"Coming out" is the revelation or acknowledgment that one is a member of a sexual minority, a process that is at once personal and social and often political.

While sports, at least on the major competitive level, may be the final closet for gay men, there have nevertheless been a number of gay male elite athletes.

Although lesbians and athletics have long been identified with each other, lesbian athletes, despite great achievements, still face numerous obstacles.

Closeted throughout his professional basketball career, John Amaechi is the first player from the National Basketball Association to acknowledge that he is gay; since coming out, he has become an eloquent spokesman for glbtq rights.

Despite all her triumphs, Mildred "Babe" Didrikson, one of the greatest women athletes in history, was taunted by charges of "mannishness" and "unnaturalness."

A quadrennial sporting and cultural event designed for the glbtq community, the Gay Games has become a lucrative attraction for host cities.

One of the few elite glbtq athletes to come out publicly while still competing, Amélie Mauresmo has held the number one ranking of the Women's Tennis Association.

One of the greatest tennis players in history, Martina Navratilova has become an outspoken supporter of gay and lesbian rights.

Hall of Fame golfer Patty Sheehan, who came out as a lesbian at the height of her career, continues to excel on the LPGA Legends tour.

In 2005 basketball star and three-time Olympic champion Sheryl Swoopes publicly came out as a lesbian and acknowledged her committed relationship with another woman.