The 29-year-old made the stunning decision ahead of this week’s US Women’s Open, which will be her 18th consecutive start at the championship. In a video share to social media, Thompson wrote a ‘letter’ to the game of golf explaining her decision to walk away from it. “While it is never easy to say goodbye, it is indeed time,” said Thompson. “At the end of 2024, I will be stepping away from a full professional golf schedule.
“I’m excited to enjoy the remainder of the year as there are still goals I want to accomplish. I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life. Time with family, friends, and my trusted companion, Leo.” Hours later, she held a press conference at Lancaster Golf Club in in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home of the 2024 US Women’s Open. Thompson fought back tears as she discussed her retirement plans.
“Being out here can be a lot, it can be lonely, sorry if I get emotional, I said I wasn’t going to,” the teary golf star. “I just think especially with what’s happened in golf as of recent too, a lot of people don’t realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete. She added: “We’re not perfect, we’re humans, words hurt, and it’s hard to overcome sometimes… a lot of people don’t know what we go through and the amount of training and hard work that we put ourselves through. It’s a lot, and I think we deserve a lot more credit than what we get.”
When asked about her future outside of golf, she revealed that family and fitness are high on her agenda. “Of course I’ve thought about it. I’m super into fitness so hopefully I have my Lexi fitness app up and going very soon… Just enjoying life, family is huge for me, so I hope to have a family one day and just really enjoy every experience of that.” Thompson won 15 times on the LPGA Tour, but only one major at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship – now renamed the Chevron Championship – when she was just 19.
She was 12 when she set the record as the youngest ever qualifier for the US Women’s Open in 2007. Thompson also set an LPGA Tour record as the youngest winner when she captured the Navistar LPGA Classic at age 16. The American has represented her country in six Solheim Cups as well as two Olympic Games and has been runner-up at four other majors. Thompson has gone nearly five years since her last LPGA victory but did win a Ladies European Tour event in 2022.
In 2018, she took a break from golf after ‘struggling emotionally’ for a year and a half. She spoke about the mental difficulties of the game this week, just days after PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray tragically took his own life. “I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t,” she said. “It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.” The golf star also alluded to those difficulties in her retirement announcement video released on Tuesday.
“Since I was 12-years-old, my life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of constant attention, scrutiny and pressure,” she said. “The cameras are always on, capturing every swing and every moment on and off the golf course. “Social media never sleeps with comments and criticisms flooding in from around the world. It can be exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside. “By opening up about my own battles, I’ve been able to connect with others who feel isolated in their struggles, offering them a sense of community and understanding.
“Each time I share, it reinforces the message that it’s okay to not be okay and that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
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