29 May 2024 , 04:00
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LPGA superstar Lexi Thompson has sensationally announced her intention to retire from professional golf at the end of the 2024 season.
Ahead of competing in this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, Thompson took to social media to share a ‘letter’ to the game where she detailed her reasons for deciding to call time on her remarkable career. Her appearance at the Lancaster Country Club will be her 18th consecutive start in the U.S. Women’s Open, first qualifying for the major when she was just 12 years old back in 2007.
“Since I was 12 years old, my life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of constant attention, scrutiny and pressure,” Thompson said. “The cameras are always on, capturing every swing and every moment on and off the golf course.
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“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.
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“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.”
The 29-year-old added: “While it is never easy to say goodbye, it is indeed time.”
Lexi Thompson will retire at the end of the season, ending her professional career at the age of just 29 (Getty Images)Thompson became a household name in the sport when she became the youngest golfer to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open aged 12. She held the record until 2014, when 11-year-old Lucy Li burst onto the scene.
In 2010, Thompson - at just 15 - turned professional, successfully calling on the LPGA for a waiver of the rule that members must be at least 18 years old. In September 2011, she made history when she became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA event. Thompson surpassed this achievement in 2014; aged 19, she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship to stand as the second-youngest LPGA golfer to ever win a major.
But she failed to add to her major titles since then, tallying four runner-up finishes and another four third-place finishes. In 2018, Thompson withdrew from the Ricoh Women’s British Open and took a month-long leave from the LPGA. She returned later in the year, winning the CME Group Tour Championship.
Thompson continued her pioneering journey in October last year, becoming the seventh woman to feature on the PGA Tour when she entered the Shriners Children’s Open. She agonisingly missed the cut despite her admirable performance around TPC at Summerlin in Las Vegas.