Leix Thompson’s 29-year-old retirement announcement has shocked the golf world—and the US Solheim Cup team in particular.
The Florida player, who is well-known in the women’s game, decided to announce her intention to retire at the end of the current season while getting ready to compete in this week’s US Women’s Open.
In many ways, this is the right competition for her to shock her sport, just as it did at her national championship when, at the age of twelve, she stunned everyone by becoming the youngest player to ever qualify for the event.
It is time, even though saying goodbye is never easy. I will be stepping away at the end of 2024,” Thompson posted on Instagram. “I’m eager to enjoy the rest of the year because I still have a few goals to complete.” I’m excited for what lies ahead in my life.
Despite having a few below-average years by her own standards, Thompson is currently ranked 54th after peaking at second place in 2014 after winning the Kraft Nabisco and Chevon Championship. It is not surprising to find her widely priced at 100-1 in the tournament in which she will be competing for an incredible 18th time since her historic debut, given her current streak of three consecutive missed cuts and lack of an LPGA Tour victory in five years. That remains her only major victory.
Stacey Lewis, the US Solheim Cup captain, still thinks highly of Lexi, even though it is obvious that she is not the Lexi of old who scored twelve previous top-three finishes in the majors. It will be interesting to see if Lewis chooses Lexi again for the match in Washington, DC, in September. Lewis used Thompson as a wildcard for the match in Spain last year despite her dismal performance, and her gamble paid off as she picked up three points from her four games.
In the end, the US had to watch Europe win the Cup for a record third time, although the away team would not have been left with the 14-14 tie if Thompson had not prevailed over Emily Kristine Pedersen in the bottom singles. Since making her Solehim debut in 2013, no player in the Stars and Stripes has won more points than Thompson, and as America attempts to reestablish its dominance, she will undoubtedly be missed.
A few weeks after the Solheim, Thompson gave another demonstration of her abilities when she almost missed the cut in a Las Vegas PGA Tour event. Actually, her career has been more well-known for its heartbreaking setbacks than for its spectacular achievements, even if it began with a major turning point when she became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour at the age of 16.
Most infamously, Thompson lost a five-shot lead on Sunday in the US Women’s Open four years after she was given a four-shot penalty when leading in the final round of the 2017 Kraft Nabisco due to a contentious rule infraction the day before.
Everyone was taken aback by the news, especially Nelly Korda, Thompson’s teammate. The world No. 1 is attempting to win her maiden US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. It would be her second major title in a row and her sixth triumph in her previous seven competitions.
However, the fact that Korda was asked about the 15-time winner during her news conference speaks something about Thompson’s notoriety.
“To be honest, I heard about fifteen minutes ago,” Korda remarked. “I’ve played for our nation on the team with Lexi a few times. The fact that she is departing and won’t be spending time with us here is disappointing.
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