Lexi Thompson announces her retirement when most of her peers are at the midway point. But the 11-time LPGA tour winner has seen more summers on the greens than some of them combined. This will be her 18th straight US Women’s Open appearance. She turned 29 this February. 

Unlike another young prodigy, Lydia Ko, Thompson hasn’t talked about retirement previously. But that makes her decision no less pre-planned. She has partnered with a handful of local businesses here in Lancaster. Thompson hopes to kick start her fitness app by this year; it’s a passion the world knows well about.

Answering a question on post-retirement plans, Thompson said, “No, of course I’ve thought about it. I’m super into fitness. Hopefully I’ll have my Lexi Fitness app up and going very soon. And just enjoying life.” But that’s not all she is thinking about now. Lexi Thompson still has unfinished business to attend to at the top tier of professional golf.

Asked what some of her goals are in the next six months—the LPGA Tour will end with the CME Group Tour Championship on November 24—Thompson doesn’t think for a bit. She has one. To don the classic red, white, and blue of Team USA.

“Number one is to definitely be on the Solheim Cup team. Huge honor just to represent my country and play alongside the team there and my captain; definitely that.” If Thompson gets a chance, this will be their seventh Solheim Cup appearance. 

Yes, her form doesn’t exactly bolster this dream. Thompson’s last victory on the LPGA Tour came five years ago. This season, the 29-year-old has made only two cuts in her six appearances. T3 and T16 glitter on a pale resume. But, Thompson assures, “Every tournament I tee it up, I want to win still. Doesn’t matter what position I’m at, I want to win and just enjoy the ride and keep on seeing the improvements.”

Last year, the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship winner raked in 3 points from four outings at Finca Cortesin. In total, Lexi Thompson has 12.5 points from 23 Solheim Cup matches, including foursomes, fourballs and singles. She wants to add a few more before waving her last goodbye.

Solheim Cup has been on the back of her mind for some time now. She has had a long journey. At 29, Lexi Thompson knows better than to feign toughness on the outside. The 11-time LPGA Tour winner, once the youngest ever to win on Tour, admits mental health does play a pivotal role in an athlete’s journey. 

Lexi Thompson admits she has struggled

“Everybody out here has their own struggles. That’s what I always say. Just don’t judge anybody because you don’t know what they’re going through and what they have going on in their mind and their heart and just be gentle with them,” Lexi Thompson couldn’t finish these sentences in one go, pausing to catch the words in between. 

The World is yet to get over the Grayson Murray tragedy. That isn’t brought up but you can sense the PGA Tour Pro’s overture on the conversations. “I will say, yes, I’ve struggled with it. I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t. It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad,” the 29-year-old told the presspersons at Lancaster Country Club.  

Thompson has thought about retiring at different points in her career. But the U.S. Women’s Open is where it all started. This isn’t where it’ll end. But certainly, the process has been kick-started here. But let that not delude you into believing she will rest on her laurels in the last leg of the garlanded career. Lexi Thompson has Robert Trent Jones Golf Club firmly set on her mind.