“Although this has been an amazing journey, it hasn’t always been an easy one,” Lexi Thompson’s open letter on May 28 began, as she announced to the world about her retirement. And since then the community has made sure to pay close attention to the 29-year-old as she inches toward the final days of her professional golf career, with Thompson’s latest post serving as the perfect reminder of her popularity. But before we get to that..

Ahead of hanging up her clubs next year, Thompson is currently knee-deep in a new challenge—The ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge event being held from November 13-17 at the Pelican Golf Club, where the Navistar LPGA Classic winner will compete against some tough competitors. Not only is Nelly Korda set to challenge her, but 2023 winner Lilia Vu, Lydia Ko, Hannah Green, Ruoning Yin, Ryu Hae-ran,  Charley Hull, and Atthaya Thitikul, among others, will be there too. Notably, the lineup includes 18 of the top 25 LPGA Players in the world, six of whom are the top 6 pros in the current LPGA standings. The penultimate event of the season will be played for a $3,250,000 purse, so it surely is going to be quite the steep challenge for the soon-to-retire golfer. And not to mention WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark’s participation will serve as the icing on the cake!

For the unversed: The Iowa Hawkeyes star is playing as a special guest of Gainbridge as part of Parity Week. As per LPGA’s professional website, the 22-year-old spent the first nine of her pro-am playing alongside Rolex Rankings No. 1 Korda, and World Golf Hall of Famer and tournament namesake, Annika Sorenstam. “It was so fun…Getting to see (Nelly and Annika) do what they do up front, people would pay for that. I got to do it for free and have fun with them. Definitely a fun morning. I feel very thankful that Gainbridge had me out here. Obviously, their support of women’s sports is tremendous. Very lucky and fortunate. Hung in there, did alright. It was a good day,” Clark mentioned, gaining the right kind of attention.

But also doing that is Thompson as he managed to draw all the eyeballs on Pro-am eve. She seemed to have already reached the venue, and even attended a party in a dazzling bodycon. The 29-year-old LPGA icon posted a selfie on her Instagram handle captioning, “Pro am party time.” The official tournament website lists an offsite event in the evening. The Pelican Celebration started at 6 PM, but like the Leadership Summit, it is also a private event. 

Thompson is reportedly returning from an injury hiatus. She was missing in action after the Walmart Arkansas Championship in late September. The ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge is also likely the first of her last three appearances this year. Only the top 60 and ties make it to the season-ending CME Group Tour championship. Lexi Thompson is 49 before teeing off at Pelican Country Club. 

She is also slated to tee off in the Grant Thornton Invitational in December. But now it’s not her on-course performance or her forthcoming future that interests fans. All they can think about is the one-time major winner at the pro-am party.

Fans go gaga over Lexi Thompson’s party avatar

It’s not the first time that Thompson floored golf fans. Last month, the 2014 Kraft Nabisco (Chevron Championship) winner was inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame. She appeared in a similar bodycon dress there as well.

“Pure beauty,” commented one user at that time. The comments under her post this time will surely make Lexi Thompson blush. “Smoking Hot!!!,” read one of those comments. Another user wrote, “Simply drop dead gorgeous!” Some even went further.

Recently, Nelly Korda has caused quite a sensation among netizens thanks to her swimsuit avatar. Now fans are clamoring for a Lexi Thompson edition as well. The 29-year-old has no modeling plans after retirement. Regardless, some sure would love it. “SI swimsuit Edition and Victoria Secret Runway….next!! Wow,” one user wrote.

Notably, Thompson was also at a Justin Timberlake concert recently. She shared some snippets from the show on her Instagram handle. “What an amazing night getting to see @justintimberlake perform! And a little shoutout/ golf swing mid-show made the night 😂🙈,” she wrote on her Instagram handle. One user, who was also in the concert, commented, “Wanted to say it was so nice to see you having a great time at Justin’s concert! Unchecked, balanced, beautifully all natural.”

The ANNIKA might turn out to be her last competitive appearance this year. Lexi Thompson announced that she won’t play full-time next year. Rather, the 11-time LPGA Tour winner would focus on her fitness app and is likely to settle down and have a family. A fellow Broward country native commented, “Will miss you but enjoy your next adventure.”

Having said that, Thompson will pair up with Morgane Metraux on the Wednesday Pro-AM with three amateurs in her group. They will tee off at 12.10 PM local time.