Lexi Thompson announced her retirement from professional golf this weekend. The 2024 US Open for Lexi Thompson was not her best performance, which left the 29-year-old golfer utterly emotional. However, Thompson chose to focus on the positive and shared that her family was present during the event. She even rented a house for the week so that her family could stay there and support her. The official X (formerly Twitter) account of NUCLR Golf shared snippets of her video from the post-round presser on Friday.

When asked if she had anything to say to the 12-year-old Lexi who made her debut in the same tournament, she said, “I would say probably just enjoy life. It’s tough. That’s always a hard question. But I would just say enjoy every single experience, like really just embrace every shot you hit, every tournament you have. Just be grateful for everything that you have in your life. Enjoy every experience that you get to make and just being out here,” with tears in her eyes.

She began the first round with two consecutive bogeys, carding a total of seven of them. She finished at T126. While all the players went on making terrible scores on the twelfth hole, Thompson was one of the very few who carded a birdie on the infamous twelfth hole at the Lancaster Country Club. However, the double bogey on the tenth hole made that score die out. The second round witnessed her carding six bogeys and just one birdie, and she ended up with a 13-over score, missing the cut. The golf community was left completely overwhelmed by her breakdown and hopped on their keyboards to share their support for her.

The golf community calls Lexi Thompson a ‘role model’

Lexi Thompson first teed off at the U.S. Opens when she was just 12 years old and at the Pennsylvania greens she teed off at the same event for the very last time, after making her eighteenth consecutive appearance. She had already announced her retirement earlier this week during the practice round on Tuesday, Fans had wished for a better performance and her presence on all four days of the tournament. One of her followers wrote, “Rough one. Hate to see her retire”.

Lexi Thompson carded only three birdies through the two rounds that she played at the US Women’s Major. To add to that, her 2024 season journey has not been the best one of her career. Among the six events that she participated in, the Rolex No. 54 player missed the cut at four of them, which includes three consecutive cuts in the last three matches. Wondering if it was physical exhaustion or mental exhaustion, one of her fans suggested, “@lexi what is up with her? Needs a break!”

Thompson’s LPGA debut was in 2012, when she was just 17 years old. She has already been a part of the realm of professional golf for more than a decade. Keeping that, in mind, one fan commented, “She’s 29 in actual age, but in competitive golf years, she is more like 49….competitive – anything takes its toll. Once that edge is gone, hard to get it back.”  The 29-year-old already has eleven wins on the LPGA Tour, including one major victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014, when she was 19 years old. Apart from that, she has had a total of 88 top-10 finishes so far.

One of the netizens shared their disapproval of the post-match pressers, especially for the players who had a rather tough time on the greens. “Why do they have these pressers? You missed the cut, go home and rest.” 

Lexi Thompson emerged as one of the most prominent golfers of her time. She has also inspired many young people, especially girls, to play golf and pursue the dream of becoming one. Taking to this, one of them, not trying hard enough to console her, simply wrote, “Lexi is the best! Such a great role model for women’s golf! It’s tough to see her retire, Wish her the very best!”

One of the finest players on the LPGA Tour bids adieu to the sport! What are your thoughts on Thompson’s second performance? Let us know in the comments section below!