‘No Need for Me to Improve’: LPGA Tour Star Lexi Thompson Expressed Her Harsh Feeling After an Infamous Ruling in 2017

There have been certain moments in the sports world where a great score turned into zero because of a rule. The same was the case for the LPGA player, Lexi Thompson. In 2017, an unexpected incident changed her life at ANA Inspiration, where her major win turned into a loss because of the rule pointed out via email.

Thompson was devastated, and three weeks after the incident, she opened up and spilled the beans. Thompson, who turned pro in 2010 at 15, has done great in her professional career. She was the youngest golfer to qualify for the US Open at 12. So you can imagine the pain and stress she must have felt when her achievement turned into nothing, and her dream was shattered. Let’s find out what happened and how Thompson reacted.

How did Lexi Thompson feel about the call-in ruling in 2017?

Thompson was not over the loss for weeks. She was at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout when she poured her heart out and expressed her feelings about the ‘rule.’ A 27-year-old golfer always respected golf and followed every rule. According to her, she did not need any improvement in her game, and the greens were correct. Her line was evident, too, and therefore there was nothing to be removed.

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She said, “I’ve always played by the rules of golf. There was no need for me to improve anything. Those greens were absolutely perfect, and the whole week there was nothing in my line to be moving it from anything. So I have no reason behind it. I did not mean it at all.” While talking about it, Thompson re-lived the moment when she received the four-stroke penalty. She burst into tears during the conference, thinking about losing a major championship.

She also accepted that she never meant to cheat or anything. It was totally unwanted and unintentional, as she was an honest player. And this all happened because she was scared of her first putt. The LPGA member placed her ball wrong. The fear led her to do something against the rules, and as a result, she was down by two. According to her, she had no motive of doing anything as such. 

Why Thompson incurred a penalty?

Thompson suffered a penalty for replacing her ball improperly on the green at the ANA Inspiration. During the fourth round, a viewer sent an email to LPGA pointing out the possible rule infraction during the third round. As a result, the pro golfer received a two-stroke penalty for not keeping her ball back correctly. Also, she received another two-stroke penalty for not accounting for the penalty and signing the wrong scorecard. At last, she lost to So Yeon Ryu in a playoff.

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What are your thoughts about the rule calling and Thompson losing the championship in 2017? Let us know in the comments section.