The LPGA Tour sensation, Lexi Thompson, turned professional when she was only 15. Indeed, she faced the dark side of her career later. However, she still plays on the Tour and works as hard as before, which makes us wonder what makes her keep going. Why does she stick to the game that stole her childhood from her?
The current world no. 7 has two elder brothers, and both of them are professional golfers. One of the merits of having them around her was getting to play the sport since she was only 5. However, living the life of a professional athlete was never an easy task for her.
The LPGA player enjoys playing golf because of its challenging aspect
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
While the other teenagers were making plans to hang out with friends after school, Thompson was drafting strategies to win against the female golfers twice her age. Of course, it helped her earn more than the others of her age at the time, but it also took away her time to be a child.
Lexi Thompson did not have a normal childhood like others of her age. But she doesn’t regret her choice to become a professional golfer either. And she credits the unpredictability of the sport as the reason for it.
“Every day I wake up, and something’s different in my game: my swing, the weather,” she said in a 2020 interview. “That’s the thing about golf,” she added. “It’s always a challenge every time you wake up.”
Notably, the 1-time major champion mentioned in the interview that sometimes the behavior of her career has forced her to quit. “There are days when I’m like, ‘I’ve had enough,'” she explained. However, the intriguing nature of golf has always kept her back in the professional world.
“That’s why I gravitated toward it,” the 27-year-old added. “What keeps me going is that you can never perfect it.”
Lexi Thompson, her journey from a five-year-old dreamer to becoming a world-class achiever
All Thompson wanted when she picked up her first club in her hands was to win over her elder brothers. Gradually, her competitive spirit became a passion and helped her achieve many accolades and titles in her amateur years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
From 2007 to 2011, the Florida native attended 21 LPGA events, six as an amateur, and earned $580,776. Her first win at the Navistar LPGA Classic as a professional made her the youngest to achieve such a feat at the time. Furthermore, Thompson continued to win 10 more events on the LPGA Tour, including a major, till now.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It has been a decade since Lexi Thompson started playing golf professionally. Despite wanting to quit sometimes, Lexi Thompson stuck to the sport and worked hard to face all the challenges it may present her. And this mentality has helped her be in the world’s top 10 players list even after a decade of becoming a pro.
Watch This Story: Bryson DeChambeau and Lexi Thompson Were Both in the Bahamas, but for a Very Special Reason