NAPLES, Fla. – Time has a funny way of forgetting us. Sometimes something or someone becomes so ingrained in our lives that we lose perspective around them. We forget the context.
Take Lexi Thompson, for example. She’s only 30 years old, so her announcement last year that she was stepping away from her full-time schedule came as a bit of a surprise. But it’s easy to forget how long Lexi Thompson has been around this. Eighteen years ago, at age 12, she became the youngest player in history to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. She turned professional at age 15. He went on to win 15 professional majors and had several close calls. I had been doing the same thing every year for 15 years and it felt like no time had passed.
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Lexi Thompson has been Lexi Thompson, a professional golfer, for half her life. She has been grinding for much longer. What’s more, she’s still sharpening. But after a truncated season schedule, Lexi Thompson isn’t just Professional golfer. She got engaged to boyfriend Max Provost in January. The two plan to get married in March. She started spending more time with friends and family. I put all my effort into planning the wedding. I used it for weekend trips and vacations. Time has a different meaning when the focus is not single.
For someone who has spent their life with a club in hand, making space for other things is soothing to the soul.
“It was really good. It put my mind at ease,” Thompson said after the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship. “It’s been very balanced, especially with engagement and wedding planning. So this is my 15th year. I think a lot of people don’t realize how long I’ve been in the game here, because I’ve been in the game a lot longer than just professional golf.”
“(Golf) has taken a huge hit.”
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When Thompson announced last year that she was stepping away from her full-time schedule, she was given the praise and tearful send-off normally reserved for players who hang up their cleats. But Thompson’s plan isn’t to quit his job or stop competing. It’s in her DNA. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be Lexi Thompson.
As such, she competed in 13 events, including this week’s Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club. She competed in both the Chevron Championship and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, but stumbled over the weekend. She recorded a runner-up finish at the Dow Championship. Work hasn’t stopped yet. Thompson still trains hard at home, but says her body feels better after “all the things I’ve been through.” She shot a 2-under 70 on Thursday despite a back injury.
She’s still Lexi Thompson. But it’s not all about work anymore.
And by allowing herself to be something other than a golfer, Lexi Thompson’s golf benefited. As the pressure decreased, freedom appeared.
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“Yeah, (I was) mentally liberated,” Thompson said. “I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty hard on myself. I always do that because I want to be the best I can be, and I know how much effort I put in. I’m never satisfied with just mediocre golf. But being able to pick and choose my events and have balance in my off weeks is very helpful to me, because sometimes giving yourself balance is more important than practice.”
A yearlong part-time schedule took some of the weight off Thompson. It seems that the experiment was a success. All signs point to this being the status quo until Thompson officially bids farewell to the professional game.
However, the 2026 schedule brings questions to Lexi Thompson, who has maintained her balance. The Solheim Cup will be held in the Netherlands in 2026, but will Thompson, who has played in every Solheim Cup since 2013, tweak the shortened schedule to secure a spot in captain Angela Stanford’s squad? Or is she just going to keep playing when she chooses and let the chips fall where they please?
“I mean, I love Angela. She’s someone I’ve looked up to for a long time,” Thompson said. “The Solheim Cup is my favorite event of my career. We’ll see. For the first few months, I won’t even play, obviously because there are no tournaments to actually play in. Then I’ll put off the wedding and honeymoon and everything else. I’ll take some time for myself, regroup and think about where I want to go.”
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The lack of concrete answers so far speaks to the impact this change has had on Thompson. Golf used to be my everything, my driving force. It’s a guiding light. her true identity. But professional golf can also be lonely and unforgiving. You often don’t get back everything you spend, which can be a burden.
Child prodigy and major champion Lexi Thompson took a step back (rather than walk away) and found what she was looking for – what she needed.
“I learned there’s more to life than that,” Thompson said. “When you’re planning a wedding and doing all that, you’re not just playing a game. I try to remind myself that if I’m having a hard time here, it’s okay, I can spend another day, I’m doing something great here.”
Lexi Thompson continues to be i am here like She has been there for 15 years. but she doesn’t do that everytime Please come out here. Her mind doesn’t get caught up in a game she can’t perfect. After 15 years, Lexi Thompson is allowing herself to become something else.
Post golf was Lexi Thompson’s life. She wanted something that featured more in golf.
