Lexi Thompson is ‘dangerous,’ especially when she’s enjoying herself on the greens. That’s the point Mel Reid made recently after the third round of the Chevron Championship. It’s no secret that Thompson has felt ‘lonely’ on the course and eventually chose to semi-retire from competitive golf. Despite that, analysts on the Golf Channel believe Thompson should take more breaks to play even better on the greens, as there is still a lot of pressure on her.
Lexi Thompson finished her third round, carding six birdies. This is the same tournament where she failed to make a cut last year, but now she is bouncing back strong. Following the round, she joined the press conference and revealed, “I’m still practicing and training a lot when I am home.” That’s something Reid was worried about.
Reid made her point, saying, “Lexi’s basically been a professional golfer since she was 10 years old. Yeah. We don’t like using the word burnout, but it is pretty obvious that she is probably getting to that, to be honest.” Reid continued, saying, although Thompson looks ‘fresh’ on the greens, she doesn’t actually have an idea how tired she is.
“She probably doesn’t realize how tired and, you know, how much more important it is to recover. You know, she’s not getting any younger. She’s still very young and in great shape, but it does take a toll—all the travel, all the practice, all the grinding, and the way that she grinds. She does need a bit more time off the older that she gets,” said Reid. Lexi gives a lot of importance to her health, and spends a lot of time at the gym.
Lexi has been the face of American golf ever since she was young, and it feels very tough when all the eyes are on you. “Since she was 10, she has held an incredible, I’m going to say burden, but just, she is the face of American golf. Yeah. Great point. And that is a very heavy burden or a heavy weight to carry.” For all this pressure, Reid believes Lexi Thompson should take more time off the greens.
Thompson stepped onto the professional greens at just 12 years old. She also became the youngest qualifier in the history of the US Women’s Open in 2007. It was certainly a great achievement, and thanks to that, she turned pro back in 2010. Following impressive performances at the Women’s Australian Open and the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Thompson, at just 16 years old, petitioned the LPGA to let her into qualifying school and waive the rule that required entrants to be at least 18.
It seems like Thompson is doing exactly that. She talked about it in her post-round conference and said, “I have a lot bigger breaks in between events than a normal player would, but it’s nice. It’s my 15th year. It’s very, I think, well-deserved.” While doing so, she also explained the liberty she has being a part-time LPGA player and added, “I have the leisure of being able to take time off when needed.” Interestingly, that’s not the only thing the semi-retirement helps her with.
Lexi Thompson feels “less weight” on her shoulders
Last year, ahead of the 2024 AIG Women’s Open Championship at St Andrews, Lexi addressed this topic. “I think overall there is a little less weight on my shoulders after the announcement because it has been on my mind for a few years, so it’s something that’s been inside that nobody really knew about or what was going to happen,” she said. And it seems true, considering she always wanted to travel and explore more, and not just play golf.
Aside from that, the decision also allows her more time for herself and to confront her personal struggles. “But all of us players, we have our own battles. Everybody does. Everybody has their things they go through and how they deal with them. But everybody deserves to do whatever makes them the happiest,” she added further. On top of that, the 11-time LPGA winner also wanted to start a family and has now accomplished that. Back in January this year, she declared her engagement to Max Provost, unfolding the petals of love.
Overall, the decision has provided Lexi Thompson with a proper balance in her life. But do you think it was the right decision? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
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