MUST READ: Talented star announces retirement
Lexi Thompson, who turned professional at the young age of 15 in 2010 and joined the LPGA Tour in 2012, has announced her plans to retire from professional golf at the end of the current year.
According to a report by the USGA, the news of Lexi Thompson’s retirement was first announced on Tuesday, ahead of this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. The 29-year-old golfer will be making her 18th appearance in the prestigious tournament before calling time on her professional career at the end of the year.
Thompson achieved the record as the youngest qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 at the age of 12, a record later surpassed by Lucy Li, who was 11 when she competed in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. Turning professional at 15, Thompson made history as the youngest champion in LPGA history by winning the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at just 16 years old, a record later broken by Lydia Ko, who was 15 when she won the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open.
Throughout her 13-year professional career, Lexi Thompson accumulated 15 worldwide tournament victories, including 11 on the LPGA Tour. She has made over 240 starts on the LPGA, earning more than $14 million in prize money. Her most notable achievement came at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, where she became the second-youngest major winner in women’s history.
Although she only won one major, Thompson consistently performed well at the highest level, logging 19 top-10 finishes and eight top-three finishes at majors. One notable instance was her runner-up finish in a playoff at the 2017 Chevron Championship, where she was penalized four strokes for incorrectly replacing her ball and signing an incorrect scorecard.
In addition to her LPGA success, Thompson made history by becoming the seventh woman to compete on the PGA Tour, nearly making the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open. She also represented the United States in six Solheim Cup matches, compiling a 9–7–7 record. Furthermore, she participated in the 2016 and 2021 Summer Olympics.
