Lexi Thompson ultimately announces to play one more tournament before retirement.
Star Women’s Professional Golfer Lexi Thompson Announces Sudden Retirement at Age 29
“I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”
Stacey RitzenMay 28, 2024 4:49 PM EDT
Women’s professional golfer Lexi Thompson announced suddenly on Tuesday that this will be her final season competing with the LPGA Tour, and that she plans to retire at the end of 2024.
The 29-year-old became the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 when she was just 12 years old (her record has since been broken by Lucy Li in 2014, who was 11 at the time), so even at her age, she’s been playing pro for over 15 years now. In a video letter posted to Instagram, Thompson expressed her gratitude to the sport of golf, but admitted the toll being in the public eye had been taking on her mental health.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life,” she says in the video. Time with family, friends, and my trusted companion Leo. I will always look for ways to contribute to the sport and inspire the next generation of golfers. And of course, I look forward to a little time for myself.
Thompson elaborated on her decision during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open at the Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania on Thursday.
“It can be lonely… I just think a lot of people don’t realize what we go through as a professional athlete,” Thompson said, per the New York Post. “I’ll be the last one to say throw me a pity party, that’s not what I want. We are doing what we love, trying our best every single day, we are not perfect, we’re humans, words hurt.
Leave a Reply