LANCASTER, Pa. — Lexi Thompson stood to the side of the ninth green after drilling a three-inch bogey putt for what would likely be her final stroke at the U.S. Women’s Open.
It was no different than any other round until she headed to the scoring room.
“Lexi, we’re going to miss you,” one fan yelled amid the applause.
It wasn’t the result she hoped for, as a 78 in the opening round on Thursday and four consecutive bogeys at the turn on Friday ended her hopes of making the cut and she finished with a total of 75, 13-over par.
And she also hoped she would never speak again about her announcement last week that, at 29, this would be her last full-schedule year.
Thompson made her Women’s Open debut at Pine Needles in 2007 as a 12-year-old.
This led me to ask myself, what would I want to tell my 12-year-old self?
“I guess it’s just about enjoying life,” she said, emotion rising in her voice, “Be grateful for all that life has to offer. Enjoy all the experiences you get just by being here.”
After a moment, she choked up, stopped mid-sentence, turned to the host and whispered sternly, “I knew I shouldn’t have done this.”
She was handed a box of tissues and dodged it.
“It was supposed to be a big week. We had family and friends and a lot of fans out this week, and that’s what we want,” she said. “That’s what we want for the sport of golf to grow, and I hope that in any tournament, whether I tee it up or not, it continues to grow.”
It was not clear what Thompson was thinking, even though she said she was happy with her decision to step down.
She plans to play the rest of the year.
Her biggest hope is to be a part of the seventh Solheim Cup team this fall.
As for the U.S. Women’s Open, unless she performs better (Thompson hasn’t won in nearly five years), she won’t be exempt from next year’s tournament.
The USGA can offer special exemptions, but they are primarily limited to winners from the past 20 years, unless there is a special achievement, such as Rose Chan did a year ago or Michelle Wie in 2006, who finished in the top five in two majors while on the LPGA Tour.
“We don’t have any plans right now for beyond this year,” she said.
But Thompson said she plans to work hard when she returns home with three weeks of training, including the next major, the KPMG Women’s PGA at Sahalee.
Her world ranking dropped to 54th.
When asked what she misses most about her packed schedule, Thompson smiled and said it was finishing work at 8:30 p.m. the night before and waking up at 5:30 a.m., as she found herself doing on Friday.
“I’m going to miss the competitive spirit that comes with just being here and the friendships I’ve made,” she said, “but I don’t miss not having to sleep in and rush to get to the golf course to make a tee time, every single day.”
“It’s a nice balance,” she says, “but I’ve always loved it. Some times it’s harder than others, but this is all I know.”
