Lexi Thompson has explained why she is comfortable with her decision to retire from full-time professional golf at the age of just 29.
Despite her relatively young age, the American will be competing in her 18th consecutive US Women’s Open this week, having first appeared at the Major when she was just 12. In an emotional press conference ahead of the Lancaster Country Club event, Thompson admitted that golf has dominated her life since her early childhood and that she is ready to try new things.
She said: “Golf has been my life ever since I was 5 years old, tournaments when I was 7. I haven’t really known much of a life different, but it’s been an amazing one.”
She continued: “There’s more things to life than going to a tournament every week and doing the same training every day. There’s just more to it, and I’m looking forward to experiencing that.
“I feel like I’m very content with where my life is and where this decision will lead me to. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to what life has in store other than golf.”
Lexi Thompson has one Major win, the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite Thompson’s decision to step away from the game at the end of the LPGA Tour season, she didn’t rule out a return to action on a part-time basis.
“I’m not going to say yes or no on how many events I’ll play or if I do,” she explained. “I’m just going to take it day by day and see how I feel, especially going into next year. But I’m very content with this being my last full-time schedule year.”
Thompson, who played on the PGA Tour last year in the Shriners Children’s Open, also opened up on the difficulties professional players face, saying: “A lot of people don’t – they don’t realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete. I’ll be the last one to say like throw me a pity party. That’s the last thing I want. We’re doing what we love. We’re trying the best every single day.”
Lexi Thompson has explained the challenges of life as a professional golfer
(Image credit: Getty Images)
She added: “I think it’s a lot for everyone out here or in any professional sport. A lot of people don’t know what we go through. The amount of training and hard work that we put ourselves through, it’s a lot. I don’t think we deserve – I think we…
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