Golfer Lexi Thompson is retiring at age 29. It was time

LANCASTER, Pa. — It’s not often you see “age 29” and “retirement” appear in the same sentence. However, for Lexi Thompson, the unconventional conjunctions of these true statements have been forming for quite some time.

On Tuesday at the U.S. Women’s Open, the moment arrived. It was time for Thompson to let the looming decision — the one in which she finally accepted a harsh reality about her life and happiness—escape her inner circle’s confines. Thompson was transparent in revealing that this wasn’t an abrupt choice. She knew her fans wouldn’t buy that. It wasn’t injury-related. It didn’t have anything to do with the current state of her golf game. After nearly two decades in the spotlight, it was simply time for Thompson to step away from the sport that shaped her existence and identity.

“I’m not going to sit here and say it hasn’t crossed my mind in past years,” Thompson said at Lancaster Country Club, where she’ll play her 18th U.S. Women’s Open this week. “But I feel like I’m at a point in my life where it is time to step away from a full-time schedule.”

Thompson said she isn’t exactly sure what her next chapter will look like, but starting after the conclusion of the 2024 season, she will no longer be flying across the globe…