Before her last round as a full-time LPGA player, Lexi Thompson was upset.
Her final hole Sunday at the CME Globe Tour Championship wouldn't come on Tiburón Golf Club's 18th hole, as the final round tee times would be played in threesomes off split tees.
“Pretty sad when you’re at -4 in the season-ending event, which could easily be the last CME of your career and you won’t even finish on #18 because they decide to double the tee on the final day due to TV coverage window,” Thompson wrote on Instagram Saturday.
“Bummed I won’t be able to embrace all the incredible fans on 18 tomorrow as I finish. Hopefully some will be out there on #9.”
But by the time she made it to No. 9 on Sunday, it didn't matter what hole she was playing. Thompson felt all the emotions as she tapped in her final putt for par before hugging her playing partners and caddie (her brother Nick), to stirring applause.
“Really wasn't until I got to No. 9 for some reason, kind of all hit me,” she said after her T49 finish. “It's just always a special week regardless if it was my last tournament as a full-time schedule or not. I always have so much family and friends and the fans are unbelievable here.”
Lexi Thompson closes the book on her final CME Group Tour Championship as a full-time LPGA Tour player. 🩷
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) November 24, 2024
📺 NBC & Peacock | @CMEGroupLPGA pic.twitter.com/4KNgehyhIB
Ahead of this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, the 29-year-old Floridian announced she would be retiring as a full-time player at the end of this year. Thompson burst onto the scene by qualifying for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open at 12 years old. In 2011, at age 16, she became the youngest player to win on tour, claiming the Navistar Classic by five shots.
She’s since added 10 victories and a major at the 2014 Chevron Championship (then the Kraft Nabisco). However, she hasn’t won an LPGA event since 2019 (she won in 2022 on the European Tour), and her career has been marred by collapses in major championships, such as the 2017 Chevron (then the ANA Inspiration) and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open.
“I’ve held a lot in,” Thompson said. “I think as athletes you’re always told to be strong and be intimidating on the golf course. Don’t show any sign the weakness.
“I did it for a while, and it’s just, you know, it’s gotten to me sometimes. It’s hard. It’s not just me, it’s everybody that goes through a lot of things. It’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to hold in and let people in on your emotions. It’s kind of like the time I’m actually letting myself feel those emotions and actually be real.”
She hopes her legacy stretches beyond what she did on the golf course.
“Of course, the wins got me to what I am,” she said, “the accomplishments and everything, but I wanted to leave a bigger impact as a role model, somebody who gave back to the game, somebody who made an impact on little girls and boys out here getting started in the game at a young age.”
The golf world will still be able to watch Thompson in a few weeks. She’ll be back at Tiburón, playing in the Grant Thornton Invitational with Rickie Fowler.
Maybe then she’ll get her farewell moment on Tiburón’s 18th hole.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lexi Thompson Bids Farewell to LPGA After Holding 'a Lot In' During Career .
