The fourth women’s Major of the year, the Amundi Evian Championship, begins in France this week. Not surprisingly given its status, it also has a world-class field featuring every player in the world’s top 20 – except one.
For the third year in succession, American Lexi Thompson, who currently ranks 18th in the world, is set to miss the tournament.
Thompson has suffered indifferent form in a disjointed 2023 so far. The 28-year-old’s season got off to an encouraging enough start with a tie for third at the Saudi Ladies International, but that is as good as she’s had it so far, with five missed cuts in the eight tournaments that have followed.
The Chevron Championship winner (then the Kraft Nabisco Championship) admitted earlier in the year that she had also chosen to take some time away from the game. Before April’s Chevron Championship, she explained her decision saying: “You know, just enjoying my life a bit more off the golf course. I've taken the offseason, gotten to spend a lot of time with my family and friends, and I gave myself an extra month basically.”
However, there was also the sign of an injury as she arrived at Carlton Woods for the tournament, as she sported a taped left wrist following an injury she put down to overworking it in practice.
Thompson returned to action in May’s Cognizant Founders Cup, where she finished T31, but her four appearances since have failed to impress. While she briefly shone to finish T21 in May’s Aramco Team Series Florida, three more missed cuts have followed along with a subdued T47 in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Aside from that injury issue, time out from the game and indifferent form on her return, Thompson also doesn't appear to be a fan of the course that hosts the Amundi Evian Championship.
After missing the cut in her most recent appearance at Evian Resort Golf Club in 2019 (there wasn’t a tournament in 2020 due to Covid-19), she wrote on Instagram: “To play well today hit one bad golf shot but hit 3 iron shots right at the pin 5 ft at one point then end up 40+ ft….umm really? I’m actually very thankful that I don’t have to put myself thru that for another two days. You’re a beautiful place Evian but that’s just too many bad breaks with good shots for me, so bye @evianchamp ! #justnotforme #allgood #onward”
Thompson later removed the post and clarified her comments, writing: “My words were only directed at my frustration of not playing well in a major and at the unfortunate bounces we all get while playing this crazy game of golf. I didn’t mean it in a mean way at all. Obviously just hasn’t been the course for me the last few years, but some girls are playing great and I wish them the best of luck this weekend."
Regardless of why Thompson seems set to miss the tournament, her absence for a third successive year undoubtedly means it will be poorer for it. In the meantime, it’s to be hoped she’ll be firing on all cylinders in time for August’s AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath, with the prospect of a second Major title still well within her capabilities.
