Lexi Thompson is not in the field for the 2024 Evian Championship, maintaining her ever-increasing absence from the fourth women's Major of the season.
Thompson - who is currently ranked 33rd in the world - last featured at the France-based championship in 2019 but missed the cut for the second successive year and posted a frustrated message on her Instagram in the aftermath.
The 2014 Chevron Championship winner said: “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.”
That post was quickly deleted and replaced with a clarifying statement, which read: "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.”
Following no championship due to Covid in 2020, Thompson has not been back to the Evian Resort since. The 29-year-old scored a third, a T10 result, and a runner-up finish in each of her first three appearances following the event's promotion to a Major in 2013 before ending T22 and T48 in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The World No.33 is one of seven players inside the top-50 not heading to Evian-les-Bains, with World No.4 Ruoning Yin the most high-profile absentee as it stands. Nelly Korda is due to make her competitive return weeks after sustaining a dog bite outside of a coffee shop in Seattle - an incident which ruled her out of the Aramco Team Series London this week.
Meanwhile, Charley Hull is still expected to tee it up next week despite pulling out of the Aramco Team Series London early on in her first round due to a combination of a shoulder issue and illness.
Thompson's decision not to play in the fourth Women's Major of the season is somewhat surprising given her dramatic upturn in form since announcing she is set to retire from full-time professional golf at the end of the season.
Following four missed cuts in seven starts through the opening months of 2024, Thompson revealed she was going to bow out of the sport later in the year.
After making the admission and missing the cut at the brutally tough US Women's Open, the 11-time LPGA Tour winner has finished T2 at the Meijer LPGA Classic, T9 at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and T8 at the team format Dow Championship alongside Brooke Henderson.
Even before the T9 at Sahalee and the T8 alongside Henderson, Thompson was asked whether a victory in a Major or another huge event would potentially change her mind about retiring.
The Floridian stated she was "content" with her decision and was simply going to continue working hard to do her best in every event.
After round one of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Thompson said: "I figured I would be getting that question. I'm just taking it one day at a time. I made my announcement. I'm very content with it. Golf is a crazy game, so I'm not going to look too far ahead. Just taking it one day at a time and see where it takes me."
And at the end of the week, Thompson said: "Just going to build on it. I have a few weeks off after [the Dow Championship], so going to continue to work on what I am now and hopefully keep on improving."
