Lexi Thompson shares an emotional love letter to golf as she prepares to retreat

A surprising twist was added to this week's US Women's Open when one of the sport's most popular players, Lexi Thompson, announced her retirement from the LPGA Tour.

The LPGA was the first to break the news on Tuesday morning, with Thompson posting a message on his Instagram about an hour later.

Thompson, 29, said he will retire from the full-time LPGA program at the end of 2024. He has won 11 times in his LPGA career – including the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship (now the Chevron Championship) as his only major title – but has not won since 2019. Nevertheless, he remains one of the most popular and marketable players in the game since he burst onto the scene at a young age.

Thompson captioned his Instagram post on Tuesday as “a letter I wrote to the game of golf.” He spoke for about 3 minutes, 40 seconds as a collage of photos of his work flashed across the screen.

“Golf, what can I say after all these years?” Thompson began. “He played an important role in a large part of my life. You welcomed me into your world at such a young age, and for that I am forever grateful.

“Although our relationship has been difficult at times, he has taught me patience, perseverance and the power of patience,” he continued. “He showed me the highs and lows of competition. The joy of victory and the lessons learned from defeat. Thank you so much for all the wonderful times and memories you have given me.”

Thompson talked about the excitement of qualifying for her first US Women's Open at the age of 12 and her first LPGA win at the age of 16. He said his big win was the proudest moment of his career, and said he'll never forget what it's like to compete. against the men in the 2023 Shriners Children's Open.

He spoke of the pride he felt in representing his country at the Solheim Cup and the Olympics, but was also open and honest about the difficult aspects of the professional game and the pressure he was under.

“Although this has been an amazing journey, it hasn't always been easy,” she said. “Since I was 12 years old, my life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of attention, scrutiny and pressure. The cameras are always on, capturing every swing and every moment on and off the golf course. Social media never sleeps, with comments and criticism pouring in from all over the world. It can be tiring to smile on the outside while fighting problems on the inside.”

Thompson also thanked fans, friends, family, the LPGA Tour, his sponsors and more. He said he is looking forward to the next chapter, which means spending more time with his friends, family and himself.

“Even though it's not easy to say goodbye,” he concluded, “it's really time.”

You can listen to his full message below. Thompson will meet with the media on Tuesday afternoon at the US Women's Open.

Josh Behow

Golf.com Editor

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow manages the day-to-day and long-term programming of one of the most widely read news and service websites in the sport. He spends most of his days writing, planning, organizing and wondering if he will ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can reach him at [email protected].