Lexi Thompson has certainly made quite a name for herself. The 29-year-old became the youngest golfer to qualify for the US Women’s Open in 2007, a record that was subsequently broken only in 2011 by Lucy Li. She has amassed a total of 15 wins, in a career that spans 14 years, and she also holds the distinction of being the youngest woman to win an LPGA Tour event. However, she made a shocking announcement in 2024.
In May, the American announced that she would set off into the sunset at the end of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, citing a wrist injury. Following her announcement, fans and pros alike paid emotional tributes to her. The likes of Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, and even legends of the game like Annika Sörenstam commented on her post on Instagram. And now with her latest announcement, the misery of fans has only compounded further as they will get to see even less of her in 2024.
What was Lexi Thompson’s latest announcement?
Thompson took to Instagram to announce that she will be taking, “…the next 4-5 weeks off…” after her wrist injury flared up again after the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She appreciated the fans’s support and added that she was, “…happy to make it back…“. She assured fans that she will, “…make sure I’m 100% to finish the year, and put in the work as usual…”. This essentially means we will get to see even less of her in her last year as a pro.
She also uploaded an Instagram Story where she was seen in the gym. In the first story, Thompson can be seen using the cable crossover machine, presumably performing an exercise to strengthen her injured wrist. “Getting that rotation and load right“, she wrote, while also sharing a link to her fitness app, Lexi Fitness. She also added another Story, which had a photo of her on the elliptical. “Don’t stop when you are tired, stop when you are done“, was what her caption read. But how did this injury happen?
Lexi Thompson’s wrist injury and reason for retirement
Thompson first injured her wrist in February 2015, during a photo shoot, as per the LPGA website. She reportedly suffered a bruise on her bone while boxing for the shoot. Ahead of the 2023 Chevron Championship, Thompson was seen with a heavily taped right wrist. Speaking to Golfweek in 2023, she revealed that she was, “...hitting so many golf balls at home…” that her wrist started,” …hurting a little bit.” Thompson also revealed that the pain is at its worst when she hinges on the way back and releases on the way through. “Just kind of the pressure of putting my thumb on top of the club,” she said. “But overall, it was better today, so hopefully it’ll just slowly go away.” she concluded.
“I’ve battled with wrist injuries over multiple years now“, she explained in an exclusive with Golf.com in 2024. She said that the injury has been persistent since 2023 and spilled over into 2024. It also started affecting her thumb, and her whole hand would start throbbing when she hit the ball. Fans can only hope that Thompson will be able to recover at all.
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