Lexi Thompson smiles while putting on the 18th green during a practice round for the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Lexi Thompson smiles while putting on the 18th green during a practice round for the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Lexi Thompson pauses while speaking during a news conference at the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Lexi Thompson hits on the 18th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Lexi Thompson putts on the 18th green during a practice round for the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Lexi Thompson speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Lexi Thompson speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Tuesday, May 28, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
FILE – Lexi Thompson smiles on the 18th green after finishing the final round of the Grant Thornton Invitational, the first mixed-team golf tournament since 1999, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Naples, Fla. Lexi Thompson is retiring this year from full-time competition, ending a career filled with a powerful game, an appeal to young fans and plenty of star-crossed moments in the majors.(AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Golf is all Lexi Thompson has ever known, and one of the more popular players on the LPGA Tour decided Tuesday this will be her last year playing a full schedule.
Thompson chose the U.S. Women’s Open — the major she first played when she was 12 — to announce that she will step away at the end of the year. The 29-year-old American became emotional while talking about the amount of work no one sees and the loneliness she has faced.
Thompson said she has contemplated semi-retirement the last few years and cited mental health as one of the factors that contributed to her decision.
“I think we all have our struggles, especially out here,” she said. “Unfortunately in golf you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continuing to work hard and maybe not seeing the results you want and getting criticized for it. So it’s hard.
“I will stay, yes, I’ve struggled with it — I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t,” she said. “It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”
Thompson is playing her 18th U.S. Women’s Open before turning 30. She won the first of her 15 LPGA title at age 16. She is known as much for the majors she lost as the one she captured at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014 when she was 19.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
She made a vague reference to Grayson Murray, who spoke openly about alcoholism and his struggles with depression and anxiety from life as a tour professional. Murray, who won the Sony Open in January, died by suicide on Saturday.
“Being out here can be a lot. It can be lonely,” she said as her voice began to crack and she wiped away tears. “I just think — especially with what’s happened in golf, as of recent, too — a lot of people don’t realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete.
“We’re doing what we love. We’re trying the best every single day. You know, we’re not perfect. We’re humans. Words h