Lexi Thompson rode the golfing rollercoaster this weekend. Getty Images Welcome back to the Monday Finish, where we’re protesting slow play, three-putts and ‘Cart Path Only,’ among other things. Let’s get to the news.
But first: Tell your pals to subscribe to the Monday Finish newsletter here ! That’ll help us bring you this column in email form every Monday morning. Lexi rides the rollercoaster. Since her arrival on the LPGA Tour more than a decade ago, Lexi Thompson has been one of pro golf’s main characters.
She’s popular, talented, dynamic and successful. She’s also run into some truly tragic results on some of golf’s biggest stages. The combination has made her one of the game’s most fascinating figures.
It was understandable, if surprising, when she announced at the U.S. Women’s Open that this would be her final full-time season on the LPGA Tour.
It hasn’t been easy living and performing in the public eye, she said, particularly during the tough stretches. It’s time to figure out what the rest of the world looks like. But in her next tournament post-announcement Thompson played her best golf in months, battling for four days to get into a playoff and finish T2.
And then at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA she played her way into contention through 54 holes; she began Sunday’s final round just four back. She’s been reluctant to admit that the good play and the announcement are related but it’s tough not to connect the two, particularly whe.
