Lexi Thompson of the United States looks on during a practice round prior to the U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club on May 29, 2024 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A 29-year-old player on the women’s professional golf tour has announced her retirement, citing the pressures that come with playing a professional sport in the public eye.
Lexi Thompson, a 12-year veteran of the LPGA, confirmed she will retire from professional golf at the end of this season in an open letter she shared on Instagram on May 28.
“Although this has been an amazing journey, it hasn’t always been an easy one,” Thompson said in the letter, which was shared on Instagram along with a video montage of highlights from her career. “Since I was 12 years old, my life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of constant 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 criticisms flooding in from around the world,” she added. “It can be exhausting to maintain a smile on the outside while grappling with struggles on the inside.”
Thompson made history when she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 12 in 2007, becoming the youngest person to ever do so, according to her LPGA biography.
Over the course of her career, Thompson became an 11-time LPGA Tour winner, a major champion, a two-time Olympian and earned over $14 million.
Thompson said in her retirement video that amid her career highs, she has found comfort in speaking publicly about her mental health “battles.”
“By opening up about my own battles, I’ve been able to connect with others who feel isolated in their struggles, offering them a sense of community and understanding,” she said. “Each time I share, it reinforces the message that it’s OK to not be OK, and that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
Thompson also spoke about the role mental health played in her decision to retire from professional golf in a press conference Tuesday at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, the same tournament where her career started.
“I think we all have our own [mental health] 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 say, yes, I’ve struggled with it. I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t. It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”
She continued, “It’s an important thing to address and be okay with getting help and getting the support and surrounding yourself with the people that support you and love you because there are always people who do care so much about you and will help you get through those tough moments.”
Thompson’s comments on mental health come just days after the parents of professional golfer Grayson Murray confirmed the two-time PGA Tour winner died by suicide.
“Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement about their son.
Other professional athletes have also spoken publicly about the pressures of competing in the public eye, including gymnast Simone Biles and Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback Stetson Bennett, who recently confirmed his time away from the team last season was related to mental health.
Thompson said that in her experience, being a professional athlete can be “lonely.”
“Being out here, it can be a lot. It can be lonely. Sorry if I get emotional,” she said Tuesday, fighting back tears. “A lot of people, they don’t realize a lot of what we go through as a professional athlete … We’re doing what we love. We’re trying our best every single day and we’re not perfect. We’re humans. Words hurt, and it’s hard to overcome sometimes.”
She credited a core group of people around her with helping her “get through some really hard times.”
“I think it’s a lot for everybody out here, or in any professional sport,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know what we go through and the amount of training and hard work that we put ourselves through. It’s a lot and I think we deserve a lot more credit than what we get.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Pittsburgh 0, Detroit 8 (Doubleheader, game 1) Pittsburgh 10, Detroit 2 (Doubleheader, game 2) Cleveland 4, Colorado 7 Kansas City 6, Minnesota 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE Oakland 3, Tampa Bay 4 Baltimore 6, Boston 1 NY Yankees 2, Los Angeles Angels 1 Toronto 3, Chi White Sox 1 Seattle 2, Houston 1 Arizona 1, Texas 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE LA Dodgers 10, NY Mets 3 Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 5 Milwaukee 10, Chi Cubs 6 Washington 7, Atlanta 2 San Francisco 1, Philadelphia 6 San Diego 1, Miami 9
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Dallas Stars 2, Edmonton Oilers 5
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Pittsburgh, Detroit (Postponed) Cleveland 13, Colorado 7
AMERICAN LEAGUE Oakland 3, Tampa Bay 0 Baltimore 3, Boston 8 NY Yankees 3, Los Angeles Angels 4 Toronto 7, Chi White Sox 2 Seattle 4, Houston 2 Arizona 2, Texas 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE LA Dodgers 5, NY Mets 2 (Doubleheader, game 1) LA Dodgers 3, NY Mets 0 (Doubleheader, game 2) Cincinnati 1, St. Louis 7 Milwaukee 3, Chi Cubs 6 Washington 0, Atlanta 2 San Francisco 1, Philadelphia 0 San Diego 4, Miami 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Minnesota 105, Dallas 100
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS NY Rangers 2, Florida Panthers 3 (OT)
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Colorado 8, Cleveland 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore 11, Boston 3 Minnesota 6, Kansas City 5 Toronto 5, Chi White Sox 1 Seattle 3, Houston 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE LA Dodgers at NY Mets (Postponed) Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 1 Milwaukee 5, Chi Cubs 1 Washington 8, Atlanta 4 San Francisco 8, Philadelphia 4 San Diego 2, Miami 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Boston 105, Indiana 102 (Boston wins series 4-0)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Dallas 5, Edmonton 3 (Dallas leads series 2-1)
Grayson Murray of the United States hits a tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club on May 23, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
(FORT WORTH, Texas) — If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Professional golfer and PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died by suicide on Saturday morning at 30 years old, according to his family and PGA officials.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement Sunday shared by the PGA. “It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare. We have so many questions that have no answers.”
They later added: “We would like to thank the PGA TOUR and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support. Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.
“Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.”
“We were devastated to learn — and are heartbroken to share — that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Saturday in a statement, adding: “I am at a loss for words.”
Murray’s passing comes one day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday, citing an illness, according to ESPN.
Monahan said the Charles Schwab Challenge would continue as scheduled and that he’s been in contact with Murray’s parents.
“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play,” Monahan said. “They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”
Murray’s career in professional golfing was distinguished with several major titles, since becoming the second-youngest player to compete in the Korn Ferry Tour at 16 years old.
He won his second PGA Tour title at this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii after winning the 2017 Barbasol Championship.
Murray reached a career-high of 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his victory in Hawaii.
Murray was open about his past battle with alcoholism and depression, saying in January that he’s been sober since early 2023.
“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same,” Monahan said in the statement Saturday. “We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Colorado 9, Oakland 10 Texas 2, Philadelphia 5
AMERICAN LEAGUE Toronto 9, Detroit 1 Seattle 0, NY Yankees 5 Baltimore 8, Chicago White Sox 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE Cincinnati 4, San Diego 6 Chicago Cubs 0, Atlanta 3 San Francisco 7, Pittsburgh 6
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS Indiana Pacers 110, Boston Celtics 126
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION New York Liberty 81, Chicago Sky 90 Minnesota Lynx 82, Connecticut Sun 83 Washington Mystics TBA, Phoenix Mercury TBA
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Edmonton Oilers TBA, Dallas Stars TBA
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
NATIONAL LEAGUE San Diego Padres 6, Atlanta Braves 5 (Doubleheader game 1) San Diego Padres 0, Atlanta Braves 3 (Doubleheader game 2) Milwaukee Brewers 2, Miami Marlins 3 Arizona Diamondbacks 4, LA Dodgers 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE Chicago White Sox 3, Toronto Blue Jays 9 Seattle Mariners 5, New York Yankees 4 Boston Red Sox 5, Tampa Bay Rays 0 LA Angels 9, Houston Astros 7 Detroit Tigers 3, Kansas City Royals 8
INTERLEAGUE New York Mets 1, Cleveland Guardians 3 Minnesota Twins 3, Washington Nationals 12 Baltimore Orioles 3, St. Louis Cardinals 6
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Connecticut Sun 88, Indiana Fever 84 Seattle Storm 63, New York Liberty 74
