29-year-old Lexi Thompson, an 11-time winner of the LPGA, including the Chevron Championship in 2014 (previously known as the Dinah Shore), today announced her retirement from professional golf after the 2024 LPGA season.

This week, Lexi will make her impressive 18th appearance at the U.S. Women’s Open. Her journey in the major began in 2007, when, at the tender age of 12, she secured her spot, making history as the youngest qualifier ever for this major event.

Although Lexi never won the said major, the memories will remain with her forever, given it was the first major she qualified for and which also gave her a sense of determination to turn pro.

Lexi started playing golf when she was 5 and participated in competitive events from the age of 7. She turned pro in 2010, at 15, which also shows her fast growth in the golfing world.

Let’s look at her amateur career to understand the backstory on how she grew on to become a fearless, long hitter on the LPGA.

Lexi Thompson won the U.S. Kids World Championships back-to-back in 2003 and 2004 in Girls 8 & under and Girls 9 categories.

In 2007, Thompson won the Aldila Junior Classic to become the second youngest winner on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and added another victory at the Westfield Junior PGA Championship to become the youngest winner in the Junior PGA Championship. 

In 2008, Lexi went on to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship after defeating Karen Chung by 5 & 4 and qualified for her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open. She was named to the Junior Ryder Cup team, which registered a dominating win by 22-2 at the Club at Olde Stone in Kentucky.

In 2009, at 14, she qualified for her third U.S. Women’s Open, made the cut for the first time and finished tied-34th at 11-over par. Later she won the 2009 Verizon Junior Heritage after a sudden-death playoff with Laetitia Beck. 

Soon, she was picked for the Junior Solheim Cup team, which won by 15  ½ - 8 ½ against Europe at Aurora Country Club in Illinois. 

In 2010, she represented the USA in the Curtis Cup, where she remained undefeated individually and helped her team win with 12 ½-7 ½ points against Great Britain and Ireland and turned pro the next week.