Lexi Thompson set plenty of youngest-ever records, but she said goodbye to her teens today. AP Photo/Chris Carlson
She has spent much of the past eight years setting a series of “youngest-ever” records, including winning her first major championship at age 19, which makes the prospect of Lexi Thompson leaving her teens all the more poignant. But as one of the LPGA’s biggest stars turns 20 today, the significance is somewhat lost on her.
“I’m no longer known as a teenager, but the 21st birthday is the big one,” Thompson said. “I definitely feel a lot older than what I am. I already feel like I’m in my 20s. I started golfing at a young age, and growing up with two older brothers, it made me mature a lot younger.”
Thompson has won six professional tournaments since turning pro in 2010 and joining the LPGA Tour in 2012. She said that after 21, the next big birthday is her 25th.
That’s when she can rent a car on her own.
“That’s why I usually have one of my parents with me, so they can drive me around,” she said with a laugh.
In celebration of Thompson’s 20th birthday, here are 20 more nuggets you might not know about her:
Lexi Thompson is sporting a new look on the golf course this year, having recently dyed her hair red. Chris Trotman/Getty Images
1. She recently dyed her hair from blond to red.
“There’s not really a reason,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it the last few months and decided to change it up. My natural hair color is a really dark blond, pretty much brown, so I figured with the darker hair, my roots will kind of blend in with my hair color now, so it will be easier to maintain. But it’s just hair; I can always go back.”
2. She shot her first hole-in-one at age 7, the same year she won her first national tournament. Her second hole-in-one? At age 11.
3. One of the most high-profile endorsers on tour, the photogenic Thompson liked one commercial in particular, shot in a hot tub.
“I would say that one stood out the most,” she said. “It was in Milan, Italy. I’d never been to Italy and it’s a place I’ve always wanted to go. … I only got to stay there for about a day, but it was an incredible experience.
“The photo shoot was a lot different for me to get used to, but the commercial turned out great for Puma, and every time I see it I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m on TV.'”
4. She has little interest in fashion.
“I’m not a huge shopper,” Thompson said. “I love looking good — obviously, on the golf course I like looking sharp, that’s for sure. I’m just not into knowing brands.”
5. If she weren’t a pro golfer, she thinks she’d be an athlete of some other kind.
“Growing up, I played other sports, including soccer and basketball, and really enjoyed soccer,” she said. “I’ve always been very competitive, especially having two older brothers. And I love being outside. So I would definitely say I’d play another sport.”
Rancho Mirage, California, is Lexi Thompson’s favorite tour stop, and it’s not just because of that jump into Poppie’s Pond. Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports
6. Her favorite tour stop happens to be the place where she won her first major last year: then the Kraft Nabisco, now the ANA Inspiration, in Rancho Mirage, California.
“It’s just a beautiful area,” she said. “It’s very peaceful. I usually have my parents with me, and we rent a house and it’s like a vacation.”
7. The first tournament her mom ever saw her win was her first major.
“The best thing that week was jumping into Poppie’s Pond with my parents,” Thompson said. “I always pictured myself jumping in Poppie’s Pond, but to have both my parents there … it was incredible. I think we stayed in that pond for 10 minutes. We just swam around.”
8. Her preferred way to relieve stress is to relax at home with her family, watch TV and movies, “and just chill pretty much.”
9. The other instant way she gets herself into a good mood is by listening to music.
“Pretty much a little bit of everything,” she said of her favorites. “I don’t listen to much country, but hip-hop and pop stuff that’s out now — Usher, Rihanna, Drake. Then I have a little rock — Linkin Park, Sum 41. A little bit of everything.”
10. The two TV shows that are a Thompson can’t-miss are “Criminal Minds” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
11. Her guilty pleasure TV viewing includes “The Bachelor.”
“It’s just kind of comical to watch,” she said.
12. Atop her must-see movie list is “American Sniper.”
If Cameron Diaz played Lexi Thompson in a movie, that would be fine by Thompson. David M. Benett/WireImage/Getty Images
13. She was once asked who she would want to play her in a movie and replied Cameron Diaz or Katherine Heigl.
“I picked two blonds. They put me on the spot,” she said. “I would actually still go with that, though. They seem like they have good personalities.”
14. She never takes the course without wearing Wounded Warrior and Breast Cancer pins.
“I support those two charities,” Thompson said. “The Wounded Warrior Project is my main charity. Throughout my career, I’ve been able to meet a lot of wounded [veterans], which has been a huge honor. I really want to get more into helping out the military and raising money for them.”
15. She loves ladybugs and always stops on the course if she sees one. She also considers herself superstitious, and if she plays well one day, she’ll eat the same thing and won’t change balls the next day.
16. So similar in looks are the two youngest Thompson siblings that on Halloween three years ago, Curtis (who plays on the PGA Tour Canada) put on a blond wig and one of his sister’s golf outfits and was a dead ringer for Lexi.
17. Lexi and her family consider Curtis to be the most naturally gifted golfer of the three siblings (her oldest brother, Nicholas, is a PGA Tour player).
18. Instagram is her favorite social media site.
“I’m pretty much on all social media, but Instagram is the coolest and I use it the most because I take a lot of pictures and I like to post them, but I link them all to each one,” she said.
19. She gets the most fan interaction on Twitter.
“They message me pretty much every day, and I like to keep in contact with everybody and answer them,” Thompson said. “[But] I mainly just look at what fans are asking me on Twitter and answer them. I don’t really look at what others are saying.”
20. She didn’t root for the Patriots or the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
“I didn’t watch any of it besides the halftime show,” she confessed.
