Lexi Thompson’s retirement from golf was not easy on her mind. And when she announced her retirement during the U.S. Women’s Open in May, she did not try to hide that either. From her words, it seemed as if prioritizing her mental health is one of the prime reasons why she said goodbye to the sport.
I think we all have our own [mental health] struggles, especially out here. 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,” Lexi had said. Alongside, she spilled a harsh truth in that conversation.
Lexi was asked which struggles she felt most proud of overcoming. “I think honestly just staying true to myself. Being out here can be a lot. It can be lonely. Sorry if I get emotional. 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,” Lexi had said, fighting back tears. After such overwhelming emotions, enough to make the fans worried, here came some good news from the 11X LPGA Tour winner.
