Playing at the Ford Championship, which had a total prize purse of $2.25 million this week in Arizona, the hype around Lexi Thompson was real. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort from the LPGA golfer, her performance was not enough to earn her a cut. Now, while bowing out of the tournament, the star golfer took to her Instagram account to reveal heartbreaking news.

Her Instagram post read, “Thank you to the sponsors, volunteers and fans this week in Arizona at the @ford_champ_ for making it possible. Thank you to Ford for everything you’ve done to show your support of womens golf, we greatly appreciate the partnership with you.”

However,  a shocking update also hit her, as she added, “Then landing home this morning to find out the news of my grandfather passing away has been tough. Not sure exactly when I’ll play again. But what’s more important is being home and doing what’s best for me anymore and being there for my family. RIP Poppop”

Thompson further narrated how she was feeling rusty coming into the tournament. No matter how much she tried on the practice grounds, she just could not get her game to be better. Thus, leaving things up to chance, Thompson hoped for ‘something to click.’ But to her bad luck, things turned out very differently. 

In 2024, Lexi Thompson announced herself as semi-retired, saying she wanted to prioritize her mental health and personal life. Turning pro at just 15 years, she clinched her first LPGA win at 16 back in 2011. Over the period of her career, she kept adding more and more accolades to her bejeweled crown.

And now, Thompson has a total of 11 LPGA titles. However, trying to keep the tempo going in 2026, too, Thompson wanted to get some more wins under her belt. Unfortunately, with the death of her grandfather, there is something far more important to attend to – to be with family.

This reminded many of 2017, when Lexi Thompson had a very emotional and challenging year despite performing well on the LPGA Tour. And it forced her to take a hiatus from social media.

Lexi Thompson’s past hardship echoes amid another emotional family moment

In 2017, Thompson faced a major setback at the ANA Inspiration, where a controversial four-stroke penalty cost her a major title. Around the same time, she also shared that her mother, Judy Thompson, was undergoing cancer treatment. And when she was already dealing with such a tough scenario, Thompson faced another heartbreaking loss. Her grandmother passed away. 

 Grieving the loss of her grandmother, Thompson made a major decision. She posted on Instagram saying she would step away from social media to grieve and spend time with family. The break was her way of coping with the emotional toll of multiple personal challenges while balancing her professional career.

“I will miss your goodluck/LOL (lots of love) texts before or after my rounds , doing your nails, or just sitting outside on the patio in the fresh air with you. The lord has taken you to a better place with hopefully the most beautiful garden because I know that’s what you loved. How I saw you yesterday will not be how I remember you I will always remember your beautiful spirit, your laugh and smile . I know you’ll always be watching over us with your true love R.I.P Nana Everybody I’m very sorry but this has been a very hard year emotionally for me and I’m going to step away from social media for a bit,” wrote Lexi in an emotional update. 

However, she thanked fans and her well-wishers for the constant support. She further added that professional updates about her life and career would be shared by her management team.