You’re cruising through your round, everything feels fine, and then your body decides to quit on you: no warning signs, no gradual buildup. Just your neck locking up mid-swing and refusing to cooperate. That’s exactly what happened to Lexi Thompson during what should’ve been a relaxed Pro-Am round at Pelican Golf Club. Sometimes the body has other plans, regardless of how prepared you think you are.

Thompson took to Instagram Stories to share the unfortunate news with her fans. “Not too much fun when you are playing and your neck just decides to get locked up on you, then struggle to move it the next morning,” she wrote, not holding back the frustration either.

This was her return to the Tour this week for the first time since mid-September. She has been a consistent force at Pelican Golf Club, recording back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022. She was tied for seventh in 2023 and had a rare missed cut in 2024. Coming in hot this week, she’s not letting it completely derail her, though. There’s also light at the end of the tunnel.

Thompson mentioned that she has been using a pain-relieving cream and is hoping for an overnight improvement. The good news is that this appears to be a minor setback rather than a serious issue. She’s dealing with it the same way she’s handled physical challenges throughout her career: head-on and without drama.

Thompson chose to share this update via Instagram Stories rather than issuing a formal announcement. That’s becoming the norm for today’s athletes. They control the narrative directly, rather than waiting for official channels. It’s quick, it’s personal, and it reaches fans immediately. No press releases are needed when you can tell people yourself in real-time. This direct approach also lets athletes frame their own stories before speculation takes over.

This latest physical hiccup is hardly Thompson’s first rodeo with injuries. She has managed various setbacks throughout her LPGA career with remarkable consistency.

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Lexi Thompson’s track record of playing through adversity

Back in 2015, she dealt with a right wrist injury—a bone bruise from a boxing photo shoot of all things. That one required multiple weeks off the course. More recently, Thompson has battled hand injuries that affected her performance in the 2024 season. These issues led to several missed cuts and contributed to her ranking dropping to 54th by mid-2024. She’s also faced recurring back muscle problems over the years. During one tournament, she actually pulled a back muscle in her first round but pushed through the next two days anyway.

“I kind of pulled a back muscle my first round out here, and I was just happy to get through the next two days.”

Thompson’s track record shows she doesn’t back down easily. At the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, she led by five strokes entering the final round. Despite visible emotional and physical exhaustion, she battled to a third-place finish. Then there’s the CME Group Tour Championship, where she made clutch birdies while dealing with shaky hands and muscle pulls. Her career philosophy speaks volumes about her mental toughness, too.

Thompson has said she always tries to push through even when her body isn’t 100 percent. She has consistently demonstrated that commitment throughout her career. In recent seasons, hand injuries caused missed cuts, yet she often refused to withdraw until forced by severity. That same determination seems to be guiding her approach to this neck issue.

The timing of this setback is worth noting. Thompson announced her retirement from full-time golf at the end of the 2024 season. She’s now playing a limited schedule rather than competing full-time on the Tour. Her reduced schedule focuses on select events where she can connect with fans one last time.

Given Thompson’s history of bouncing back from physical setbacks, this neck problem seems like just another obstacle she’ll overcome. Her pattern has always been clear—acknowledge the issue, treat it, and get back out there. No reason to expect anything different this time around.