‘What Was She Thinking?’: Lexi Thompson Left Golf Legend Jack Nicklaus Absolutely Baffled After Her Controversial Moment in 2017

Published 12/27/2022, 5:34 PM EST

Lexi Thompson fell in love with golf as a child after watching her elder brothers play it with their dad. The youngest of the Thompson family even began her career then and there as she started competing in junior events. However, little did the 5-year-old know how the sport she loves the most would ever give her a traumatic experience in front of the entire world.

Marking a ball and putting the ball back out of place for a 1-foot putt was not something a mistake that any professional golfer would do. However, Thompson did that in round 3 at the 2017 ANA Inspiration, which the Tournament officials didn’t see. Nonetheless, a television viewer pointed it out to them after the round got over, which led her to get a four-shot penalty while she was playing in the fourth round.

Tour veteran Jack Nicklaus was left confused after the LPGA player’s mistake

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Lexi Thompson entered the final round of the 2017 ANA Inspiration, present Chevron Championship, calculating how to celebrate after reclaiming the title for the second time. After all, she had a two-shot lead from the second player on the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club. However, her mistake on the 17th green made her earn a four-shot penalty. She also lost the title to So Yeon Ryu in the title.

“That was so strange,” Jack Nicklaus said about Thompson’s misplacing the ball incident during the Dan Patrick Show in 2017. “I just saw the replay,” he added after explaining that he didn’t see the altercation while it was aired live, “…and I said, ‘what was she thinking?'”

Infamous for Her Controversies, LPGA Superstar Lexi Thompson Once Narrowly Escaped Deep Waters Despite Severe Backlash

Thompson had already become an established player at the time. And Nicklaus didn’t think she would do such an altercation for a 1-foot putt. “If I had thought that she did it intentionally, I would have been talking about something else,” he added. “But I don’t think she… it ever happened.”

Lexi Thompson will never forget her experience at the 2017 ANA Inspiration

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Lexi Thompson could have won her second major in 2017 if she hadn’t gotten that four-shot penalty. And the experience helped her nothing but to create bad memories.

“I had nightmares about it,” she said 12 months after the event, according to theguardian.com. “I still occasionally do.”

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Family, fans, and fellow golfers helped Thompson to get over the awful memories she got from the major championship. Even the senior golfer Nicklaus sympathized with her, although he couldn’t understand why she would make such a mistake.

Watch This Story: Paige Spiranac Was Trigger After Lexi Thompson’s Infamous Controversy in 2017

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Anjana Prabhakaran is a Golf content writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Master's degree in Public Administration and considers researching as one of her hobbies. As her family is interested in sports, Anjana grew up watching every sport on television.

‘What Was She Thinking?’: Lexi Thompson Left Golf Legend Jack Nicklaus Absolutely Baffled After Her Controversial Moment in 2017

Tour veteran Jack Nicklaus was left confused after the LPGA player’s mistake

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Lexi Thompson will never forget her experience at the 2017 ANA Inspiration