Lexi Thompson is known for speaking her mind. While she’s one of the most accomplished American golfers of her time, it’s her honesty—especially about the mental and physical challenges of the sport—that truly sets her apart. This season, her appearance has been selective, some might even say strategic, as she moves through a lighter schedule.

The 2025 AIG Women’s Open will go on without her. For the first time in seven years, Royal Porthcawl won’t see Lexi Thompson tee it up. The reason might not seem valid to some, as it is not due to any injury or conflict in her calendar. “I’m not playing for about five weeks. I will be taking personal time off at home and kind of playing once we get back to the states, kind of taking it tournament by tournament,” she said after the Dow Championship in June, where she and her playing partner contended for the title but fell just short. It underscored that her break wasn’t prompted by form or frustration—it was an intentional choice for recovery. This reason is not new.

Back in 2018, she pulled out of this very same major, which then went by the name Ricoh Women’s British Open. She explained her decision in an emotional Instagram post, saying she needed time to work on herself. “The events of the past year and a half (on and off the golf course) have taken a tremendous toll on me both mentally and emotionally…I am therefore taking this time to recharge my mental batteries.” This withdrawal led to a month-long sabbatical from the LPGA Tour.

Following that break, Thompson returned just a month later and ended her season on a high note with a win at the 2018 CME Group Tour Championship. It was a clear sign of her resilience—her ability to regroup mentally and come back stronger. That kind of strength has defined much of her career. Since qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open at just 12, Thompson has been a standout in women’s golf, inspiring a new generation of young players with her fearless style and steady presence on the tour.

But actually, the story goes back even further. It was April 2017, during the ANA Inspiration, when she was hit with a four-stroke penalty after a viewer complained about improper ball placement. The penalty cost her the tournament, and she lost in a playoff to So Yeon Ryu. “That night was extremely rough. I was screaming, crying,” Thompson revealed in March 2018. This traumatic incident, combined with personal hardships like her mother’s cancer diagnosis and her grandmother’s death, had a collective effect on her mental health.  In 2024, she announced her retirement from full-time professional golf.

Following this, Lexi Thompson confirmed she would not play a regular schedule in 2025 and would only participate in 10 events. Sort of like a part-time role on the LPGA Tour. As she had only played 8 events by late June, it is likely that the fans will not see much of her for the remainder of the season. Such a decision is suitable for her mental health and emotional wellbeing. But women’s golf is not seeing this for the first time. There are other brave souls too have have been prioritising their mental health over professional golf.

LPGA Stars choosing mental health over golf

In elite sport, dealing with mental health is often part of the script. Over the years, many LPGA players have chosen self-care over competition. Lexi Thompson‘s decision to step back is just one in a growing pattern.

In 2021, Annie Park took a two-month break mid-season to cope with anxiety and panic attacks. The severity of these conditions was so enormous that she struggled to breathe at times. She skipped the Evian Championship, Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, and the AIG Open all in the same year, citing an unrelenting mental load and the need to “empty my plate“.

A year later, Olivia Mehaffey followed the same path. In 2022, she stepped away from the LPGA tour after the death of her father. She withdrew from multiple events, including the Skafto Open and the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. She later admitted hiding behind golf, to deny grief and anxiety until they overwhelmed her. Mehaffey returned only after seeking therapy.

But perhaps the most visible example remains Christina Kim. From 2010 to 2012, Kim battled severe clinical depression along with an extreme identity crisis. Later on, she revealed confronting suicidal ideation. Her openness later shifted how mental health was discussed in the sport.

In a sport that rarely slows down, these women gave themselves permission to pause. It is a quiet reminder that even at the highest level, being okay matters more than being perfect.