LANCASTER, Pa. – As journalists, we’re tasked with attending to know the athletes we cowl. To attempt to crack their outer shell, to be taught their inside workings, and if we’re fortunate, to have the ability to share our findings with the skin world.
However with Lexi Thompson asserting her retirement from skilled golf on the finish of this season, I’m left with the sense that we’ve by no means totally understood this advanced character.
“You haven’t all the time been straightforward on me, or honest, for that matter,” Thompson mentioned in a farewell video on social media, addressed to the sport. “Sophisticated” was the phrase she selected to make use of to explain her relationship with golf, which might characterize her relationship with the media, too.
We’ve coated the highs and lows of Thompson’s profession, from main championship glory at Mission Hills in 2014, to her heartbreaking defeat three years later at that very same championship, the place she confronted scrutiny for improperly changing her ball mark. Thompson declined to go to the media heart afterwards, leaving followers and journalists, alike, with unanswered questions and a void crammed with assumptions and evaluation.
“We’re doing what we love. We’re making an attempt one of the best each single day,” Thompson mentioned Tuesday at Lancaster Nation Membership concerning the challenges she confronted in her profession. “You already know, we’re not excellent. We’re people. Phrases damage. It’s onerous to beat generally.”
And when she confronted a devastating loss within the 2021 U.S. Ladies’s Open at Olympic Membership, having relinquished a five-stroke lead on the again 9, I used to be tasked with interviewing her instantly after her spherical.
She declined the televised interview. As an alternative, she spoke briefly within the quick-quotes space (the moderator slicing brief questions) and, with tears in her eyes, she did what she had carried out so many occasions earlier than to buoy her emotions when confronted with defeat – she turned to her followers.
Thompson signed autographs for the younger youngsters who had been ready for her outdoors the scoring tent. I used to be the one journalist who captured Thompson along with her adoring followers and my {photograph} posted to social media went semi-viral. It garnered extra views than something I’d ever posted. And feedback got here pouring in, the nice and the ugly, weighing in on Thompson’s loss. It was a glimpse into the scrutiny she’d been shouldering, but additionally revealed the overwhelming need for Thompson to be heard from within the wake of defeat.
For causes straightforward to grasp, much more so in tough occasions, Thompson prioritized her followers forward of the media. Golf is difficult. And so was Thompson’s relationship with it. And subsequently, with all of us. These watching the dwell protection that day from dwelling had been left questioning what occurred as she sought solace within the youngsters who had been ready to satisfy her.
“The followers are what make the sport,” Thompson mentioned Tuesday. “They took day trip of their life to return assist us, even when we shoot 78. Listening to somewhat lady after a 78 saying, you probably did nice right now. I imply, that makes your coronary heart soften each time.”
Thompson’s dedication to her followers earned her one of many LPGA Tour’s prime honors in 2023 and led to essentially the most revealing interview I’ve had along with her.
Chosen by her friends, Thompson obtained The Founders Award, which is given to a participant every season who embodies the spirit of the LPGA by way of each habits and actions. The award was given out on the CME Group Tour Championship, the ultimate occasion of the season, wherein Thompson did not qualify for the primary time in her profession, however she nonetheless made the journey to Naples, Florida, to obtain the honour.
In the course of the dinner portion of the present, I had an opportunity to interview Thompson one-on-one about receiving the award. She was open, sincere, and real in her responses. However we weren’t speaking about golf. We had been speaking about one thing she loves – her followers. With out a big group of pals on Tour and with the media typically saved at arm’s size, those that have cheered her from outdoors the ropes have offered her consolation on the occasions she wanted it most.
On a regular basis she’d spent taking selfies with little ladies had earned her one of many LPGA’s most distinguished awards. Thompson gushed in our interview about how a lot her followers meant to her, admitting they – not essentially the victories – had been those who introduced her pleasure.
“I’ve realized alongside the years that you may win as many tournaments, however giving again to the sport, seeing the grins on the fan’s faces, that’s what makes me glad and simply leaving the sport in a greater place,” Thompson informed me.
