Women’s professional golfer Lexi Thompson, who is one of the biggest stars in the sport, has announced she is retiring, citing mental health concerns. Thompson, 29, made the announcement May 28 in an open letter she shared in an Instagram post over images capturing moments from her career. “Although this has been an amazing journey, it hasn’t always been an easy one. Since I was 12 years old, my life as a golfer has been a whirlwind of constant attention, scrutiny and pressure.
“I think we all have our own struggles, especially out here,” she said. “Unfortunately in golf you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continuing to work hard and maybe not seeing the results you want and getting criticized for it. So it’s hard. I will say, yes, I’ve struggled with it. I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t. It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.