Lexi Thompson made a life change. Now, she’s in hunt at another major

FRISCO, Texas — Lexi Thompson has been here before. Not at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. That’s a first.

But the 30-year-old is no stranger to climbing major championship leaderboards. No stranger to putting herself in position to snap a major-title drought now in its 11th year.

The scars are well-documented. The four-stroke penalty at the 2017 ANA Inspiration, now called the Chevron Championship, that wiped out her lead and led to an eventual playoff. The five-shot lead she let slip away in the final round of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club. The back-to-back bogeys at the end of the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to lose to In Gee Chun by one.

Since her lone major win, Thompson has 17 top 10s on women’s golf’s biggest stages. She has had chances but found ways to come undone.

But Lexi Thompson is once again in contention at a major championship this week after posting 72-70 in the first two rounds at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Thompson stumbled out of the gates during Thursday’s first round; she was three over through 11 holes but made three birdies coming home to get back to even and then played her first 17 holes on Friday in three under before her lone bogey of the day knocked her down to two under for the tournament.

As the winds wreaked havoc on the field and the Texas heat tested their mental fortitude, Thompson played smart, controlled golf. She picked up 1.727 shots off the tee, 1.494 on the greens and 0.961 on approaches. She pummeled drives and used a sharp wedge game to set up birdie looks of six feet, three feet and 11 feet, all of which she capitalized on. She rolled in a 43-foot par putt at the 10th to keep her momentum going. Her par putt at the par-5 14th hole went all the way around the hole before dropping.

In the end, Thompson got in the clubhouse two shots back of 18-hole leader Jeeno Thitikul, who had yet to tee off. Another weekend of major contention was on her now reduced schedule.

“I think experience always helps, but I think just a matter of feeling good about your game, going out there, being confident and having good days out there,” Thompson said after her round. “I think experience is just a bonus, of course, but we’re all out here and we have that experience playing under pressure and against the best in the world, so we know what that level is like. It’s just all a matter of bringing it to the table.”

Thompson announced last season that she would be stepping away from playing a full-time schedule. While not a “retirement,” Thompson made it clear we’d be seeing less of her on the course as she prioritizes other things and lets herself not worry about how she’s going to “perform.” She detailed her decision in a sit-down with our Jessica Marksbury last fall.

Despite the decision to not play a full schedule, Thompson has still played seven events this year and will tee it up next week before taking a long break.

But Thompson’s career shift was never about not playing; it was more about taking back control and doing things on her terms. She still grinds at her craft. She has said that the practice days at majors this year have been arguably the hardest she’s ever grinded. But she also gives herself time to relax, to binge-watch television shows and not to allow golf to take up all the oxygen in her life.

So far, Thompson’s change seems to be paying dividends. She put herself in contention at the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, and will enter the weekend at PGA Frisco in prime position to finally get major No. 2.

When asked whether she feels like she has less to lose after dialing back her schedule, Thompson said, “I wish I could say that. Still, when I’m home, I’m grinding and practicing and still working on my game. Any time I tee it up — even saying I was stepping away from a full-time schedule, any time I tee it up, I want to come out here and compete and win. I just want to make sure I’m fully ready every time I tee it up. I mean, it puts my mind more at ease coming out here knowing that I’m not playing a full schedule, grinding week in, week out, and looking forward to the weeks off.”

With Thompson securing a late Saturday tee time at another major, you can bet the fans will flock to her group at PGA Frisco and undoubtedly try to will her across the finish line. They know her story. They’ve watched her grow up from a teen phenom to LPGA superstar. They’ve watched her triumph and stumble. They understand the weight of grand expectations not met — of a career perhaps unfulfilled.

A win Sunday would give Thompson the power to write the start of her next (final?) chapter in golf. It could be a narrative-changer. A legacy-alterer.

Thompson won’t let her mind wander to what Sunday would mean should she be the last woman standing at Fields Ranch East. There is too much golf left, too many demons to exorcise.

“I think it’s just something that I’m going to take one shot at a time,” Thompson said. “When you get to thinking too far ahead of time, it just gets to you, so I’m just really going to embrace the moment. I might go out and hit a few extra shots on the range, make sure I’m feeling good going into the weekend, and come out on the weekend and just hope for the best.

“That’s all I can do.”

There are 36 holes to go at PGA Frisco. The heat index promises to rise, the winds will swirl and the test will intensify.

But Lexi Thompson has what she came for: another excellent chance at major title No. 2.