You expected to see a reaction. When Lexi Thompson missed a couple of short putts early in the week, knee-knocking 3- and 4-footers that could be missed but that a top-flight professional always expects to make, everyone expected an emotional response – dropped head, slumped shoulders, maybe a putter tapped into the ground in frustration. Something. But Thompson showed none of that. She didn’t even smirk or shake her head. She moved on, never changing her rhythm or demeanor. Her expression, serious inside the ropes and peaceful outside of them, never changed either, even after it became apparent that the shorties she missed on Thursday and Friday were the difference between where she sits now – 7-under par and two shots off the lead – and being in command of this championship with one round to play.
“I didn’t look a single leaderboard,” Thompson said on Saturday afternoon in Scotland after firing a three-birdie, one-bogey 70, another round where the putter was anything but hot. “If I see (a leaderboard), I look away. I've been trying to focus on myself, my game and my emotions and really that's all I can control. And whatever happens, happens with the course.”
The subtext of these comments, and what Lexi would say out loud if asked, is, “I know you’re thinking about the U.S. Women’s Open. But I’m over it and have been for quite some time.” The reason no one asks, is because everyone knows that’s what she will say. The problem is few believe her.
I talked to Lexi at length in Daly City, California, the week after Yuka Saso won the U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club. For those who don’t remember, Thompson held a five-shot lead with nine holes to play. Yes, she was hurt in the days immediately afterward. Who wouldn’t be? But that week, and in the three months since, there have been no signs of permanent damage, no lingering trauma that could alter the trajectory of her career. We have had several pleasant chats since then about golf and other topics, and she is the same person she has always been. Friendly, giving, heartfelt and genuine. If I called Lexi right now and said, hey, I’ve got a buddy who is going through a difficult time and it would mean a lot if you reached out to him, she would make the call within minutes. That’s who she is.
This week, she is celebrating the fact that her brother, Curtis, has qualified for the PGA Tour for 2022. Given how close the Thompson siblings have always been, a few missed putts at Carnoustie mean nothing to Lexi at the moment.
Certainly, she wants to win. That’s why she’s still playing. And, as she said on Saturday, she caught a break early with the weather and hung on late. “We got the first nine in great weather, not too much wind, really the whole day, and unfortunate with the rain coming in. But you expect that coming over here.”
The love of friends and family means more than made putts and championship trophies. She has been saying that for years. At age 26, she embraces it. And when she tells you that loses don’t linger, she means it.
That’s why you can expect more victories to come. Maybe sooner than you think.
“It's a demanding golf course in general,” Thompson said of Carnoustie, which some consider the toughest links course in the world. “You have to hit those tee balls, trust those lines out there and really play for those bounces around the greens. You have to just trust those golf shots. Putting weather into play makes it more difficult and you just have to stay in the moment and focus on one shot at a time.”
She’s done that so far this week and will do so again on Sunday. But that’s nothing new. Putting the past in the past is a sign of maturity, as a golfer and as a person. Lexi Thompson is there. And has been for some time now.
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