BRADENTON, Fla. — Lexi Thompson did say she was only retiring from full-time competition when she announced last year that she would be stepping away from the LPGA Tour.

So, while it might be a bit surprising to see Thompson teeing it up this week at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands, the opportunity to compete in the 2025 edition of the longstanding event was an easy yes for the 11-time LPGA Tour champion and 2023 Founders Award winner.

“The Founders are the reason why we're able to be out here today and to be on the LPGA Tour,” said Thompson. “Those are the women that founded the Tour, so we're lucky and honored to be able to tee it up here. And this is only about three hours from my home, so definitely an easy trip. I definitely plan on playing a few more times this year.”

Thompson shared her retirement intentions at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club, a fitting place for her to break the news, considering it was where everything started for Thompson, who first rose to fame after teeing it up as a 12-year-old in the 2007 edition of the major championship. But there were a lot of question marks as to how much she would play in 2025, as Thompson had left the door cracked for a few potential starts this season if she felt so inclined.

Few expected to see Lexi out this early after wrapping up her 2024 season at the Grant Thornton Invitational in December. However, the soon-to-be 30-year-old made sure to take plenty of time off to reset and refresh over the last month and a half, and boy, was it an incredible offseason for Lexi.

She took a trip to Canada to see some snow and do some fun winter activities, one of which was dog sledding, something that Thompson thoroughly enjoyed on the one day they had enough snow to be able to head out with the dogs.

“It was amazing. It was my first time to Whistler, Canada. My fiancé, Max, he's from Montreal,” said Thompson. “We went for a few days, and I've only seen snow a few times in my life, so it was just incredible to relax, see the snow, explore the village. We went dog sledding the last day. It was actually the only day that it really snowed and actually fell. It was just magical. Then I got proposed to, so it was even more of a special trip.”

Lexi Thompson engagement ring

You read that right. Thompson’s boyfriend of two years, Max Provost, proposed to the major champion during their Canadian vacation, something that was a complete surprise to Lexi, even though she thought it could potentially happen before they headed to Whistler. Max has been by Lexi’s side through everything over the last couple of years, and for someone who has a platform as big as Thompson’s, that constant support has certainly been a gamechanger, something she will now have for the rest of her life, professional golfer or not.

“I don't think I've ever met somebody like Max,” Thompson said. “He treats me so special and loves me every single day, which I don't know how sometimes. I'm lucky every day. I've prayed for a man like him. I was so shocked when he proposed to me. I was not expecting it. He was way too calm and collected. But when he did, I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, yes!’ I didn't even think about it. I didn't even look at the ring. I'm like, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’”

Lexi Thompson Teeing It Up at Founders Cup After Off-Season Engagement

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