Lexi Thompson hopes to help the U.S. reclaim the Solheim Cup in her last year as a full-time player
GAINESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Lexi Thompson isn't sure whether this year's Solheim Cup will be her last as a player, but she showed her commitment to returning the cup to the United States by making an early visit to the demanding venue where the Americans will take on Europe in September.
Thompson, who announced at the U.S. Women's Open in May that this year would be her last playing a full LPGA Tour schedule, is currently 14th in the Solheim Cup standings, which means she may need to rely on a captain's pick. But U.S. captain Stacy Lewis told The Associated Press on Monday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club that Thompson has nothing to worry about.
“She's right where she needs to be. She's struggled, but I think making the (retirement) announcement and kind of getting that monkey off her back, you've seen some better golf come after that,” Lewis said. “And holds another card that nobody else has. And that's the experience. And I know she's one of those players that plays better when she gets here, too.
“I told her, ‘I don’t need you to play 30 events. I just need you to be close.'”
The 29-year-old Thompson, who turned pro at age 15, made her Solheim Cup debut at Colorado Golf Club in 2013 and hasn't missed it since. This year's would be her seventh, but she hasn't been part of a winning team since 2017 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Europe won in 2019 in Scotland and in 2021 in Ohio and retained the cup with a draw last year at Finca Cortesin in Spain. Lewis and European captain Suzann Pettersen are reprising their roles as the cup moves back to even-numbered years, away from the Ryder Cup.
Thompson mas maintained a strong record despite the Americans' struggles, going 9-7-7 overall and 5-2-1 in the difficult alternate-shot format. She was 3-1 last year, 2-0 in alternate shot.
“She's got a fight that no one else has,” Lewis said. “Last year in Spain, she was down through a couple holes and somebody was like, ‘Do you need to go see Lexi?’ And I was like, ‘No, she’s fine.'”
Thompson's power should give her an advantage at RTJ, a big ballpark on the shores of Lake Manassas about 35 miles west of Washington, D.C., that has hosted the Presidents Cup and PGA Tour events.
“I definitely hit a lot of drivers,” Thompson said of her practice round a day earlier alongside Lewis. “It's on the longer side. I didn't have too many wedges in out there.”
Lewis said she favors a difficult setup at RTJ that would favor a player like Thompson.
“Where there's a penalty for a miss, I think that will play into our players a little bit better,” Lewis said. “I think we have a few more ball-strikers than they do on Team Europe.”
Thompson skipped a major, the Evian Championship in France, to join Lewis at RTJ.
“Any time I can be able to help out and represent Team USA, that's highest on my list,” Thompson said.
Thompson left some wiggle room in her retirement announcement, saying she hadn't decided how much she will play in the future. Asked whether she would try to make Solheim teams after this year, she said, “I honestly haven't really thought that much into it.”
Lewis predicted that Thompson would return to the event in a different role.
“Oh, yeah,” Lewis said. “She'll be a captain.”
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