Lexi Thompson Opens Up About Cheating Allegations: “I Cried the Whole Night”

As Lexi Thompson approaches her retirement from professional golf, the LPGA Tour star has spoken candidly about one of the most difficult moments in her career. Thompson, who will retire at the end of the 2024 season at just 29 years old, reflected on the emotional aftermath of a major loss that left a deep impact on her.

Thompson’s career has been marked by incredible achievements and heartbreaking disappointments. She has won 11 LPGA Tour titles, captured a major championship, and represented the United States in two Olympic Games and six Solheim Cups, with a seventh appearance expected. Despite her success, some critics argue that her talent should have led to more major victories. Thompson came close several times, notably losing a five-shot lead on the back nine at the 2021 U.S. Open and faltering again at the 2022 PGA Championship, where she made four bogeys in the final stretch, allowing Chun In-gee to claim the title.

However, the most painful moment of Thompson’s career occurred during the 2017 ANA Inspiration. In the final round, she was handed a four-shot penalty after a TV viewer noticed that she had incorrectly replaced her ball during the third round. The penalty led to her losing the tournament in a playoff, a devastating blow to her dreams.

In a recent interview with GOLF, Thompson described the emotional toll of that incident. “They hurt,” she said of those difficult moments, particularly the 2017 ANA Inspiration. “I think I locked myself in the room after it happened. I cried the whole night. I didn’t want anybody near me.”

The 2017 ANA Inspiration was a tournament Thompson had always dreamed of winning, making the penalty and subsequent loss even more devastating. “It was like my dream was just ripped right from my hands because that was a tournament I always imagined I would win,” she said. “To have that taken away for something that I didn’t even realize [I did], that I would never do, and then to be called a cheater and a choker for all these incidents, I’m like, Why do I deserve this?”

Thompson expressed her frustration at being labeled a cheater and a choker despite her dedication and hard work. “I’m out here busting my butt, trying to win these tournaments and come out on top, with all the training and practicing I’ve done. And to not be able to close out a win — and to hear the things people say — it’s just, nobody deserves it.”

Thompson admitted that she continues to struggle with the memories of that incident and has sought professional help to cope with the emotional aftermath. “I struggle with it to this day, and I’ve [sought] a lot of help for it, which I think everybody should do because, in the moment, sometimes you’re like, Oh, I just want to deal with it alone. But it’s probably the worst thing you can do.”

She emphasized the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive people during tough times. “You have to surround yourself with the people that love you and have their support to get through those tough times because going through it alone is the worst possible thing,” Thompson said, acknowledging that, despite this, she often struggles in solitude.