Lexi Thompson May Have Practiced Too Much Ahead of the First LPGA Major

Thompson is coming into the Chevron Championship prepared and refreshed, but she also has a developing wrist issue.

Lexi Thompson has only made two competitive appearances so far this calendar year—at the Drive On Championship and the Saudi Ladies International—but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t worked diligently on her game from home. In fact, it seems as though she has been grinding too hard. 

Speaking to the media at the 2023 Chevron Championship, the first major championship of the LPGA season, Thompson explained why she had several strips of black athletic tape on her wrist. 

“Yeah, I’ve just been hitting so many golf balls at home, and I've kind of—I'm not going to say injured, but it's hurting a little bit. But I've gotten work done the last few days and getting it taped up,” Thompson said. “But yeah, I think I just overworked it. It's nothing crazy severe, but it's there.” 

The 28-year-old may not have been present on Tour this winter, but she clearly wasn’t without a golf club in her hand. 

Thompson said the wrist issue only started “about a week ago” and is largely due to the sheer amount of reps she has been putting in on the driving range. 

“I’ve been grinding,” Thompson said, “Probably just a matter of that, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. All mindset.” 

Thompson’s hard work in training didn’t mean she wasn’t able to enjoy herself off of the golf course over the past few months, however. The 2014 Chevron Championship winner said that she feels “refreshed” heading into the week, as she was able to decompress while simultaneously preparing for competition at the highest level. 

“I think I'm in a better mindset, more relaxed, just happier to be out here. Not saying that I wasn't before, but just refreshed. I had the time off that I needed. Of course I was training probably harder than ever when I was home, but I made sure to take the time later in the day and the nights to really unwind and get my mind off golf and making sure that I'm excited to come back out,” Thompson said. 

Thompson has been competing on the LPGA Tour for 13 seasons—she famously teed it up at the U.S. Women’s Open at 12 years old, the youngest ever to do so. Thompson’s break from the weekly travel grind was well deserved, and despite her new wrist issue, it seems to have paid off. 

Refreshed, renewed, and ready to take on the @Chevron_Golf 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/FTI79nSAJX

— LPGA (@LPGA) April 19, 2023

“I'm never really with my family too much, so just being home, there's nothing like it. I think as athletes we're always used to being on the road and away from family, so just being home and being able to just sleep in when we want, be on our own schedule, I think that speaks wonders for us rather than having to go and plan a trip or go and travel,” Thompson shared. 

In February’s Saudi Ladies International, Thompson finished T3, three shots back of Lydia Ko, the current world No. 1. At the Drive On Championship in Arizona, however, Thompson failed to make the cut with rounds of 72 and 76 at Superstition Mountain. 

This week, Thompson will look to become a two-time winner at the event, which for the first time is being playing in The Woodlands, Texas. The LPGA’s top stars will tee it up at the Nicklaus Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, rather than Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, where the championship was held from 1983 to 2022. 

Like other players in the field, Thompson is looking forward to testing her game on the challenging venue, but will miss the historic track that hosted the tournament from its onset. 

“It's definitely a major feel for this golf course. It's playing long, and it'll get windy. It's Texas, so it'll get windy out there and play difficult, so that's how a major should be," she said. "Yes, of course I'm missing Palm Springs, but this is a very special place, as well, so I think we're all looking forward to this week.”