Lexi Thompson has had a very complicated relationship with golf! There is no question that she immensely loves the sport. Her passion for golf is undeniable, as she has always yearned to push herself through the next big challenge. But the immense isolation she feels being an individual competitor on the LPGA Tour makes her hate it. Constant criticism, bad situations, and a disconnect with her peers are some reasons Thompson felt ‘lonely’ as a professional golfer.

However, she still found the strength to continue for many years. That courage was rooted in others who came to her rescue when it seemed like the ceiling was falling on her. Despite facing some of the biggest obstacles on the course, such motivation is what kept her going before she finally announced retirement from full-time professional golf in 2024. We’re here to bring one of those incidents to light as we look at the ups and downs of Lexi Thompson’s time on the course just before she tees off in the 2025 Chevron Championship.

On April 2, 2017, Thompson was at the top of the leaderboard in the ANA Inspiration. She had a two-stroke lead against So Yeon Ryu and was lined up to win the second major of her career. All she needed was to maintain her lead, or that’s what everyone in the world thought, except one guy. As Thompson was lined up on the 12th hole, the tournament officials gave her a shocking update.

Apparently, one fan who had watched the broadcast of the third round a day prior witnessed something strange. Calling the LPGA Tour office, they shared details of an infraction they noticed on the live telecast. It had to do with a couple of misplaced ball markers and two other incidents of handing in the incorrect scorecard. After further investigation, the tournament officials penalized the beloved golfer with 4 strokes, pushing her from 2 in the lead to 2 behind. Despite a courageous effort that took things to the playoffs, Thompson lost the 2017 ANA Inspiration.

The incident shook the golf world, and everyone jumped in to leave an opinion about it. Taking over X (then Twitter), the players and celebrities alike shared their peace of mind with the ruling officials. Let’s see what they had to say.

The internet exploded as things turned around for the worse for Lexi Thompson

Soon after the penalty, the world of professional golf turned into an absolute mess. The ruling officials were heavily criticized for the late call. Big-name golfers also joined the conversation to defend Thompson. One of them was the G.O.A.T. himself, Tiger Woods. Moved by the shocking turn of events, Woods posted on X, “Viewers at home should not be officials wearing ᵴtriƥes. Let’s go @Lexi, win this thing anyway.” He was not pleased with the tournament regulators handing control over to the fans for such a huge event. Like uncle, like niece, Cheyyene Woods also shared her displeasure about the entire situation. She tweeted, “Viewers should not be able to call in rulings,” echoing what her golf legend uncle wrote.

Famous singer, songwriter, actor, and big golf fan, Justin Timberlake, was also moved by how Thompson reacted to the entire incident. He pointed the same out in his post as he said, “👏👏👏@Lexi is SO CLASSY. Handled that with grace and fight. Career defining moment.” The LPGA Tour star’s incredible attitude, even in the face of such a shocking defeat, impressed Timberlake immensely. 2023 Ryder Cup captain for Team US, Zach Johnson, also mentioned, “Feeling for Lexi…some things in sports just don’t make sense. Unreal fortitude shown. Heart of a champion.” While complimenting Thompson for her composure, Johnson also took a dig at the ridiculousness of what happened at Mission Hills Country Club that day.

“Are you kidding me @lpga!?! 24 hours later assessed a 4 stroke penalty?! Ridiculous. Come on @Lexi! Everyone is pulling for you now 💪🏼🇺🇸,” wrote LPGA Tour star Amelia Lewis, who had missed the qualification for the major event. However, they did play together in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship that year.

Were you also shocked to learn about the shocking mistreatment of Lexi Thompson, or were you in favor of how the ANA Inspiration official handled the situation? Let us know in the comments section.