You say shorter, but both of those players started on tour so young. Lexi is 29, surprised the heck out of me, but has been on tour for 15 years. Michelle Wie's first pro tournament was at age 12
I saw the news that Lexi was retiring but I didn't hear anything as to the reason why she would retire so young. What's she going to do instead? Seems a bit odd.
Would it be because she wants to have children? I can't imagine it is easy to start a family and continue playing sport at elite level. Or, at the least, likely would require a decent amount of time away?
It's not just about 'needing' the money, but retiring at 29 gives you a lot of empty years to fill! Potentially she has irons the fire to do TV work, perhaps.
I wondered this but I didn't want to be sexist by suggesting it, lol. But having said that, full on retirement as opposed to just taking a year or two out is pretty bold. And I'm not even sure she has a partner currently - not that she can't have a child on her own if she so wants.
I'm not sure it is sexist, it isn't like you'd be saying "it is impossible for a women to play sport and have a family". I suppose you could look at it the other way. Had I said "well, it won't be because she wants a family, because women should still be able to play sport and have kids at the same time", then somebody could hurl abuse at me by saying I don't understand what it is like to have children, both physically and mentally
I was just joshing mate, I was slightly wary of jumping to that conclusion that she was retiring to have kids, that's all. I think plenty of female players must have continued to play while pregnant and then just taking 6 to 18 months out for recovery after birth, then got back into playing again. If my wife was a professional tour golfer I'd be happy to take on the bigger share of parental duties, traditional gender roles be damned!I'm not sure it is sexist, it isn't like you'd be saying "it is impossible for a women to play sport and have a family". I suppose you could look at it the other way. Had I said "well, it won't be because she wants a family, because women should still be able to play sport and have kids at the same time", then somebody could hurl abuse at me by saying I don't understand what it is like to have children, both physically and mentally
I mean, I know men that have pretty much given up golf as a hobby when they start to have a family. It a full time job. And, it is fair to say a woman often has a bigger role to play in the process (but happy to be corrected), and so just how easy is it to keep playing at the pinnacle of any sport? Or, working hard after birth to get back to that level? And, even then, does the person want to go travelling all over America, spending more than half their lives in hotel rooms? Or, do they want to spend it with their children, already wealthy enough to have a very comfortable life? Every individual is different, but having kids will require certain decisions to be made either way.
Of course, children is a complete guess, and may have absolutely nothing to do with it. Maybe she is just tired of the travelling and staying in hotels. Maybe she thinks she no longer has the drive to get to the top, especially with someone like Korda coming along and playing at the level she is. So, retiring at 29, still young, and start to do things that you enjoy more.
Me to. I've seen the film "Junior", so I know it is possibleI was just joshing mate, I was slightly wearing of jumping to that conclusion that she was retiring to have kids, that's all. I think plenty of female players must have continued to play while pregnant and then just taking 6 to 18 months out for recovery after birth, then got back into playing again. If my wife was a professional tour golfer I'd be happy to take on the bigger share of parental duties, traditional gender roles be damned!
But yeah, as I said, I don't even think she has a partner so she'd be having the kid on her own if that was the case. I suppose that lends more weight to the need to retire.
Anyway, I just found this in an article:
Thompson said she has contemplated semi-retirement the last few years and cited mental health as one of the factors that contributed to her decision.
“I think we all have our struggles, especially out here,” she said. “Unfortunately in golf you lose more than you win, so it’s an ongoing battle to continue to put yourself out there in front of the cameras and continuing to work hard and maybe not seeing the results you want and getting criticized for it. So it’s hard.
“I will stay, yes, I’ve struggled with it — I don’t think there’s somebody out here that hasn’t,” she said. “It’s just a matter of how well you hide it, which is very sad.”
Perhaps Grayson Murray has given her a lot of food for thought then.
