It was only months after announcing her retirement (from “full-time golf”) that Lexi Thompson returned to golf.

Then came not one, not two, not even three, but thirteen LPGA starts, pretty moderate performances, and a hopeful sign that she may be present for both the 2026 season and the Solheim Cup. But that is not the problem. The problem is the fact that she announced her retirement at all.

Or, so was the topic of discussion between Meg Adkins, Matthew, and Kevin Van Valkenburg on the recent The Mixed Bag podcast. During the discussion of her possible future participation in the Solheim Cup, Valkenburg wondered.

“Why did Lexi have announce her retirement? Why not to just keep playing?”

He isn’t alone in asking that question.

Regardless, Valkenburg continued.

“I don’t know… she missed the boat on a lot of things… she should’ve corrected it [the retirement narrative] and said, ‘Hey, I am not gonna play as much. I’m not really retired.’ Like, just say it. I also think she might be… amateur. How she handles things. Maybe it was a little self-centered. Liking the attention and not wanting to say no to it, and then kind of like, ‘you could change your mind.’”

“I don’t wanna be gaslit, Lexi,” he added.

Valkenburg is hardly the first person to talk about it. Or to call out Thompson for her cryptic responses. Back in June, Mel Reid shared similar sentiments on the matter during a discussion on the Quiet Please! With Mel and Kira.

“Lexi, you know I love you to bits, but like, if you’re not going to play a full schedule, just don’t play a full schedule. Don’t, I wouldn’t do a big media press conference about it. I would just lower my schedule.”

Not to mention, fans do not have any insider knowledge about the situation at all. That has unfortunately been the source of the confusion surrounding Thompson and her retirement decisions. Or semi-retirement, at least.

And that is perhaps one thing Lexi Thompson agrees on. Now. At the 2025 U.S. Open, in a social media post, Thompson clarified that she just wanted to cut down her schedule. Yet, she agreed.

“Big picture, I probably shouldn’t have said that I was stepping away because people thought I was retiring.” Of course, this was done to take back control of her life and to have “more of a life balance.” And she has addressed it plenty of times, even humorously so.

That’s her argument.

Now, about the Solheim Cup and a possible participation from Thompson… the U.S. captain, Angela Stanford, said back in November, “I think, in my opinion, Lexi has earned the right to always be in consideration. That’s the ultimate.” Indeed, golf will continue to be a part of her, despite her many hopes for “something more.”

Lexi Thompson, a want for something more, and the game of golf

Back in November at the CME Group Tour Championship, Lexi Thompson confessed something.

“It [taking a break] has been nice. It has put my mind at ease.” She reminded everyone how long she’s been doing this before adding, “[Golf] has taken a toll.”

Looking at all these conversations about Thompson, it’s easy to forget how long she has been doing this. She was twelve when she became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. And she has been here for eighteen years now.

Hardly surprising that a break from it all seemed like a soothing balm for her soul. Then, a lot of other things happened. Back in January, she got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Max Provost. They will get married next March. She has been making wedding plans.

And if her statements are anything to go by, Thompson will largely be absent from the first few months of the 2026 season.

“The first few months, I won’t even play because obviously there’s not really a tournament to play. Then with the wedding and the honeymoon and everything. I’m going to take some time for myself and kind of regroup and see where I want to go,” she said back in November.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she isn’t here when she wants to be. Last week, she played in the Grant Thornton Invitational. Next year, who knows?