“I joked with Lexi, this might be the first time I hear my name louder than yours,” Khang said. “She was so gracious. She was like, ‘No, this is your crowd.’ But I know everyone is coming out here to watch some great golf and obviously Lexi is an incredible player.”
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That Thompson is choosing to leave the Tour at the age of 29 sent shock waves through the sport, if only because she has been such a fixture and staple for so long. In 2007, at age 12, Thompson was the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the US Women’s Open (since broken by Lucy Li, who was 11 in 2014) and by June of 2010, when she was 15, she turned pro.
Through success like winning her sole major at the 2014 Chevron Championship, through challenges like injury or intense social media scrutiny, Thompson persevered, she and her booming driver raising the profile and popularity of her sport.
But in realizing she’d had enough, that there were new challenges to try and more family time to enjoy, she is ready to move on. But not before this first-ever FM Championship in Boston, not before the upcoming Solheim Cup, for which she will make her seventh consecutive appearance as a recent captain’s pick, not before hearing the respect and appreciation from so many of her peers.
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Like Khang.
“Lexi has been great for the game of golf. She’s such a household name and has done so much, especially at a young age,” Khang said after a round that ended with neither woman making much headway up the leaderboard but left them both fulfilled nonetheless.
Identical 1-under 71 scores have put them in a 10-way tie for 13th heading into Sunday’s conclusion.
“She is not too much older than I am, but it’s pretty cool that like when I was growing up playing junior golf Lexi was kind of crushing it out here on tour,” Khang said. “You know, we’re sad to see her leave. Being able to play this round — and I played with her a couple weeks ago in Canada — like I said, it’s always fun playing with her. The tour will miss her.
“I think all the fans will as well, and the players. Being able to kind of be on the same team with her on the Solheim Cup coming up, it might be her last one. Who knows, maybe she changes her mind and comes out of retirement. But it’s going to be a fun week.
“I think the fans as well are acknowledging how much of a loss we are going to have with Lexi retiring … Maybe we’ll see a little bit more of her.”
Thompson has been hearing such pleas since sharing her decision on a heartfelt Instagram post, fans who don’t want to believe that one of their favorite players is really done.
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“Every day. Like every hole they’re like, ‘Don’t retire. Just stay,’” she said. “Once I made the announcement, I’m pretty set on it. Of course there are things, like the fans, I will miss every day, hearing their cheers and the smiles. It’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.
“It’s just something that’s been on my mind for quite some time. There are more important things.”
All of that will come, but for now, there are some more golf memories to make. The Solheim Cup, an experience she insisted, “in my mind has made my career, one of the best events that I’ve ever played, being able to represent your country, there is nothing like it.” The rush of making a shot like the 18-foot putt she rolled in from off the green for an eagle on the par-5 second hole Saturday. The chance to sign her name for the galleries of fans waiting at the end of her round, or to stop and high five so many of the young girls among those throngs.
“These fans came out, took time out of their lives to come out and watch me. Good or bad day, they love supporting us women, and that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “Especially the little kids. To see the smile on their faces, and on a bad day they’re still saying, ‘Great playing, we look up to you.’ That’s what makes the difference. We’re impacting these little kids and growing the game.”
Growing the game, while growing up in the game. Khang recalled playing a junior tournament in 2011 with Thompson, taking a snapshot together that she still has somewhere in her files. “I haven’t shown her, I don’t think, but it’s pretty cool,” she said. “You go back into the past and you fast forward to now, we’re both on tour. Obviously she’s retiring this year and hopefully I have a few more good years in me.”
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Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her @Globe_Tara.
