"Called a cheater and a choker"- Lexi Thompson opens up about 'crying the whole night' after agonizing incident in 2017
One of the most difficult moments of Lexi Thompson's career was the 2017 ANA Inspiration. Thompson was given a double penalty in the third round that ultimately cost her the title.
Seven years later, as Thompson nears the end of her career as a full-time professional golfer, she recalled the moment, describing it as a dream "ripped from her hands". Thompson said (via Golf Magic):
"I think I locked myself in the room after it happened. I cried the whole night. I didn't want anybody near me. It was like my dream was just ripped right from my hands, because that was a tournament I always imagined I would win."
"So, to have that taken away for something that I didn't even realize [I did], that I would never do, and then to be called a cheater and a choker for all these incidents, I’m like, 'Why do I deserve this?'"
"I'm out here busting my butt, trying to win these tournaments and come out on the top, with all the training and practicing I've done. And to not be able to either come down the stretch with a win — and to hear the things people say — it's just, nobody deserves it," she added.
The ANA Inspiration was the name of the event currently known as the Chevron Championship and was called the former between 2015 and 2021. It has been one of the Majors on the LPGA Tour since 1983.
Lexi Thompson won the event in 2014, aged just 19. At the time, she was the second-youngest Major winner in history.
What happened to Lexi Thompson at the 2017 ANA Inspiration?
The 2017 season was one of the best of Lexi Thompson's career. She won two tournaments (the Kingsmill Championship and the Indy Women in Tech Championship), matched her best world ranking (4th), and won the Race to CME Globe and the Vare Trophy for the best scoring average on the LPGA Tour.
It was no surprise, then, that she was among the top contenders from the first round at the ANA Inspiration, the first Major of the season. Thompson was tied for 10th after 18 holes with a 69 and took the lead after the second round with a 67.
Thompson cemented her place at the top of the leaderboard in the third round with a 13-under total, two shots ahead of Suzann Pettersen. But the worst was yet to come.
The then-22-year-old started the final round on a high with four birdies and a bogey until the 12th. As she walked to the 13th tee, she was told that a spectator had informed the tournament officials of a rule violation she had committed the day before and that the penalty was four strokes.
The infraction occurred on the 17th green of the third round. Thompson's ball had been a foot from the hole when she marked it and lifted it to allow her round mate to putt. When she repositioned her ball, it was located approximately one inch from its original spot.
For misplacing the ball, she received a two-stroke penalty. The other two strokes were for signing her third round scorecard with an incorrect score. As a result, Thompson went from leading by three strokes to trailing by one with six holes left in the final round.
Nevertheless, Thompson managed to tie for first place with So Yeon Ryu after 72 holes and force a playoff. Eventually, the Korean defeated her with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death.
What it meant for the future
A few weeks later, the governing bodies (the United States Golf Association and the R&A) decided to update the rules so that video replay could only be used if the play was not visible to the "naked eye".
The new rule also states that if the player has done all that can reasonably be expected to correctly assess or measure the position, the play is legal, regardless of what the video suggests.
The USGA and R&A did not link this rule update to what happened at the ANA Inspiration, but the press did. At the time, the new rule was dubbed the "Lexi Thompson Rule".
This was the second of four runner-up finishes for Thompson in Major championships. She didn't notch another Major win after her victory in 2014.