'Thompson justifiably angry at low-key finish'

Even erstwhile determination is simply a grounds $4m archetypal prize, women’s play seems to get abbreviated changed.

The LPGA play came to a thrilling climax successful the United States with the CME Group Tour Championship, sensationally won by Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul.

But the enactment was shoe-horned into an aboriginal tv model that required a depressing revamping of its format.

While the archetypal rounds were played astatine a refreshing two-ball pace, the past thigh was conducted successful stodgy threesomes with fractional the tract playing the backmost 9 first.

For Lexi Thompson, this resulted successful an inappropriately low-key decorativeness to her full-time vocation astatine the property of 29.

The 11-times LPGA circuit winner, who remains 1 of the game’s astir fashionable players, was near to implicit her last circular among the anonymous surrounds of the ninth green.

These things tin hap erstwhile extracurricular influences dictate a two-tee start. Thompson had not performed good capable to beryllium among the leaders who began their rounds connected the archetypal tee.

But this was inactive a snub - for Thompson successful peculiar and the women’s crippled astatine large.

The altered format, showing the climax of the play successful a little enticing light, was simply down to the request for an aboriginal finish. Why? To let the American networks to past power attraction to the men’s enactment connected the PGA Tour.

“Bummed I won’t beryllium capable to clasp each the unthinkable fans connected 18 arsenic I finish, hopefully immoderate volition beryllium retired determination connected 9,” Thompson told her legion of societal media followers erstwhile she laic 30th aft the 3rd circular astatine Tiburon Golf Club successful Florida.

“Pretty bittersweet erstwhile you’re astatine –4 successful the season-ending event, which could easy beryllium the past CME of your career, and you won’t adjacent decorativeness connected 18 due to the fact that they determine to treble tee connected the last time owed to TV sum window.”

This should person been a infinitesimal to observe 1 of the much important careers successful LPGA history. Thompson’s farewell deserved the widest imaginable coverage.

She celebrated lone 1 large win, astatine the lawsuit present known arsenic the Chevron Championship, a decennary ago. But she has been a fixture connected the biggest leaderboards; 4 times she was runner-up among 13 top-5 large finishes.

And Thompson had etched her sanction into golfing past agelong earlier that lone triumph astatine Mission Hills successful 2014.

As a 12-year-old successful 2007, she became the youngest subordinate to suffice for the US Open. She made it to the grandest of the pistillate slams again successful each of the adjacent 2 years and aged 14 played each 4 rounds to decorativeness successful a stock of 34th place.

Thompson was conscionable a twelvemonth older erstwhile she turned nonrecreational and was runner-up astatine the Evian Championship successful her inaugural summertime among the paid ranks.

She seemed endlessly and globally newsworthy. Two months shy of her 17th birthday, Thompson posted her archetypal triumph successful Dubai to go the youngest nonrecreational victor connected the Ladies European Tour.

It is just to accidental that astatine each signifier of her vocation she has been a superstar attraction. Posters to flog tourney tickets would invariably show her image. She is 1 of the fewer pistillate players to regularly look connected the beforehand screen of play magazines.

Yes, determination person been importantly much palmy careers, but Thompson was ever container office.

When astatine her precise best, determination were precise fewer who could unrecorded with her arsenic a golfer. But determination were besides frailties. Majors slipped from her grasp owed to abbreviated crippled woes; her vulnerabilities making her each the much interesting.

Infamously, successful 2017 a tv spectator spotted her incorrectly replacing her shot connected the greenish towards the extremity of her 3rd circular astatine the ANA Inspiration. But the offence lone came to airy connected the last day.

It was worthy a two-shot penalty, doubled due to the fact that she had obliviously signed for the incorrect people successful the 3rd round. It was truthful precise Lexi. Her commanding presumption successful that large was wiped away. Ultimately she mislaid a play-off to Ryu So-yeun.

Thompson was a mainstay of 7 Solheim Cups, appearing connected the winning broadside 3 times including this twelvemonth successful Virginia. Her wide grounds of 10 wins and 10 losses from her 27 matches reflects the enigmatic quality of her career.

She could often beryllium tetchy and guarded with the media but ne'er with galleries. She connected with her followers - connected people and online.

“I conscionable emotion watching her. She’s truthful overmuch much than conscionable a large golfer,” I heard an AIG Women’s Open instrumentality accidental portion Thompson commanded the astir sizeable first-round galleries astatine a windswept St Andrews past summer.

She volition play much tournaments, but past play was the extremity of Thompson’s full-time vocation and she deserved a much rousing nonstop off.

Indeed the lucrative $11m season-ending tournament, which besides marked the extremity of the careers of US Solheim players Ally Ewing and Marina Alex, warranted amended attraction from the networks.

The antheral putting his manus successful his pouch to grounds effect, the rubric sponsor’s boss, Terry Duffy, raged against the determination not to amusement the 3rd circular connected unrecorded television.

“I deliberation that’s inappropriate for a tourney of this magnitude to beryllium connected portion delay,” the CME Group main enforcement told the Palm Beach Post.

“If you are going to proceed to physique women’s sports, you person to springiness them the aforesaid billing arsenic men and halt the nonsense of saying we person to amusement the men’s tourney due to the fact that they’re the men.”

Thompson spent her vocation proving the pistillate broadside of the athletics deserves a due spotlight. As the antheral who is prepared to enactment millions upon millions into the women’s crippled attests, it intelligibly inactive fails to radiance to maximum effect.