By: Max Bechtoldt
Lexi Thompson hasn’t won stateside since 2019. Think about that for a second. Arguably the most iconic player of the modern era, known for her unmatched distance, is closing in on five years without winning on the LPGA Tour. Should we expect the same this year? Or is there reason to believe a bounce back is coming.
2023 was for the most part, a nightmare for Thompson. In her first 10 LPGA Tour events played, she missed eight cuts. She didn’t even have a top-30 finish until September. Even with a strong finish, she still ended up No. 79 in the year-end CME Standings. Is there something in her stats to suggest better times are ahead though? Yes.
Let’s start with the obvious, she finished strong. After receiving criticism from across golf media for qualifying to make the Solheim Cup team, Thompson was one of the stronger performers. Thompson went 3-1, including a Sunday singles win. She used that momentum to place top-10 in her last three events of the year, including The Grant Thornton Invitational alongside Rickie Fowler.
Another thing to look out for? Her putter. Thompson has, for the most part, gone the way of her putter. When it’s decent, she usually is in contention, when it’s bad, it can get ugly. Curiously though, over the last two years her putter is maybe the strongest part of her game. Of players with enough qualifying rounds in 2022, Thompson was No. 10 in strokes gained putting at .74. She saw a dip in 2023, finishing No. 23, but still in green numbers at .57.
Compare this to her strokes gained driving, traditionally the strongest part of her game. Thompson was No. 13 on tour in 2022, in 2023 she was No. 59. Tee-to-green she dropped from No. 11 to No. 83. For once, it isn’t the putter that is holding Thompson back. I have confidence that she can figure out her long-range clubs.
This isn’t to say that Thompson will be back to being in contention every week. That would be expecting too much. But I do see a vast improvement coming for the 11-time LPGA Tour winner in 2024.
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