Almost two years ago, Lexi Thompson became a part-time player. That she'll miss the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2013 doesn't really come as that much of a surprise, given how little golf she has played in 2026.
Thompson, 31, took time off for her spring wedding, of course, and then suffered a hip injury in June that took her out of competition for much for the summer. She came back two weeks ago in Portland and missed two straight cuts.
U.S. captain Angela Stanford said back in November at the CME Group Tour Championship that if "Lexi plays to her abilities, I would be crazy to leave her home."
Thompson, who announced earlier this month that she's pregnant with her first child, owns an overall 10-10-7 Solheim Cup record. She played in
only seven LPGA events this year, missing the cut in five. She competed in only one major championship, the Chevron, where she tied for 12th.
"She was great," said Stanford of their conversation last week in Canada. "I think we were on the same page the whole year. She agreed that we just didn’t see enough of her."
Thompson was 18 years old the first time she competed in the Solheim Cup. Stanford, a teammate for two of those Cups, called her a once-in-generation player and did not rule out seeing Thompson on a future team.
"I think Lexi's one of those players, she can do whatever she wants to do," said Stanford. "You know, if she decides I'm going to have a baby and guess what? I want to make another Solheim Cup team. I think she's one of those players that could do it."
Beth Ann Nichols is a Golfweek senior writer covering the LPGA and women's golf.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Lexi Thompson will miss first Solheim Cup in more than a dozen years
