Lexi Thompson’s contending for a major. Here’s why this time’s different

How is this one different for Lexi Thompson?

For a decade and a half, the LPGA superstar has been in contention heading to the final round of big-time golf tournaments. She won this specific championship — then the Kraft Nabisco, now the Chevron — 11 years ago. There’s been triumph and heartbreak on plenty of Sundays since, in regular events and major championships alike.

We didn’t necessarily think we’d see Thompson here when she announced a year ago that she was stepping back from a full-time LPGA schedule. But that decision seemed to unlock something in Thompson; she finished runner-up just weeks after the announcement, logged a top 10 at the KPMG Women’s PGA and earned a captain’s pick onto the winning U.S. Solheim Cup team.

But this year’s “retirement” hasn’t looked as retired as golf fans expected. Thompson reappeared at the Founders Cup in February and finished T13; now she’s played her way into a tie for sixth heading to the final round of the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship.

So what’s the difference between semi-retired Lexi and full-time-player Lexi?

“The biggest difference? More vacations, for sure,” she said after Friday’s round. “And not feeling bad about them. Yeah, I mean, I have a lot bigger breaks in between events than a normal player would, but it’s nice. It’s my 15th year. It’s very I think well-deserved.”

She’ll get no argument from us there.

Thompson clarified after Saturday’s final round that there’s still plenty of fire burning within. She grinded as hard as she ever has on the Monday through Wednesday before the tournament, she said. And she’s eager to have an opportunity to win her second major.

“Like I’ve told a lot of people, I’m still practicing and training a lot when I am home. It’s just more I have the leisure of being able to take time off when needed,” she said. “Every time I come out to play I’m still wanting to win and have that competitive edge. But it’s just nice to have the life balance, as well.”

The hard work is paying off. Perhaps the life balance is, too. There seems to be something freeing about a public acknowledgement that golf is just a part of her life going forward rather than the entire thing.

“With me making the announcement knowing that I’m not going to play as much, I’m coming out here, if I play well, that’s great; if I don’t, it’s just you move on and you go to the next one,” she said.

One way that manifests is in her patience, Thompson said; she started bogey-bogey on Saturday but rallied to shoot an under-par score.

“Today with the start I could have let it just kind of crumble and I stayed patient and positive,” she said. “Curtis [her brother and caddie] was by my side being positive with me. That was a huge help.”

Here’s what else you need to know heading to Sunday at the Chevron:

THE LEADERS

Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Mao Saigo of Japan are tied for the 54-round lead at 9 under par. Each is chasing her first major championship. Ryu said she feels the pressure to close from outside as well as from within.

“But I think that’s a good pressure for me because I don’t have a major trophy in my home, so that’s a goal for my life and in golf,” she said. “Then I want to just try to keep going.”

THE CHASERS

American Lindy Duncan will join Ryu and Saigo in that final group and will begin one shot back at 8 under par; her good friend Sarah Schmelzel will be one group behind and one shot back at 7 under.

“Obviously the moment is big, but I don’t want to make it bigger than what it is, and having that experience under my belt has definitely made this week a little bit easier,” Schmelzel said, referencing a trip to contention at the 2024 KPMG.

Yan Liu, Schmelzel and Thompson will make up that penultimate group. But Thompson is far from the only player at 6 under; she’s joined by a high-powered group of Ruoning Yin, Carlota Ciganda, Ariya Jutanugarn and Hye-Jin Choi.

Four more players are at 5 under par, just four shots off the lead.

THE WORLD NO. 1

Nelly Korda made an inspiring Friday rally to surge from 7 over par all the way back to 1 over, one inside the cut line. She started hot on Saturday as well, shooting three under on her opening nine. But back-to-back doubles at 3 and 4 (her 12th and 13th) all but doomed her chances at defending her title; she’s at even par heading to Sunday, T31 and nine shots back.

You can find TV coverage and final-round tee times here.