Lexi Thompson issued a statement on Instagram Sunday evening, hours after losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff following a penalty controversy that cost her four strokes.
In her statement, Thompson made it clear that she did not move her ball intentionally on the 17th hole Saturday. She called her day “emotional” and said that she was looking forward to a much-needed vacation.
“Well it was an emotional day here for me, first off I do want to say what I had done was 100% not intentional at all I didn’t realize I had done that,” said Thompson. “I want to say thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and Mission Hills for making this week possible at the @anainspiration ! Also to the fans out there, words can’t describe what you being there for me, meant to me. You helped me push thru those last holes so thank you for always believing in me. A big thanks to my caddy as well for always staying positive and being there for me when it got tough. I played some great golf so definitely a lot of positives to take from the week. Time for a very needed 3 weeks off now. Thank you everybody”.
Thompson was the leader after 54 holes and was leading the event prior to being informed of the penalty. She was told about the penalty after the 12th hole during Sunday’s final round and was in tears on the 13th. The four-stroke penalty dropped her to two behind the leader, but she rallied to force a playoff, where she ultimately lost. You can read the full story about the penalty here.
The four-stroke penalty gave Thompson’s competitors a huge opportunity to take advantage, and So Yeon Ryu did by pulling out the win. The controversy has led to negative feedback from many golfers, including Tiger Woods, who don’t feel viewers should be able to point out violations to the LPGA that affect outcomes a day later.
