Lexi Thompson

Cut an emotional figure after playing in her final major at St Andrews in 2024 following her retirement from full-time competition at the age of 29.

Only 12 when she took the then record as the youngest player ever to qualify for the US Women’s Open, Thompson turned professional at 15 and was just a year older when she became the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA Tour title at the time. Ten more have followed, including the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship at 19.

Only Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Morgan Pressel have won women’s major titles at a younger age. Six top-seven finishes in the same event have followed, most dramatically in 2017 when she lost a play-off to Ryu So-yeon after receiving a four-stroke penalty over a ball-marking incident.

She also came close to winning her second major crown at the 2021 US Women's Open, which was eventually won by Yuka Saso, while there was another near miss at the 2022 KPMG PGA Championship, where she led by two with three to play before losing by one shot to In Gee Chun.