Lexi Thompson ‘relaxed’ after break from golf | CNN

Lexi Thompson ‘relaxed’ after four-week break from golf

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Thompson returns to golf this week

Defends title at Indy Women in Tech Championship

US star had four-week break from game

CNN  — 

World No. 5 Lexi Thompson says she is feeling “very comfortable” after returning to golf following a four-week break.

Thompson, speaking at this week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship at Indianapolis’ Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, missed the women’s British Open earlier this month to “recharge [her] mental batteries.”

“It was very relaxing out there,” Thompson told the Golf Channel after shooting a first-round 68.

“I felt very comfortable with where my game was at. I just tried to go out and just let my game show and not put too much pressure on myself, just focus on doing my routine and committing to my lines out there.”

The 23-year-old said her grandmother’s death and mother’s cancer diagnosis last year resulted in an accumulation of stress that prompted her to step away from the game.

On top of that, she has had to come to terms with a controversial four-stroke penalty which denied her victory at the ANA Inspiration in 2017.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 12:  Lexi Thompson of USA speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the start of The Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on September 12, 2017 in Evian-les-Bains, France.  (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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But Thompson now says she feels “refreshed” after her recent break from the game.

“It was a hard decision for me,” she said, reflecting on her choice to miss the British Open. “With how I was mentally and emotionally, I wasn’t ready to compete there. I was struggling with my game.

“Besides that, I was struggling just with myself. Last year-and-a-half has been really hard on me and I haven’t even really taken a break for myself.

“It allowed me to have those four weeks of just figuring myself out a little bit, giving myself the rest needed and come out to the last seven or eight tournaments I have left refreshed.”

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Thompson turned professional at the age of 15 and has since amassed close to $8 million in career earning, recording 9 LPGA titles.

She became the second-youngest major winner in the women’s game when she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014.

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Her most recent victory came in Indianapolis last year, where this week she will attempt to defend her title.