\u201cIt was the first year last year and I feel like the hospitality that we received was truly top notch and what FM does to treat us as players and make us feel really special throughout the week,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cLet alone, we get to play TPC Boston. It\u2019s a pretty amazing golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson shattered barriers by being the youngest to qualify for the US Women\u2019s Open in 2007, at just 12 years old. Thompson turned professional at 15, before she could legally drive. She purchased her first house when she was 19.<\/p>\n
Her life starkly differentiated itself from history classes, SAT prep, and prom. She grew up on a golf course, literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n
Thanks to her headline grabbing early years, she\u2019s been a must-see player wherever she goes and a staple in front of the camera. She transformed into one of the game\u2019s figureheads and brightest stars.<\/p>\n
Last year, Thompson announced she was stepping away from a full-time playing schedule. Newly engaged and with a dog, Leo, at home, Thompson looks ahead to her next steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely thinking about the future a lot more now that I\u2019m engaged, getting married next year,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cI want to settle down and have a family. That\u2019s my No. 1 priority. This is my 15th year. I\u2019ve done what I\u2019ve needed to out here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love being out here and playing in front of the fans,\u201d she continued. \u201cThat is an amazing feeling for me. I\u2019m truly grateful for that, but there\u2019s a lot more to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FM Championship marks the ninth event of the season for the veteran, a far cry from the 23 on the schedule. <\/p>\n
This season, the 30-year-old Thompson made the cut six times and owns a pair of top-10 finishes. Thompson holds the No. 58 position in the Rolex Rankings.<\/p>\n
After a 1-under-par 71 and a 2-under 70 to squeak into the weekend, she caught fire by birdieing three of her first seven holes before riding the par-train for a bogey-free round of 3-under 69 in the third round. She\u2019s in the middle of the leaderboard at 6 under for the tournament.<\/p>\n
Even for tap-in putts, the applause for Thompson sounded akin to a mid-range make. The gathered crowd still yearns for her to succeed, following her every move.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing into the week, I was still struggling ball-striking wise,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cToday felt really good, felt like I was really confident over my shots and I hit a lot more solid golf shots out there. I\u2019m going to take that into tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson competed last week for the first time since June at the CPKC Canadian Women\u2019s Open, where she missed the cut at 8 over par. She acknowledged that her putts ventured all over the edges and it wasn\u2019t her week.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week, I don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cI liked Canada \u2014 it did not like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite looking ahead at the next chapter of her life, Thompson cherishes being an inspiration for the next generation of female golfers. After all, she\u2019s grown up in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to see a lot of little kids out here,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how much the game of golf is growing. I think that just goes to show, as role models out here on the LPGA, what we\u2019re really doing for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Does she see herself in the young faces in the crowd?<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say that I went out to many tournaments when I was little, but it\u2019s just great to see a smile on their faces and really just enjoying being out here, supporting us, and hopefully getting a club in their hand at a younger age,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n