Q. Lexi, if you just look back on this year of a pared down schedule, what has it been like?
LEXI THOMPSON: It's been nice. I still played 12, 13 times and I'm going to play Grant Thornton as well. It was a nice balance, especially getting engaged and wedding planning.
This is my 15th year and I think a lot of people don't realize how long I've been out here and at the game. And I was at the game even longer than professional golf, so it's taken a toll.
Q. Did you expect this many -- you know, because it's is she retired or semi-retired. Did you expect to play 12, 13? Was that kind of the plan going in did it or just fall that way?
LEXI THOMPSON: It might have added up to a few more than I wanted to, but I knew that I wasn't going to play a full schedule. I mean, I don't play 35 events. I don't play a full schedule ever. I usually do play around 20 to 22. I knew I was going to at least cut that in half.
There is some events that I thoroughly just enjoy playing in the atmosphere, whether it's the golf course. Even if the golf course doesn't set up right sometimes the hospitality at events make it that much better.
Q. How does that impact the golf? Was there an adjustment to maybe not playing 22?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, it's impacting my golf. I mean, look, I mean, when I'm home I'm still practicing a lot, I'm training a lot, but my body fields it anymore.
I put myself through a lot with the training and everything, I'm at the point now I just have to give myself grace and kind of slow it down.
Q. Has the pared down schedule also maybe benefited your golf? You've played pretty well when you played. Have you found a freedom on the golf course?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I would say on the mental aspect of things. Look, I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty hard or myself. I always am because I want the best of myself and I know how much work I put in. I'm never okay with just mediocre golf.
But just being able to pick and choose any events and have a balance if the off weeks helped me out a lot. Because sometimes that's even more important than practice, is giving yourself that balance.
Q. What did you do more of besides golf in your free time?
LEXI THOMPSON: What did I do more of? Just spending time with my family and now my fiance. We would take little weekend vacations if we wanted to or just little getaways. It really just helped. It helped put my mind at ease.
Q. What have you learned about yourself this year?
LEXI THOMPSON: What have I learned about myself? What do I learn about myself every day I tee it up? That's a better question. I think I just learned overall with my life that there is more to life. You know, with wedding planning and doing all that, there is more to it than just the game.
So if I struggle out here I try to just remind myself it's all right. You're going to have another day. You know, you've done great things out here.
Q. With Solheim coming up next year, I know you got the wedding in March, are you going to impact your schedule in any way to try to make that or just going to let your game speak for itself? I heard Angela say if Lexi is playing well she's going to be on the team.
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I love Angela, somebody I've looked up to for quite a while now. That's been my favorite event ever in my career. We'll see. The first few months I don't even play because there is really not a tournament to play, and with the wedding and honeymoon and everything. I'm going to take some time for myself and then just kind of regroup and see where I want to go.
Q. One more from me. Your answer kind of led to my question. You had a very good round. Not the way you wanted to finish.
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah.
Q. Are you able to handle -- do you handle that differently now that this is not your full time going-at-it-job? Can you look at the round as a whole and not maybe be as upset the way it ended?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah, I am. I mean, look, it's not the way I wanted to finish and I'm going to beat myself up a little bit, but it's golf. It happens.
I'm happy with how I overall just stayed in the day and hit it out there. I'm dealing with a little bit of an injury, so I'm in a little bit of pain out there.
So I'm very happy with 2-under and hopefully my body stays good for the next two days.
Q. What's the injury?
LEXI THOMPSON: Kind of pulled something in my left hip. If you see me swinging like -- or holding my finish weird, that's the problem.
Q. Just a big picture question about the LPGA. You've been out here a while. When you look at a year like this with 29 unique winners, only two repeat champions; when Craig talks about building stars and star power, does the LPGA need one or two dominant players to kind of grab the eyeballs? Like Lydia was saying everyone knows Tiger Woods. Does the LPGA need that or does the depth and talent show enough?
LEXI THOMPSON: It's a tough question. It's just so amazing the talent out here, what these ladies do and the amount of hard work that we put into it. It's a global tour. These ladies come from everywhere around the world. It's not a matter of winning multiple times. That's great and all, but I think people love to see different winners and different personalities, you know, different ways you get around the golf course.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports