Lexi needs mental help….

[hammergolf]

She’s got all the talent in the world, but she’s turning into the Greg Norman of the LPGA. She has got to find an answer for why she chokes. Something inside her brain just won’t let her get out of her own way. The choke at the US Open was an all timer, but having a two shot lead and 20yds off the par 5 16th in two and making bogey then 3 putting from 15 ft on 17 and blowing her drive right on 18 we’re tough to watch. It’s a shame because she’s very likeable but she just can’t finish when the major pressure is on. Hope she can get the help she needs to be able to settle herself when the pressure is on.

[kwcsports]

I feel so bad watching Lexi putt. If she putted half decent she would have 5 more wins and a few majors. I agree it's in her head. Her stroke on the short ones is worse than a 20 capper, I hope she gets it figured out. I like Lexi, the rest of her game is solid. 

[hammergolf]

12 minutes ago, kwcsports said:

I feel so bad watching Lexi putt. If she putted half decent she would have 5 more wins and a few majors. I agree it's in her head. Her stroke on the short ones is worse than a 20 capper, I hope she gets it figured out. I like Lexi, the rest of her game is solid. 

Agree, she hits it better than anyone out there, if she could just become a better than average putter and fix her mental game she could be dominant.

[woahnelly]

2 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Agree, she hits it better than anyone out there, if she could just become a better than average putter and fix her mental game she could be dominant.

 

Her putting stats are actually pretty good on the season .. she just seems to crumble when it matters most. 

[caniac6]

She hit some putts that the guys in my gangsome would have been ashamed of. Just unbelievable that a golfer at that level could miss that badly that often.

[hammergolf]

10 minutes ago, caniac6 said:

She hit some putts that the guys in my gangsome would have been ashamed of. Just unbelievable that a golfer at that level could miss that badly that often.

What’s amazing is when she’s not coming down the stretch her stroke is so much smoother. She has to figure out how to relax under pressure.

[hammergolf]

21 minutes ago, woahnelly said:

 

Her putting stats are actually pretty good on the season .. she just seems to crumble when it matters most. 

Exactly, it’s only when she’s under pressure. The pitch into the 16th looked like a 20 hdcp. Before she hit the shot I said if she gets it up and down she will win. Once she bladed it I knew it was over… Then she hits a 15ft putt on 17 6ft past the hole. She just can’t control her nerves and hands under the heat. Then an uphill pretty straight 15 ft putt on 18 that’s a must make she leaves it almost a foot short. It’s not physical, it’s purely mental.

Edited June 26, 2022 by hammergolf

[ode]

She gags under pressure.  Putting and short game.  That puts a LOT of pressure on the rest of her game.  It was a poor second on the par 5 leaving herself in a bad spot and it all unraveled.  Not sure what she did the hole before as I was flipping between tournaments.  She would've been better off playing for birdie the old fashioned way.  Lagging it on the next hole.  She does that she wins.  The gagging won't stop until she makes better decisions and be more of a course manager under pressure.  Yes I'm saying it.  Lay up and lag it and she wins.

Edited June 26, 2022 by ode

[OBbogey5]

It’s not just putting. It’s every touch shot. She has none. She’s got the yips for chipping and putting, so that's not good. Has she always had em? Tiger had them, but he worked it out mainly because he once had the greatest short game around, nerves applied, so he could revert back to what he already owned.

But if Thompson never had a great short game (question?), then she’s got a lot of work in front of her. And this is not even considering the mental/physical choking already going on.
 

Can say though, she has improved on taking divots the size of the painted dashed lines on the hwy. Now she needs to get to work on fixing her mechanics and negotiating her nerve. 

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, ode said:

She gags under pressure.  Putting and short game.  That puts a LOT of pressure on the rest of her game.  It was a poor second on the par 5 leaving herself in a bad spot and it all unraveled.  Not sure what she did the hole before as I was flipping between tournaments.  Ahed be better off playing for birdie the old fashioned way.  Lagging it on the next hole.  She does that she wins.  The gagging won't stop until she makes better decisions and be more of a course manager under pressure.  Yes I'm saying it.  Lay up and lag it and she wins.

She missed a short on 14, but then made a 25 footer on 15 for birdie. That pitch shot looked like a 20 hdcp trying to lift scoop it…. It’s all mental.

[OBbogey5]

3 minutes ago, ode said:

She gags under pressure.  Putting and short game.  That puts a LOT of pressure on the rest of her game.  It was a poor second on the par 5 leaving herself in a bad spot and it all unraveled.  Not sure what she did the hole before as I was flipping between tournaments.  She would've been better off playing for birdie the old fashioned way.  Lagging it on the next hole.  She does that she wins.  The gagging won't stop until she makes better decisions and be more of a course manager under pressure.  Yes I'm saying it.  Lay up and lag it and she wins.

I believe she birdied the hole that you missed! 15 footer an inch off the green. It was a recipe for the make, as the pressure is off and she’s not expected to sink an off the green putt. 

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, OBbogey5 said:

It’s not just putting. It’s every touch shot. She has none. She’s got the yips for chipping and putting, so that's not good. Has she always had em? Tiger had them, but he worked it out mainly because he once had the greatest short game around, nerves applied, so he could revert back to what he already owned.

But if Thompson never had a great short game (question?), then she’s got a lot of work in front of her. And this is not even considering the mental/physical choking already going on.
 

Can say though, she has improved on taking divots the size of the painted dashed lines on the hwy. Now she needs to get to work on fixing her mechanics and negotiating her nerve. 

Agree she’s not even tour average inside 100 yds. If she was she would be dominant. She has more ball striking talent than anyone out there. Just the closer she gets to the green the more that advantage is lost. But when she gets into pressure she can’t control her nerves. It’s a shame, cause she so likable. I lived in S Fl and have met her several times as her best friend’s dad (J Green, also an LPGA player) was a good friend of mine. I hope she can get the help she needs to control her nerves. She’s only 27 so who knows how many tournaments and majors she could win.

[ode]

7 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

That pitch shot looked like a 20 hdcp trying to lift scoop it…. It’s all mental.

It was painful to watch!  Painful!

Edited June 26, 2022 by ode

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, ode said:

It was painful to watch!  Painful!

You can just see it, the thin 3wd into 16 then that scoop/lift jerky third shot that skulled over the green…. Then hitting a 15 footer 6 feet past on 17. She just can’t control her nerves. Hope she find a Bob Rotella type to give her the tools she needed to relax under pressure.

[kwcsports]

I think her putting set up is too rigid, looks like a robot. Just relax, line it up and use her normal stroke and roll it in. I hate her whole set up for putting. 

[HankScorpio]

I was actually wishing she was in the second to last group instead.  I think that would have allowed her to play more freely.  

I feel awful for her.  

[CasualLie]

I don't care about her stats.  That's hindsight.  There will be another major that she will be in contention and stats won't matter.  What matters is the mental approach.  I don’t know if she has a mental coach, but if so, fire that person right now.  Fire that person not because they are the problem but because she needs a fresh approach.

 

i guarantee that all the shots she is gagging on the course to close out a win, she has hit all those shots perfect in practice.  It’s not skill at all.  I would bet in a casual game of closest to the hole chipping she can hold her own.  So it’s clearly mental.

 

 

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, kwcsports said:

I think her putting set up is too rigid, looks like a robot. Just relax, line it up and use her normal stroke and roll it in. I hate her whole set up for putting. 

She so technical with her putting, but so natural when hitting full shots. It’s so easy to see and understand why she’s so good with one and not with the other.

[Valtiel]

1 hour ago, kwcsports said:

I think her putting set up is too rigid, looks like a robot. Just relax, line it up and use her normal stroke and roll it in. I hate her whole set up for putting. 

 

7 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

She so technical with her putting, but so natural when hitting full shots. It’s so easy to see and understand why she’s so good with one and not with the other.

Anecdotally that seems to be something of a common thread with handsier players that have lots of manipulations and/or body movements in their normal swings. They often need to do something to lock down their putting which pushes them in a more robotic direction, because otherwise they end up worse. 

[Cwebb]

Unfortunately, Lexi's continued putting struggles are rooted in really bad mechanics in her stroke.  No amount of the Bob Rotella types or any other variation of telling her to get tougher, is going to change this.  You can't compete in majors as a top tier player, with that bad of a cut across putting stroke.

 

Change the grip, change the stroke.  Work with someone who has experience in doing this

[randywildman]

1 hour ago, CasualLie said:

I don't care about her stats.  That's hindsight.  There will be another major that she will be in contention and stats won't matter.  What matters is the mental approach.  I don’t know if she has a mental coach, but if so, fire that person right now.  Fire that person not because they are the problem but because she needs a fresh approach.

 

i guarantee that all the shots she is gagging on the course to close out a win, she has hit all those shots perfect in practice.  It’s not skill at all.  I would bet in a casual game of closest to the hole chipping she can hold her own.  So it’s clearly mental.

 

 

She should hire bob rotella, right now and stick with hm. I guarantee he will calm her down on the greens, she is nervous as hell. Don't know why she is so nervous she has tons of money and titles.

[Pym]

She’s number 7 on tour in strokes gained putting and putted better than most at the kpmg. If we flipped her front 9 and back 9 scores we’d all be talking about what a gutsy charge she made.

It’s a heartbreaking loss for sure but she closed the gap by a lot in the last two days—definitely not a choke. 
 

All players have ugly short putts or other ugly shots every round unless they’re shooting a 65 or something. 
 

Go back and count the ugly shots in the last 36 holes. I bet Lexi had around the second fewest and Chun and around the least. That’s not a choke or a weak mind. 
 

If you were #7 on the LPGA putting would you go find a new coach?

Edited June 27, 2022 by Pym

[8602081]

7 minutes ago, Pym said:

She’s number 7 on tour in strokes gained putting and putted better than most at the kpmg. If we flipped her front 9 and back 9 scores we’d all be talking about what a gutsy charge she made.

It’s a heartbreaking loss for sure but she closed the gap by a lot in the last two days—definitely not a choke. 
 

All players have ugly short putts or other ugly shots every round unless they’re shooting a 65 or something. 
 

Go back and count the ugly shots in the last 36 holes. I bet Lexi had around the second fewest and Chun and around the least. That’s not a choke or a weak mind. 
 

If you were #7 on the LPGA putting would you go find a new coach?

 

Depends..

 

If it was almost anyone else , No..

Lexi has most potential to be #1, so YES for her..  Maybe not a coach, but more of sports psychologist.

 

 

[mosesgolf]

That pitch shot she hit on 16th par 5 falling back on right leg and flipping the wrist under pressure and then thinning it long is right out of the WRX 4 handi handbook.🤣

[HankScorpio]

I heard that she didn't talk to the media after the round so this one must have affected her a little more than the other ones.  I really hope her team really rallies around her.  She needs all the support right now.

[mosesgolf]

Lexi as far as ball striking is as good as they come.  Should've been an easy walkin to victory with  that 2 shot lead with 3 holes left.  Absolute worst score on 16 was par.  Inexcusable 3 putt from about 12 feet distance.  It's nerves.  I've been a longtime fan of Lexi and it pains me to see her pull WRX 4 handi moves with victory in her grasp.  Mental collapse today and yes she has a history of doing this.  Golf Channel showed some of her missed short putts.  She litterally missed a putt less than a foot to win Tour Championship and become world #1 at one point.  And she had the US Open in her grasp last year at the Olympic as well as that 4 shot penalty that cost her the ANA for mis marking her ball.  

Edited June 27, 2022 by mosesgolf

[gsrjc]

Drive for show. Putt for dough. 

[BCC1898]

It’s not mental…she just has NO clutch in her at all. 

[ChronicSlicer]

42 minutes ago, Pym said:

She’s number 7 on tour in strokes gained putting and putted better than most at the kpmg. If we flipped her front 9 and back 9 scores we’d all be talking about what a gutsy charge she made.

It’s a heartbreaking loss for sure but she closed the gap by a lot in the last two days—definitely not a choke. 
 

All players have ugly short putts or other ugly shots every round unless they’re shooting a 65 or something. 
 

Go back and count the ugly shots in the last 36 holes. I bet Lexi had around the second fewest and Chun and around the least. That’s not a choke or a weak mind. 
 

If you were #7 on the LPGA putting would you go find a new coach?

You must have missed her back nine at the Meijer last week, it was almost identical as today. Multiple missed short putts, 3 putted a par 3, drove one in a pond. If she avoided all that, she would have been in the playoff.

 

Two weeks in a row she had victory in her grasp, she wasn't outplayed by her opponent's really, she couldn't make the short putts needed to win either event.

 

If that's not a choke or a mental issue what is it?

Before you say she's just a terrible putter, terrible putters don't have 3 second place finishes, a 4th, a 5th, a 6th, and 13th, 20th and 

38th in 9 events this year.

 

[nova6868]

Found some highlights. Those missed short putts are just a brutal yippy cut stroke. I feel bad for her. 

 

https://www.lpga.com/videos/2022/lexi-thompson-final-round-highlights-2022-kpmg-women-s-pga-championship