As retirement nears, Lexi Thompson unpacks highs, lows of a golf life lived in full

Lexi Thompson is looking forward to a break from the grind of full-time LPGA life.

It’s 8:45 a.m. on a Tuesday in August at Panther National — a luxe, newly constructed private enclave in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with a championship course co-designed by Justin Thomas and Jack Nicklaus — and Lexi Thompson is already seated in the hair and makeup chair, prepping for a full day of shooting portraits, videos and sitting for a lengthy interview.