2010 On June 16, 2010, Thompson, aged 15, announced that she had turned professional, the youngest female player to do so. She also signed a sponsorship deal with
Cobra-PUMA Golf. Thompson progressed through qualifying to gain entry to the
U.S. Women's Open in July. She finished tied-10th at the tournament, at six-over-par, nine shots behind winner
Paula Creamer. Two weeks later, at the
Evian Masters, Thompson finished tied-2nd, one shot behind the winner. Her ranking subsequently rose 75 places to number 74 in the updated
Women's World Golf Rankings on July, 26 2010.
Petition to LPGA In December 2010, Thompson petitioned the LPGA to allow her to play in up to twelve LPGA tournaments in 2011 using sponsor exemptions instead of the six allowed to non-members by LPGA rules. In January 2011, Commissioner Mike Whan denied Thompson's petition, but announced that the LPGA rules would be changed to allow non-members to participate in
Monday qualifying for events they wished to enter.
2011–2013 Thompson began playing in one-day tournaments in October 2010 on the
Fuzion Minor League Golf Tour. She returned to play against women in February 2011, at the Women's Australian Open and the
ANZ Ladies Masters, where she missed the cut and finished tied-42nd respectively. Returning to the United States, she won a one-round Fuzion Tour event, on February 21, at her home course in Coral Springs, Florida. Tied after 18 holes, she beat Brett Bergeron on the second playoff hole, for her first professional win. Victory also meant she became just the second woman to triumph in the Fuzion Minor League. Thompson's first LPGA tournament in
2011 was the
Avnet LPGA Classic, with a sponsor's exemption. After three rounds, she was tied for the lead. In the final round, she carded a 78, which included back-to-back double-bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes. She finished the event tied for 19th, nine strokes behind the winner. In September, she won her first LPGA tournament, the
Navistar LPGA Classic, by a five-stroke margin over
Tiffany Joh. Aged 16, her victory meant she became the youngest ever winner on the LPGA Tour, breaking the previous record set by
Marlene Hagge at age 18 in 1952. Her record stood for 11 months until 15-year-old
Lydia Ko won the 2012
CN Canadian Women's Open the following year. On December 17, 2011, Thompson won the
Dubai Ladies Masters, an event on the
Ladies European Tour (LET), with a four-stroke margin. This win made her the youngest professional winner on the LET at age 16 years, 10 months, 8 days, and the second-youngest overall, after
Amy Yang, who was four months younger when she won the 2006 ANZ Ladies Masters as an amateur.
Qualifying for 2012 LPGA membership Thompson successfully petitioned the LPGA to receive a waiver to the rule that LPGA Tour members must be at least 18 years old, allowing her to enter the 2011 LPGA
Qualifying School for Tour membership in 2012. The first of three stages was held in July at the LPGA International course in
Daytona Beach, Florida. Thompson won stage one by ten strokes, with the top 50 finishers and ties advancing to stage two. Having won the Navistar LPGA Classic, Thompson withdrew from qualifying school, and she petitioned the LPGA for membership based on her win. Her petition was approved on September 30, 2011, and she became a member of the tour for
2012. Earlier that month, Thompson recorded a third place finish at the
Evian Championship, the final major of the year. Thompson made her
Solheim Cup debut in August 2013 at the
Colorado Golf Club and became the youngest ever player to represent the United States at the competition. They were defeated 10–18 by Europe, and she finished the event with a 1–2–0 (win–loss–tie) record, which included a 4 and 3 victory over
Caroline Masson in the singles. Thompson then earned her second LPGA Tour win with a four-stroke victory at the
Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in October, and she also won the
Lorena Ochoa Invitational the following month, beating second placed
Stacy Lewis by one stroke.
2014 Thompson earned her fourth career LPGA win, and first major championship at the
2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship in April. The victory made her the second-youngest women's major winner at the time (after
Morgan Pressel). She recorded 73–64–69–68=274 at
Mission Hills Country Club in
Rancho Mirage, California to secure a three-stroke victory from
Michelle Wie. After her win, Thompson said: "This was one of my goals coming into the year, to win a major...It's such a huge honor with all the history behind the tournament." She also recorded top-10 major finishes at the
U.S. Women's Open, where she finished in a tie for seventh, and at the
Evian Championship where she ended tied for tenth. In total, she made eight top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour during the year. She then earned her fifth career win on the LPGA Tour at the
Meijer LPGA Classic in July. Having trailed by four strokes after the conclusion of the third round, Thompson shot a six-under-par round on the final day to seal a one-stroke victory over
Gerina Piller. She then won her sixth LPGA Tour title, and her second of the year at the
LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in
Incheon, South Korea. Thompson finished the tournament 15-under-par and said afterwards: "I don’t really play for myself as much as I play for my country. I love being an American and it’s a great honor to be the first American to win in Korea." At the
2015 Evian Championship in September, Thompson finished in second place, six strokes adrift of the winner Lydia Ko. Thompson then played in the
2015 Solheim Cup held at
Golf Club St. Leon-Rot in
Baden-Württemberg,
Germany. The United States claimed a narrow 14.5–13.5 victory, with Thompson finishing with an undefeated 2–0–2 record. Thompson won two matches alongside playing partner
Cristie Kerr and halved her singles match with
Carlota Ciganda on the closing day. In total, she made 13 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour during the season and earned $1,763,904 in prize money.
2016 In February 2016, Thompson earned her seventh LPGA Tour win at the
Honda LPGA Thailand. She ended the event 20-under-par to win the tournament by six strokes from
In Gee Chun. Thompson held the lead after the penultimate round of the
ANA Inspiration in April, but eventually had to settle for fifth place, three strokes behind the tournament winner Lydia Ko. In May, she earned her first victory on the LPGA Tour of Japan, which came at the
World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, where she won by a two-stroke margin over
Ayaka Watanabe. That same month, she also recorded top-10 finishes in the
Kingsmill Championship (tied-5th) and the
LPGA Volvik Championship (tied-6th). The following month, Thompson finished tied-4th at the Meijer LPGA Classic. In July, Thompson was part of the United States team that triumphed at the
2016 International Crown. The United States finished the event one-point clear of South Korea. She then had her best finish at the
Women's British Open, finishing tied-8th at
Woburn Golf and Country Club. Thompson was then selected by the United States to compete at the
2016 Summer Olympics in
Rio de Janeiro. She finished tied-19th, seven strokes adrift of the bronze medal position, and she later had the
Olympic Games emblem tattooed below the palm of her hand. In December, she became the second woman, after
Annika Sorenstam, to compete at the
QBE Shootout. There, she formed a team with
Bryson DeChambeau and they finished the event tied-11th.
2017 Thompson began the season at the
Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, where she shot a course-record twelve-under-par 61 in her second round. This marked the second-best round to par in LPGA history. She later missed a putt to win the tournament, and
Brittany Lincicome defeated her in the resulting playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole. In April, Thompson was penalized a total of four strokes for replacing her ball incorrectly on the green while playing the 17th hole of her third round at the
ANA Inspiration. The infringement was
reported in by a TV viewer and assessed after completion of the round, which meant that in addition to receiving a two-stroke penalty for replacing the ball incorrectly, she was also penalized two strokes for signing an incorrect scorecard. After four rounds, she finished in a playoff, eventually losing to
Ryu So-yeon. Afterwards, Thompson said: "It is unfortunate with what happened. I did not mean that at all. I had no idea that I did it." Thompson earned her eighth LPGA Tour win at the
Kingsmill Championship in May, where she finished with a tournament record 20-under-par. In June, at the
Manulife LPGA Classic, Thompson was defeated in a three-way playoff by Ariya Jutanugarn. Thompson had held a four-shot lead in the event after nine holes on the final day, but shot four-bogeys to lose her advantage. She then recorded a tied-7th finish at the
Women's PGA Championship. Thompson won the inaugural
Indy Women in Tech Championship in September for her ninth LPGA Tour win. She claimed the title by a four-stroke margin over second placed Lydia Ko in
Indianapolis. At the
2017 Solheim Cup, Thompson finished with an unbeaten 2–0–2 record at
Des Moines Golf and Country Club,
Iowa, as the United States secured a 16.5–11.5 overall victory. Thompson's two winning points at the event came with playing partner Kerr on day two. Thompson and Kerr played together for a total of six matches during the 2015 and 2017 editions of the event, winning four and halving two, with their five points being a joint partnership record in
Solheim Cup history. Thompson halved her singles match with
Anna Nordqvist, having been 4 down after nine holes. At the
CME Group Tour Championship in November, Thompson missed a two-foot putt on the 18th hole, and
Ariya Jutanugarn finished with back-to-back birdies to secure the title by one stroke. The result was enough for Thompson to secure the overall
Race to the CME Globe for the $1 million bonus. Thompson won the Vare Trophy in 2017 for having the lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour. Her 69.114 average was an all-time record.
2018 In February, Thompson finished tied-2nd at the Honda LPGA Thailand. She finished tied-5th at the
U.S. Women's Open in June, ending a run of six straight LPGA events without a top-10 finish, but she later withdrew from the
Women's British Open and took a month-long leave from the LPGA Tour. In a post on
Instagram, she explained: "I have not truly felt like myself for quite some time", adding: "I am therefore taking this time to recharge my mental batteries, and to focus on myself away from the game of professional golf." Thompson competed for the United States at the
2018 International Crown in October, and helped the United States finish in a tie for second at the competition. Prior to the
CME Group Tour Championship in November, it was reported that Thompson had split from her
caddie Kevin McAlpine. She then won the tournament with an 18-under-par total, giving her a four-shot victory over
Nelly Korda. In December, she competed in the QBE Shootout with playing partner
Tony Finau, and the duo finished in seventh position.
2019 Thompson finished 3rd at the
ANA Inspiration in April, four strokes behind
Ko Jin-young. In June, she finished tied-2nd in the
U.S. Women's Open at the Country Club of Charleston. She finished the event two shots behind
Jeong-eun Lee6. The following week, she finished one shot clear of Lee6 at
Seaview to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Thompson made an
eagle at the final hole to seal her victory. Victory marked the seventh consecutive year that she had won an event on the LPGA Tour. She also recorded runner-up finishes at the Meijer LPGA Classic and the
Marathon Classic. Thompson finished without a win in the
2019 Solheim Cup at
Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland. She posted a 0–2–2 record as the United States were defeated by Europe 13.514.5. She lost her singles match to
Georgia Hall 2 and 1 on the final day. She finished her year with a tied-6th place finish at the
CME Group Tour Championship.
2020 In January, Thompson competed at the
Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, and finished tied-7th. In March, the LPGA suspended competition due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In August, after the LPGA Tour had resumed, Thompson was involved in a rules controversy during her opening round at the
Women's British Open, when she was observed by an official moving a tuft of grass behind her ball with her club; it was later deemed that her lie had not been improved, as the grass returned to its original position, and she escaped any penalty. She went on to miss the cut. She finished fourth at the
ANA Inspiration in September, two strokes behind
Mirim Lee who won in a playoff. At the LPGA Tour season-ending
CME Group Tour Championship, she finished in tied-5th place.
2021 In February, Thompson finished tied-2nd at the
Gainbridge LPGA, three strokes behind champion Nelly Korda. The following month, she finished runner-up again, this time at the
Kia Classic where she ended five shots behind Inbee Park. In June, Thompson led the
U.S. Women's Open going into the last round at
The Olympic Club in
San Francisco, California. In the final round, towards the end of her front nine, Thompson led by five strokes. She then shot a five-over-par 41 on the back nine and missed out on a playoff by one stroke. Thompson's caddie Jack Fulghum was taken ill with
heatstroke during her first round at the
Summer Olympics in
Tokyo. Donna Wilkins, a coach on the United States golf team stood in for him for the remainder of the round. She finished the event in 33rd position. Thompson was a member of the United States team that lost the
2021 Solheim Cup to Europe 13–15 at
Inverness Club in
Toledo, Ohio. Thompson finished 1–2–1 for the tournament with her win coming in the day two foursomes when she and playing partner
Brittany Altomare defeated
Charley Hull and
Emily Kristine Pedersen 2 and 1. In the singles, she halved her match with Anna Nordqvist. In the
Pelican Women's Championship, Thompson bogeyed the final hole to end up in a four-way playoff, which was won by Nelly Korda at the first extra hole. She then finished eighth at the season-ending
CME Group Tour Championship. Across her LPGA season, she made the cut at all 19 tournaments that she entered and recorded seven top-10 finishes. and the following month she finished runner-up at the LPGA Drive On Championship, three strokes behind champion
Leona Maguire. Thompson finished tied-4th at the
Chevron Championship in April, and finished second at the
LPGA Founders Cup in May. After her tie for fifth place at the Meijer LPGA Classic in June, she moved to tenth on the all-time career money list on the LPGA Tour, having earned $12,608,045 in 230 events over 10 years, starting from her LPGA membership in 2012. In the
Women's PGA Championship at the
Congressional Country Club,
Maryland, Thompson finished tied-2nd, losing to winner Chun In-gee by one stroke. Thompson had held a two-stroke lead before making back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and 17th holes on the final day. In October, Thompson was victorious in the individual event of the
Aramco Team Series-New York, winning the Ladies European Tour event by three strokes. The following month, Thompson recorded her fourth second place finish on the LPGA Tour for the year at the Pelican Women's Championship. There, she finished one stroke behind Nelly Korda. She finished the year with ten top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. She arrived at the
2023 Solheim Cup in September, in a bad run of form. On the LPGA Tour in 2023, she had missed the cut in eight of her last eleven events, and had a season best finish of tied-19th at the
Kroger Queen City Championship. In the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in
Casares,
Andalusia, Thompson recorded three victories from her four matches, finishing with a 3–1–0 record, which included a 2 and 1 victory over Emily Kristine Pedersen in the singles. Europe and the United States finished tied on 14 points, resulting in Europe retaining the trophy. In October, Thompson became the seventh woman to play on the
PGA Tour when she played in the
Shriners Children's Open. She shot 73-69 to miss the cut by three strokes. During 2023, she made the cut at 6 of the 14 LPGA Tour events that she played, with a best placed finish of tied-5th at the
Ascendent LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America in October. She said she will continue to play at a small number of events. In June, at the Meijer LPGA Classic, Thompson was beaten in a playoff by
Lilia Vu. The following week, she recorded her first top-10 finish in a major since 2022 when she finished tied-9th in the
Women's PGA Championship at
Sahalee Country Club in
Sammamish, Washington. Thompson competed for the United States in the
2024 Solheim Cup at the
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in
Gainesville, Virginia. She won one of her four matches, securing a victory in the
foursomes with
Lauren Coughlin against Georgia Hall and
Maja Stark. The United States secured the overall victory and Thompson finished with a 1–3–0 record in the tournament. In November, Thompson played her final tournament as a full-time LPGA member at the CME Group Tour Championship at
Tiburon Golf Club in
Naples, Florida. She finished tied-49th at two-under-par.
2025 Now playing part-time on the tour, Thompson finished tied-4th at the Meijer LPGA Classic in June. She had held a share of the lead at the end of the third round, but she lost ground on the final day. The following week she finished tied-12th at the
Women's PGA Championship, and she then later finished second in the team event at the
Dow Championship. She and partner
Megan Khang were defeated by
Im Jin-hee and
Lee So-mi in a playoff. She then announced that she would take a five-week break from the sport, consequently missing the
Women's British Open and the
Evian Championship. Reflecting on her 'retirement' announcement the previous year, Thompson stated: "I feel like once I made the announcement, I feel it really got misconstrued that I was retiring. But I never said that word. I just said I was stepping back from a full-time schedule...Just really wanted to dial back my schedule and have more of a life balance." ==Personal life==