Alexis Noel "Lexi" Thompson shot to prominence in the world of golf when she qualified for the US Women's Open aged just 12 years old.

Thompson turned professional at the age of 15 and, just over a year later, she became the LPGA Tour's youngest-ever winner when she claimed victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic at the age of 16 years, seven months and eight days.

She is also the second-youngest person to record a victory on the Ladies European Tour thanks to her four-shot win at the 2011 Dubai Ladies Masters.

Incredibly, she was still a teenager when she added a Major Championship to her already impressive trophy collection, winning the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship at the age of 19 which made her, at the time, the second-youngest woman to win a Major.

Her impressive form as a teenager, coupled with her campaigning to be allowed to play more events, has led to changes in the LPGA rules.

Non-members are now allowed to participate in Monday qualifying events, drastically increasing the number of tournaments open to players without a Tour Card. LPGA rules prevent anyone under the age of 18 from joining the Tour as a full member.

Thompson's age and ability have quickly made her one of the most popular golfers in the world. A fitness fanatic, Thompson's golf is built on power off the tee and an aggressive approach game.

The early years and records being broken

Growing up with brothers who would also go on to become professionals, Thompson took up the game early and the wins started to come thick and fast.

She won the first of her US Kids Golf World Championships in 2003 and defended her title the following year.

Starting as a 12-year-old in 2007, @Lexi Thompson has played in 14 consecutive #USWomensOpen championships.

Her best finish was T-2 in 2019. #USWOMemories https://t.co/tdVW5bbUah pic.twitter.com/dTkpmUS7aD
— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) February 3, 2021

In 2007, she was the youngest person to qualify for the US Women's Open, although that record has now been bettered by Lucy Li.

Her win at the 2007 Aldila Junior Classic made her the youngest person to win an American Junior Golf Association tournament.

Thompson won the US Girls Junior event in 2008 and once again qualified for the US Women's Open, but she would have to wait until 2009 to make the cut at the Major.

In her final year as an amateur, she made her fifth Major appearance at the Nabisco Championship. She made the cut and recorded her best Major finish at the time, a tie for 24th, 15 shots behind the tournament winner.

In the 2010 Curtis Cup, Thompson strung together a dominant performance, going unbeaten to help the United States to victory over Great Britain and Ireland.

After this, at just 15 years of age, she firmly believed she had the game to compete on the LPGA Tour and she turned pro.

Turning pro and tussling with the Tour

Seeing the potential in her, Cobra-PUMA Golf and Red Bull signed deals with Thompson, ensuring she would not want for sponsor exemptions.

She engaged in extensive legal wrangling with the LPGA over the age limits and restrictions on players and succeeded in effecting some changes.

In her first US Women's Open as a professional, she finished in a tie for 10th and two weeks later came close to winning the Evian Masters (which wasn't a Major at the time).

Lexi Thompson LGPA Diamond Resorts Tournament Of Champions America

Lexi Thompson at the Diamond Resorts Tournament Of Champions

In a bid to find tournaments to enter, Thompson joined the Fuzion Minor League Golf Tour - a one-day tournament series open to men and women.

At the Navistar LPGA Classic in September 2011, Thompson recorded her first LPGA Tour victory, and in December she notched a maiden Ladies European Tour win at the Dubai Ladies Masters.

In 2012, she was finally successful in her petition to have the LPGA age limit waived and she qualified as a full member for the first time.

She won twice on the Tour in 2013, snatching the Sime Darby LPGA in Malaysia and taking the Lorena Ochoa Invitational by a single stroke. She also managed a third-place finish at the Evian Championship, which was then her best Major performance.

Her solitary Major victory

Thompson was the second-youngest Major winner of all-time when she lifted the Nabisco Championship in 2014, and her mark remains in the top five to this day.

A 19-year-old Thompson completed a bogey-free final round of 68 to end three strokes clear of Michelle Wie, who had started the day level with the teenager.

Since that win, Thompson has been a regular competitor in Major championships without winning. She has claimed 13 top-10 finishes including two second places. She has since claimed a further seven LPGA Tour wins, but a defeat in a playoff at the 2017 ANA Inspiration was the closest she has come to earning a second Major.

The Solheim Cup

Thompson has qualified for the Solheim Cup on four occasions (2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), scoring eight points for her team in that time.

She has five match wins in the event and has been on the winning team three times.

Lexi Thompson's personal life

Thompson's childhood was dominated by her golfing ambitions as she kept pace with her professional golfer brothers, Nicholas and Curtis.

She first picked up a golf club at the age of five as her parents were also obsessed with the sport. Thompson was homeschooled and spent many of her formative years traveling and competing. Her parents fully supported her golfing ambitions and felt that school would inhibit her development as a player.

In 2018, Thompson revealed her struggles with body image that led her to engage in an unhealthy fitness routine. She takes being a role model for girls in golf very seriously and believes athletes should do their best to ensure they leave the sport in a better place than where they found it.

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A post shared by Lexi Thompson (@lexi)

She credits her rescue dog with helping her get through a rough patch in 2018 when she stepped away from the game for a mental health break.

Thompson has played golf with President Donald Trump but claims she is not into politics.

Lexi Thompson's net worth

Thompson's net worth is believed to exceed $2million, and she made Forbes magazine's "30 under 30" sports feature in 2019.

Cobra-PUMA Golf and Red Bull have sponsored Thompson since the outset of her professional career. She has since added Bridgestone Golf, Rolex, Lexus, Smucker's and Zurich Insurance to her list of corporate partners.

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Lexi Thompson's early career sky rocketed her into golf's history books, but Majors haven't been as easy to smash.