Lexi Thompson's remarkable 19-year streak of U.S. Women's Open appearances is suddenly in jeopardy. The 31-year-old LPGA star has withdrawn from Wednesday's 36-hole qualifier at the Wilderness Country Club in Naples, Florida—a tournament that would have earned her a spot in this year's field at historic Riviera Country Club.

Since she first qualified at just 12 years old in 2007, Thompson has never missed a U.S. Women's Open. That debut at Pine Needles made her the youngest qualifier in the championship's history, and she's been a fixture ever since. Now, her streak ties with Amy Yang for the longest active run at 19 consecutive appearances.

Two years ago at the U.S. Women's Open, Thompson announced she was stepping away from full-time competitive golf. That moment at Lancaster Country Club left many wondering if it might be her final bow at the tournament that launched her into the spotlight nearly two decades ago.

But don't count her out just yet. Thompson can still punch her ticket to Riviera through two alternate routes: win an LPGA event, or climb into the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings by May 25. The 11-time LPGA winner currently sits at No. 94 in the world, but she's showing signs of life—a tie for 12th at last month's Chevron Championship marked a solid start to her season.

Time is tight, with only three LPGA tournaments remaining before the Open. Thompson is already in the field for this week's Mizuho Americas Open and has signed up for next week's Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati. The ShopRite LPGA Classic follows two weeks later, serving as the final qualifying event before Riviera.

For a player who has defined resilience throughout her career, the road to Riviera just got steeper—but Thompson has never been one to back down from a challenge.