"It's been rough," Thompson said, speaking after her first round. "I've known for a few weeks. She's my best friend.
"So hearing that, and then just dealing with a lot of things this year, it was kind of like a breakdown moment for me."
The eight-times LPGA Tour winner said her mother had already been through a battle with cancer.
"I remember when she got diagnosed with breast cancer and luckily they caught it pretty early when it was a small size," she said.
"That was a challenging time for me when I was younger. She's about an eight-or-10-year survivor. Just to see how much she's fighting, it's inspirational."
Thompson carded a one-under 70 on Thursday, four strokes behind leaders Amy Yang and Chella Choi.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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