Lexi Thompson said earlier this week, at the Shriners Children’s Open in 2023, that making the cut on a PGA Tour would be her greatest accomplishment. Babe Zaharias, who played before the LPGA even existed, was the last woman to achieve this feat.
Thompson said, “That would be a wonderful feeling.” She is the seventh woman in a PGA Tour tournament this week and the first female since Brittany Lincicome competed at the Barbasol Championship in 2018.
Thompson will need to shoot low on both days to have any chance of making the cut. Over the last five years, the average cut was close to 5 below par. The average winning score at TPC summerlin during this stretch, which is a par-71 course, was 23 under.
Martin Laird’s winning score in 2020 was 7 under.
TPC Summerlin recorded 1,956 birdies in the 2018 season, which places it third on the PGA Tour behind Rocket Mortgage (2 066) and The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (2.021) for the 2022-2023 year.
Thompson’s birdie statistics this year, along with the rest of her stats do not give a true picture of the way she is playing going into this week. Thompson, who is usually one of the most accurate ball strikers on tour and consistently ranks in the top five for greens in regulations, has ranked 61st this year in GIR and 126th overall in birdies.
She has also had a limited schedule. Thompson’s thirteen LPGA starts in 2023 rank 137th among all tour players.
Good news! She has been a completely different player in her last three LPGA appearances (plus she won the Solheim!) ).
Thompson’s average score in her first nine races this year was 73.41. In her three last starts, Thompson’s scoring average was 68.9. This is a drop of 4.51.
Thompson’s score compared to par in her first nine starts is a staggering 35 over. In her last three races, Thompson has been 27 points under par.
Lexi Thompson, of the United States, watches during a practice session prior to the Shriners Children’s Open on October 11, 2023 at TPC Sommerlin in Las Vegas. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images).
The elevation will allow Thompson to compete with a PGA Tour set-up of 7,255 yards. Thompson is ranked 12th in the LPGA for distance with 270.7 yards. However, the LPGA only measures distance on two holes per week, and Thompson does not always use her driver.
She is excited to have the chance to play, but she will need to score a lot of birdies in order to achieve something special. She has a long history of playing desert golf. Mission Hills Country Club is the site of her victory in 2014.
Thompson said, “It’s nice to be able to use the driver on almost every hole.” “I usually get to hit driver more often on major championships.”
“So being able to come here and swing free with the driver, and then have a few long to mid irons in the greens is definitely a more major feeling.”
