Lexi Thompson’s participation in the PGA Tour is not surprising. She competed in the QBE Shootout with men for six years, and two of her brothers have PGA Tour cards. Thompson, one of the most influential women in golf, has been a leading candidate for a PGA Tour sponsorship exemption.
Golfweek has learned that Thompson will be teeing it up at the Shriners Children’s Open next week in Las Vegas on a sponsor’s invite. The event is set to take place Oct. 12-15, at TPC Summerlin. Last year’s course was 7,255 yards and had a par score of 71. A field of 132 players will compete for an $8.4-million purse.
Thompson’s decision to take advantage of the opportunity in this season may have raised some eyebrows. The good news is her game has improved after a 3-1-0 Solheim Cup and her best season finish – a shared eighth place at the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship. This was her first top-10 since November 2022.
Thompson stated in a press release that she hopes that her ability to compete with men at the Shriners Children’s Open next week will send a powerful message to young women about chasing their dreams no matter how difficult it may be. “I can’t wait to be in Las Vegas and I’m thankful to Shriners Children’s that they have given me this chance to spend a week with these inspiring kids.”
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) Maverick McNealy and Lexi Thompson of the United States fist-pump on the seventeenth hole during round one at the QBE Shootout, Tiburon golf club, on December 9, 2022 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images).
Thompson, 28, is an 11-time LPGA winner who has been on the big stage since she was 12 years old when she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open.
Thompson had missed five consecutive cuts over the summer, and she looked like an asset for Team USA when her Rolex Ranking was used to select the 12-player team. She found something in September and Stacy Lewis asked Thompson to play the first tee in Spain on Sunday and to anchor her singles lineup.
Patrick Lindsey said, “We’re thrilled to have Lexi join us at the 2023 tournament.” “Shriners Children is committed to helping all children achieve their full potential, no matter what challenges they face. Lexi is eager to continue breaking through barriers like our 1.5 million patients every day.
Women’s participation in PGA Tour official events has a short, but fascinating history. Babe Zaharias was the first LPGA needle-mover and the Associated Press named her “Woman Athlete of the 20th Century”. She is the only woman to have made a cut on a PGA Tour, at the Los Angeles Open in 1945.
Photos of Lexi Thompson over the years
Annika Sorenstam attributes her success and drive to her Bank of America Colonial appearance of 2003, which was both triumphant and controversial. Sorenstam was four strokes off the cut, but her sports career took a whole new level that week.
“I came back with such confidence, and I definitely took my game up a notch,” Sorenstam said to Golf Channel in the early part of this year. “I pushed myself and worked harder. It tested me to the bone. I told myself that if I can handle this kind of pressure, then I can handle anything. “It was a new me.”
Michelle Wie West was a stroke away from making the cut when she was 14 years old, after scoring 68 in the second round of the 2004 Sony Open. She would tee off seven more times but never make the weekend.
Conrad Shindler congratulates Brittany Lincicome after she hole out for an eagle on the 17th fairway, during the continuation of the Barbasol Championship second round at Keene Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images).
Brittany Lincicome was the latest woman to be granted a PGA Tour Sponsor Exemption at the Barbasol Championship in 2018. Brittany Lincicome, a two-time major champion, had three consecutive birdies and a hole-out on the 17th for an eagle in the second round. However, it was not enough to make the Barbasol Championship cut due to the soft conditions.
After her second round 71, Lincicome said, “Just being in the ropes, hitting on range and on the putting-green, it’s a cool feeling.” “I feel at home here. “The guys made me feel at home.”
