Lexi Thompson is trying to make history at the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin on October 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) (Orlando Ramirez via Getty Images)
Lexi Thompson looked like she was on the cusp of a historic weekend in Las Vegas.
She was right on the edge of the cutline late in her second round at the Shriners Children’s Open, but a couple of late bogeys likely sunk her chances.
She was just the seventh women to compete in a PGA Tour event and was trying to be the first one to make a PGA cut since 1945, when Babe Didrikson Zaharias did it twice. Zaharias is the only woman to accomplish the feat.
Thompson sits at even par for the tournament after she carded a 69 for her second round, following a 73 in Round 1. The projected cut is 2-under.
“Just to be able to come here and follow my dreams, something that I’ve wanted to do, playing against my brothers growing up,” Thompson told ESPN after the round. “And all the guys were so welcoming so I’m grateful for that.”
For a while, it looked like she had the weekend in her sights.
After starting on the 10th tee at TPC Summerlin and putting together a strong first nine, she carded back-to-back birdies on holes 1 and 2 to put her at 2-under with just seven holes to play.
But trouble came on the par-3 fifth hole when she hit her drive into the penalty area well right of the green. That resulted in a bogey, and she followed with another bogey on the par-3 eighth.
While she came up short of of the cutline, Thompson was in high spirits after the round after being followed by a large gallery, including several kids, throughout Thursday and Friday in Vegas.
“It’s the best feeling, just seeing the amount of kids that were out there screaming, ‘Lexi, Lexi. Go Lexi,'” Thompson said. “It makes me tear up sometimes because that’s what I play for, to inspire these little kids, boys and girls to just get a club in their hand or just follow their dreams, whether it’s golf or anything in life.”
Thompson was invited to play this week as a sponsor’s exemption. While the 28-year-old hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since 2019 and is the 25th-ranked woman in the world, she’s known for being one of the longer hitters on tour. That makes her uniquely qualified to play in a men’s tournament, where the courses tend to play significantly longer than women’s events.
She averaged 300.75 yards off the tee in Las Vegas this week. The average distance on the PGA Tour this season was 299.8 coming into this tournament.
She’s also a well-known name in the sport after she made history by becoming the youngest player to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open at age 12 in 2008. She also recorded her first LPGA victory at age 16, which made her the youngest-ever winner on tour at the time. That was the first of her 11 LPGA wins, including one major title at the 2014 Chevron Championship.
Thompson’s invite was also made, in part, to add intrigue to the tournament.
“I think having Lexi in the field and on the broadcast, it’s only going to bring more eyes to the broadcast, which will bring more eyes to the golfers who are here and the golfers’ sponsors that are on their shirts and hats and bags,” Shriners executive director Patrick Lindsey told per Golf Magazine earlier this week. “Everyone should be looking at this from a very positive standpoint, because we’re bringing more eyes to the players, Shriners, the city, the golf course, all of it.”
Thompson was the first woman to play in a PGA tournament since Brittany Lincicome did so at the Barbasol Championship in 2018. Before that, Shirley Spork, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley, Michelle Wie West and Zaharias were the only other women to play on the top men’s tour.
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