Lexi Thompson ready to inspire, and hit driver, on PGA Tour

Eleven-time LPGA Tour winner and Major champion Lexi Thompson will make history this week as the seventh female golfer to tee-it-up on the PGA Tour. The 28-year-old received a sponsor invitation to play in the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas this week and is excited by the opportunity to measure her game alongside the men of the PGA Tour.

While many players would be intimidated by the opportunity, Thomson doesn’t feel any added pressure playing alongside men, and is instead using this week to “send a message out to the Shriners kids that no dream is too small and they can go after what they want and follow their dreams,” she said.

“I wouldn't say it adds pressure. Playing golf and being a woman golfer, top woman golfer, I just want to inspire people in general. (In a ) male-dominated sport, I guess I just want to show that anything is possible and that I'm following my dreams. I've done it since I was five years old, (in the) spotlight since I was 12,” the 12-year LPGA Tour veteran said.

“You just have to block out everything and believe in yourself and go after what you want. No added pressure. That's what I want. I want to have women support me and me support them. That's what it's all about.”

A change in swing, has brought a change in form

Thomspon will make her first PGA Tour start amid her best stretch of golf on the LPGA Tour this season. In the past five weeks, Thomspon earned her first top-20 result of the season at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, led her America Solheim Cup teammates to a draw with Europe, going 3-1-0 in four matches, and earned two consecutive top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour, a T8 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G and solo fifth at The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America.

Thompson has credited a change in her swing to improved ball-striking, which she says has most contributed to her recent success. And this week, ball striking will be very important for achieving the distance she needs to compete with the men of the PGA Tour. Luckily, the heavy hitter is more excited than nervous to put her driver to the test.

“Yeah, it's nice to come here and hit a lot of drivers, of course. You know, the last few weeks I didn't hit too many drivers, but you still have to hit the golf shots on the LPGA Tour. It's just I don't get to take advantage of sometimes my length on a few of those holes,” said Thompson, who ranks 12th on the LPGA Tour this season in average driving distance. “Here it's driver on every hole, and I definitely like that. Fire away and swing, get the most distance I can on a few of those holes.”

Leaning on her brothers for advice

In addition to her distance, Thompson also has the advantage of having two older brothers that have competed on the PGA Tour to help her through the week. Her eldest brother, Nicholas, first started playing on the PGA Tour in 2006 and has played as recently as 2021. He has also been on his sister’s bag throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons, most recently at the Solheim Cup, but will not be carrying for his sister this week. Thomspon’s other brother, Curtis, last played on the PGA in February of 2023 and has been playing here-and-there on Tour since 2014. According to Thompson, both her brothers were happy to give some advice before her start on Thursday.

“They both have played this golf course and have given me a few tips… whether it was distances, carries, and that I didn't have to worry about too many carry numbers out there, that I had plenty of distance to handle the golf course,” said Thomspon.

“It’s definitely a relieving feeling because coming into a PGA TOUR event, you never know distance-wise if my distance a good enough. But, yeah, the course is in amazing shape. Great layout. Just happy I get to bomb driver everywhere.”

Inspiring the next generation of golfers

Thomspon will be playing alongside Kevin Roy and Trevor Werbylo during her opening rounds. She tees off on Thursday at 1:19 p.m. and Friday at 8:29 a.m (local time). While the American said making the cut on Friday would rank at the top of her list of career accomplishments, – no other LPGA Tour player has done so on the PGA Tour – that is not her number one goal. For Thompson, who is a LPGA USGA Girls Golf Ambassador and is well known for her commitment to growing the sport, inspiring others is at the heart of her game this week.

“Yes, good golf is a successful week. If I can leave here inspiring others, and especially the kids, the Shriners kids, that's what it's all about and what this tournament is. There is more than just playing golf. If I can inspire one individual I would feel like I'm making progress,” Thompson said.

“Of course, yes, I want to play good. That's a whole other story but there is more to life than performing well. That's what I want to do, inspire others. And yeah, we'll see where the golf takes me. I know I've played well the last few weeks, and just take one shot at a time. Whatever happens, it's a blessing to be here.”

A look back at the history of women playing in PGA Tour events:

Babe Didrikson Zaharias (7)
1935 Cascades Open (September 19-21), 86-88 – 174 (missed cut); sponsor invite
1937 Chicago Open (July 23-25), 86 – (withdrew); sponsor invite
1938 Los Angeles Open (January 7-10), 81-84 – 165 (missed cut); sponsor invite
1945 Los Angeles Open (January 5-8), 76-81-79 – 236 (missed cut); qualified
1945 Phoenix Open (January 11-14), 77-72-75-80 – 304 (33rd); sponsor invite
1945 Tucson Open (January 18-21), 307 total (42nd); qualified
1946 Los Angeles Open (January 3-6), 81-81 – 162 (withdrew); sponsor invite

Shirley Spork (1)
1952 Northern California-Reno Open (October 9-12), 77-80-77-80 – 314 (105th, no-cut event); sponsor invite

Annika Sorenstam (1)
2003 Bank of America Colonial (May 22-25), 71-74 – 145 (missed cut); sponsor invite

Suzy Whaley (1)
2003 Greater Hartford Open (July 24-27), 75-78 – 153 (missed cut); qualified by winning 2002 Connecticut PGA Section Championship

Michelle Wie West (8)
2004 Sony Open in Hawaii (January 15-18), 72-68 – 140 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2005 Sony Open in Hawaii (January 13-16), 75-74 – 149 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2005 John Deere Classic (July 7-10), 70-71 – 141 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2006 Sony Open in Hawaii (January 12-15), 79-68 – 147 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2006 John Deere Classic (July 13-16), 77 (withdrew); sponsor invite
2006 84 LUMBER Classic (September 14-17), 77-81 – 158 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2007 Sony Open In Hawaii (January 11-14), 78-76 – 154 (missed cut); sponsor invite
2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open (July 31-Aug. 3), 73-80 – 153 (missed cut); sponsor invite

Brittany Lincicome (1)
2018 Barbasol Championship (July 19-22), 78-71 – 149 (missed cut); sponsor invite

View the full leaderboard from the Shriners Children's Open here.