Washington, DC–
Sometimes I look back at the age of 16 and wonder what I was doing as Junior in High School other than playing baseball, carrying a camera around my neck or worrying about what I might have for lunch the next day, never crossed my mind about winning a major tournament of any kind. This weekend Lexi Thompson, skipped her calculus homework to win the Navistar LPGA Classic.
She becomes the youngest player ever to win on the LPGA tour since Paula Creamer won the Sybase Classic in 2005. The only other player in the age range of Thompson besides Creamer, was Marlene Hagge, who won an LPGA event at age 18, in 1952, big difference, it was a one-day event and less at stake.
While there might be a lot of players on tour that disagree that 16 is a little young to be seeking after a tournament win, but some players are extremely gifted, but in a day when the LPGA is struggling to have a fan base and some tournaments are being cancelled all together with the emergence of many non-American players, this might be the thing the LPGA needs. I don’t see any reason why people wouldn’t follow along with her story; it’s an excellent one at that.
Thompson may draw some inspiration from her two brothers, who are no strangers to the golf world. Curtis, her one brother is on the golf team at LSU and her other brother; Nick is in the Nationwide Tour. Talk about a golf family that runs deep.
After her victory, Thompson was very humble about her victory. “I am overwhelmed,” said Thompson. “It was a close few holes there at the end and I have a lot of respect for players like Tiffany Joh”, who she defeated by five holes. “I enjoy this game, as you can see golf runs in our family and I hope I can bring some excitement to the tour.
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan reiterated Sunday that Thompson would earn full member status only if she is among the leaders at the end of the qualifying tournament.