The best story of the year in women’s golf has been developing since June when 15-year-old Alexis Thompson turned professional.
As anyone who follows the sports knows, this was no publicity stunt. Lexi, as she has asked to be called, has major game. But she won’t be playing in a major this week at venerable Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, at the British Open – the final major of the LPGA Tour’s season. It’s not by choice either.
The good (or should we say stuffy, stodgy, short-sighted) folks at the Ladies Golf Union, the administrative body of the Ricoh Women’s British Open, have denied Thompson’s bid to play in the event on several levels, not even allowing her a spot in Monday’s qualifier.
“We just wanted Lexi to have an opportunity to go qualify,” Bobby Kreusler, her agent at Blue Giraffe Sports, told the Palm Beach Post. “The fact that she didn’t get the chance is not only disappointing but quite surprising.”
Here’s the rub: Thompson, who is the youngest player to ever qualify for the U.S. Open, when she did so at age 12 in 2006, is coming off back-to-to-back stellar performances – a tie for second (one stroke back of winner Jiyai Shin) at last week’s Evian Masters, which is in reality the LPGA’s fifth major, and a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open three weeks ago. In just three events as a pro – she also played at the ShopRite Classic in June, missing the cut – she’s earned $314,842. If she were a member of the LPGA Tour, she’d be ranked 18th on the money list. Thompson’s also already signed lucrative endorsement deals with Cobra-PUMA Golf and Red Bull energy drink.
Remarkable stuff. And whether or not people believe that she should be exposed to all of these things at her age, she is a star in the making; a drawing card for a sport that needs to draw some cards – i.e., the sport needs the attention she brings. Not to mention, she’s playing some of the best golf in the world right now.
To be fair, the LGU is just following its own rules – though why the rules couldn’t be bent a little in this instance seems silly.
Thompson’s performance with the U.S.-winning Curtis Cup team in early June qualified her for a spot in the British Open final qualifier as an amateur. But once she turned pro the following week she forfeited that exemption. She did not make it to the British pre-qualifying stage in Berkshire, England, on July 12 because it was, for some reason, held the day after the U.S. Open was completed.
The truly confusing part is why she was not allowed to try and qualify at Monday’s final qualifier at Hillside Golf Club in Southport.
“Exemptions into final qualifying for professionals are not the norm,” Shona Malcolm, the LGU’s CEO told Golfweek. “The main circumstances would be medical exemptions or, occasionally and very exceptionally, players of reputation who had previously been long-term participants in, supporters of, or winners of the Ricoh Women’s British Open.”
Malcolm went on to tell UK newspaper The Independent that Thompson’s predicament is an upshot of Michelle Wie being given a “special exemption” to play in the British Open at age 15 in 2005. Malcolm said the LGU received wide-spread criticism from players over that decision and the organization has since tightened up its regulations on determining the field.
Here’s how players qualify for the British Open:
• The top 15 (and ties) from the previous year’s Women’s British Open.
• The top 35 not in the first group on the current year’s Ladies European Tour money list.
• The top 70 not in the first group on the current year’s LPGA Tour money list.
• The top 5 not in the first group on the current year’s LPGA of Japan Tour money list.
• Winners of any recognized LET or LPGA events in 2009.
• The previous 10 Women’s British Open champions.
• The previous 5 champions of one of the other three LPGA majors.
• The previous 3 champions of the Samsung World Championship.
• Non-exempt players can go through “Final Qualifying” to get in – an 18-hole event the Monday before the British.
Of course, Thompson’s situation is much different than Wie’s was at the time. Thompson is coming off back-to-back, top-10 finishes at two of the biggest, most lucrative, star-studded events of the season. Unlike Wie in 2005, Thompson has proved (in the short term, to be fair) that she is one of the best in the world. Her absence this week is conspicuous.
Next question for Thompson is whether the LPGA will let her try and qualify for next year’s Tour at Q-School, which begins with sectional qualifying in September. Final qualifying is in December. The tour traditionally has had an age minimum standard of 18, which has been bent over the last five years to include some 17-year-olds. Thompson turned 15 in February.
