Lexi Thompson's agent confirmed that the golfer "has withdrawn from next week's second stage of LPGA Q-School," even though "no deal has been reached regarding her LPGA membership" for '12, according to Sean Martin of GOLFWEEK.com. Thompson's victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic this past weekend "did not guarantee her membership on the tour" because she is only 16, but "players younger than 18 can petition for membership." LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan on Sunday said that he "would not make a decision on Thompson's membership until receiving a petition from her camp." Thompson's agent, Bobby Kreusler, said that he "spoke with Whan on Sunday but would not file a petition until after this week’s Solheim Cup." Kreusler: "It's the week of the Solheim Cup, and the focus should be on that. Mike and I will have conversations when he returns (from Ireland). I need to file a petition; I have not. ... I believe ultimately Mike and I will be able to reach a mutually acceptable conclusion" (GOLFWEEK.com, 9/20). Kreusler said, "We are filing a petition, but we are not going to do anything that detracts from the Solheim Cup." GOLF WORLD's Ron Sirak notes Thompson's victory gave the LPGA its "biggest media bump since Michelle Wie flirted with victory in three majors in 2006, also at 16." Sirak: "Everyone was talking about Lexi, and just like that, the difficult question of whether to grant her an exemption to the tour's minimum age of 18 became a lot easier. ... The tour could hang its marketing hat on Lexi, a home-grown gal who is nearly 6 feet tall and routinely hits the ball 280 yards" (GOLF WORLD, 9/26 issue).
LET HER PLAY: The AP's Nancy Armour wrote Thompson is "only now beginning to catch the general public's attention." She is "personable and photogenic, and her deals with Cobra-Puma Golf and Red Bull could help the LPGA expand its appeal with that all-important youth market." Thompson said, "I want women's golf to be more well-known and to be out there. It is amazing to watch how the girls play and how low they shoot. There's a lot of great young players coming up and on tour. Fans just need to see it" (AP, 9/20). SI.com's Alan Shipnuck wrote Whan is "trying to do the right thing and preserve the teenage years of his would-be phenoms, but to not grant Thompson tour status at this point is just silly." Shipnuck: "Not only has she proven she belongs, Lexi is the future of the freakin' tour. This pointless battle is becoming a buzzkill on one of golf's stories of the year" (GOLF.com, 9/20). Golf Channel's John Hawkins said, “Let her in! We don't have a product right now. Competitively, this thing is fine, but economically this is the incredibly shrinking golf tour. ... This is not three or four years ago when we had to have a ‘no minors’ rule. This is your meal ticket” (“Golf Central,” Golf Channel, 9/20).
MAKING THE MEDIA ROUNDS: After securing her first LPGA victory on Sunday, Thompson "headed to New York City as golf's newest superstar." She appeared yesterday on CBS' "Early Show" and The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive," and later "met with various outlets in the nation's biggest media market." In West Palm Beach, Edgar Thompson writes the golfer's "fearless style of play, big smile and warm personality ... are a marketer's dream and surely will help her expand a portfolio that features endorsement deals with Puma, Cobra, Rolex and Red Bull" (PALM BEACH POST, 9/21). Thompson was on NBC's "Today" show this morning, where co-host Ann Curry called her a “golf prodigy” and Matt Lauer noted she "shook it up pretty well” (“Today,” NBC, 9/21). Meanwhile, Puma launched a campaign on Twitter this week "urging followers to use a #LetLexiPlay hashtag to support Thompson's bid to play the LPGA as a member" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 9/21).
