October 29 — Alexis Thompson may sue the LPGA if the women’s professional golf tour does not waive its age requirement and let the 15-year-old phenom play as a member in 2011.
Distant option. Legal action against the LPGA “is only a far-off distant option,” Bobby Kreusler, Thompson’s manager at Blue Giraffe Sports, tells New England Golf Monthly. “We have to see how the situation progresses.”
Thompson, who turned pro this year and will be 16 in February, won $336,472 in six LPGA events she played with sponsors’ exemptions. Arguing that her winnings would place Thompson 29th on the LPGA money list, Kreusler says his client will likely petition the tour to let her play as a member next year.
LPGA regs allow non-members to apply for affiliation if they finish as a top-80 money maker, a criterion Thompson easily meets. She does not, however, qualify under the rule that requires members to be at least 18 years old.
Exceptions prove the rule? Exceptions to that prohibition allowed Morgan Pressel, Aree Song, and other under-18 amateurs to gain eligibility at LPGA Qualifying School. Thompson’s request would differ significantly, Kreusler argues, because she’s a professional who merits inclusion.
Thompson’s quest is “absolutely totally different,” says Kreusler. “Lexi easily earned enough money to earn a full card.”
Kreusler also believes Thompson deserves commissioner Michael Whan’s blessing, which he may grant to golfers between 15 years old and 18 if they prove they meet their “professional and financial responsibilities,” according to tour bylaws.
Ready to play. With her LPGA playing partners attesting to Thompson’s competitive, social, and emotional grit, it’s clear she’s ready to play, says Kreusler.
“If Lexi can’t satisfy those criteria,” he observes, “I don’t know who could.”
Limited schedule. Another determining factor may be Thompson’s plans to play only 17 or so events next year. The home-schooled high school sophomore wants time to participate in homecoming and other activities typical of a 15-year-old girl, Kreusler says.
While Thompson has yet to file an official petition, Kreusler wants the issue finalized long before the end of the year.
“We have talked [with the LPGA] early in the year,” says Kreusler. “We are entering into a more formal stage of how we will progress and/or if we will seek legal action.”
LPGA officials, who must privately yearn for the attention the long-hitting American star would bring to the tour, have no knowledge of a potential lawsuit.
“I had not heard that,” Heather Daly-Donofrio, LPGA director of media relations, tells NEGM.
Each petition unique. Noting that each petition has its own unique circumstances, Daly-Donofrio says the tour cannot address Thompson’s issues until it receives the request.
“It was great to have Lexi with us on Tour for several events this season,” she says. “She played well, endeared herself to the fans and demonstrated that she has a bright future in professional golf. Whether she is ready at such an early age is a decision that will ultimately be made by Commissioner Whan.”
Hectic travel plans. In the meantime, Thompson will earn a bunch of frequent-flyer miles in the next several months. She’s scheduled to play the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters in the United Arab Emirates in December, the Australian Women’s Open in February, and the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia in March.
To stay in competitive shape, Thompson plays in local men’s tourneys like the recent Minor League Golf Tour event in Florida, in which she finished in a three-way tie for second. The only woman in the field, Thompson teed off from about 6,800-yard yards compared with the men’s 7,100 yards, and fell a birdie putt short of forcing a playoff with winner David Schuster. Schuster plays out of Turner Hill GC in Ipswich, Mass.
Won’t mimic Wie. Kreusler stressed that Thompson plays such events to “hone her skills for her next event,” and that she has no intentions of following Michelle Wie’s much-criticized footsteps to the PGA Tour.
Thompson has three top-20 finishes this year, including a T2 at the Evian Masters. The youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open, Thompson anchored the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team in June at Massachusetts’ Essex County Club.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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