LPGA star Lexi Thompson to reach unique milestone at the US Women’s Open
Lexi Thompson is one of the most impressive players of the last 20 years for her early success. Thompson has been the youngest player to reach multiple milestones on the LPGA Tour, and she is on the verge of reaching a new one.
Thompson is qualified for the 2024 edition of the U.S. Women's Open thanks to her 49th place in the world rankings. It will be her 18th consecutive start at this important event, and she will have achieved this mark before she turns 30 (she will do so on February 10, 2025).
Lexi Thompson first qualified for the U.S. Women's Open in 2007, at the age of 12. At that time she was the youngest player to play in the event.
In her 17 previous appearances, she has made 12 cuts, with five Top 10s. Her best result was finishing second in the 2019 edition, when she lost by two strokes to Lee Jeong-eun.
Lexi Thompson has played 63 editions of the majors, with 49 cuts made and 19 Top 10s. Her best result was winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now Chevron Championship) in 2014.
The U.S. Women's Open will be played May 30-June 2 at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. The field will feature 156 players and include the world's top stars.
Lexi Thompson's early successes
Lexi Thompson was not only the youngest player (at the time) to play in the U.S. Women's Open (12 years old). Her early successes were also manifested by playing at the junior level.
Thompson was the second youngest player to win an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament, winning the 2007 Aldila Junior Classic, also at age 12. That same year she won the Junior PGA Championship, becoming the youngest winner to lift that trophy.
Thompson was also (at the time) the youngest player to win on the LPGA Tour, when she took the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic title at the age of 16 years, seven months and eight days. That same year (2011) Thompson became the second youngest winner on the Ladies European Tour when she won the Dubai Ladies Masters.
By winning the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Thompson entered the books as the second youngest major champion at the age of 19 years, one month, and 27 days. Morgan Pressel won the same event in 2007, at the age of 18 years, 10 months, and nine days old.
Although she is only 29 years old in May 2024, Thompson has had a 13-season career in professional golf (2024 is the 14th). She has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour, twice on the Ladies European Tour, and twice on other tours.
Her LPGA Tour career also includes 22 second-place finishes and 96 other Top 10s. She was ranked fourth in the world in 2015 and 2017.