'LPGA Star' Thompson "Competing Against PGA Tour Players"

Invited Player Competes at Shriners Children's Open
Seventh Female Player to Compete Against Men
11 Professional Wins, Averaging 270-Yard Long Drives

"Long hitter" Lexi Thompson (USA) will participate in a men's professional tournament.

Lexi Thompson

The PGA Tour announced on the 4th (local time) that "Thompson will participate as an invited player in the Shriners Children's Open (total prize money $8.4 million)." This tournament will be held over four days starting from the 12th at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, USA. A total of 132 players, including Thompson, will compete. The defending champion is "PGA star card" Kim Joo-hyung. Thompson expressed her excitement, saying, "It is a very great opportunity to compete against male players."

Thompson will become the seventh female player to compete against men in a PGA Tour event. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the first to participate in a men's tournament at the 1935 Cascade Open, and more recently, Brittany Lincicome (USA) competed in the 2018 Barbasol Championship. Thompson is a star player with 11 career wins on the LPGA Tour. Her average driving distance this season is 270.30 yards. She said, "I hope to send a big message to girls chasing their dreams," and added, "I want to get to Las Vegas quickly."