Lexi Thompson set to be the 7th woman to play on the PGA Tour at Shriners Children's Open

Lexi Thompson has accepted the sponsor's exemption for the Shriners Children's Open, which makes her the seventh woman in history to compete in a PGA Tour event.

The Shriners Children's Open will take place from October 12 to 15 at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. Thompson is one of the LPGA’s longest hitters, with an average driving distance of 270.3 yards this season.

Thompson will be the first woman to compete in a PGA Tour event since Brittany Lincicome, who featured in the 2018 Barbasol Championship. The 28-year-old was quoted as saying by the PGA Tour:

"Shriners Children’s support of children with specialty pediatric medical challenges for over 100 years is inspiring, and as we all know, these conditions do not discriminate.

"I’m hopeful that my ability to play with the men next week at the Shriners Children’s Open sends a great message to the young women that you can chase your dream regardless of how hard it is. I cannot wait to come to the city of Las Vegas and I’m grateful to Shriners Children’s for this opportunity to spend the week alongside these inspirational kids.”

Shriners Children’s Open executive director Patrick Lindsey said that they were thrilled to have the 11-time LPGA Tour winner in the 2023 event.

Lindsey was quoted as saying by the PGA Tour:

"We are eager to have Lexi on the course and continue to break through barriers, just as our more than 1.5 million patients do every day."

In 1935, LPGA Tour great Babe Didrikson Zaharias became the first woman to receive a sponsor exemption at the Cascades Open. She participated in a few more PGA Tour events and ended up finishing 33rd in the 1945 WM Phoenix Open and 42nd in the Tucson Open. Zaharias was also awarded the 'Woman Athlete of the 20th Century' by the Associated Press.

Michelle Wie West, Suzy Whaley, Annika Sorenstam, and Shirley Spork are the other women who have competed on the PGA Tour. Wie West came close to making the cut at the Sony Open as she missed the weekend by just one stroke, thanks to a 68 in the second round.

The Shriners Children’s Open will be the third event of the FedExCup Fall, and Tom Kim is the defending champion. This win last year helped Kim become the second golfer since Tiger Woods to win two titles before turning 21. The Las Vegas event will feature 132 golfers competing for an $8.4 million purse.

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How has Lexi Thompson performed in the 2022–23 season?

Here's a look at Lexi Thompson's performances in the 2022–23 season:

• Walmart NW Arkansas Championship - T8
• Solheim Cup - lost
• Kroger Queen City Championship - T19
• Portland Classic - CUT
• CPKC Women's Open - CUT
• AIG Women's Open - CUT
• Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational - CUT
• U.S. Women's Open - CUT
• KPMG Women's PGA Championship - T47
• Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give - CUT
• Cognizant Founders Cup - T31
• Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown:
• The Chevron Championship - CUT
• LPGA Drive-On Championship at Superstition Mountain - CUT