Lexi Thompson maintains she will not feel any added pressure at the Shriners Children's Open despite being under the spotlight in Las Vegas.
Thompson, an 11-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion, received a sponsor invitation to play at TPC Summerlin today, where she will become only the seventh female golfer to tee off on the PGA Tour.
But the 28-year-old insists she will just stay focused on her own game as she looks to become the first woman to make the cut at a PGA Tour event since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945.
"I wouldn’t say it adds pressure," Thompson said. "Playing golf and being a woman golfer, a top woman golfer, I just want to inspire people in general.
"(In a) male-dominated sport, I guess I just want to show that anything is possible and that I am following my dreams.
"I have done it since I was five years old, (been in the) spotlight since I was 12. You just have to block out everything and believe in yourself and go after what you want.
"(Play with) no added pressure. That’s what I want. I want to have women support me and me support them. That’s what it is all about."
"I knew some (negative) comments were going to happen (about being invited to play).
"Like I said, I’m out here playing of course with the men, but I want to leave a message just to the kids that I am following my dreams and to go after what you want with a positive mindset and don’t let anybody’s comments or reaction get in the way of that."
Thomspon will be playing alongside Kevin Roy and Trevor Werbylo during her opening rounds.
On the prospect of breaking another barrier by going on to make the cut, Thompson said: "(It would be) definitely at the top of my accomplishments.
"It’s been an honour just to get this invite, but one step, one shot at a time. That (making the cut) would be an amazing feeling."
"If I can inspire one individual, I would feel like I'm making progress"
It's the first appearance for an LPGA player at a PGA event since Brittany Lincicome in the 2018 Barbasol Championship.
"It's everything," PGA Tour member Luke List said Wednesday when asked what Thompson's participation means to young females looking up to her as a role model.
List, who has a young daughter, said it is "phenomenal" that young girls, especially those who play golf, can see somebody open new doors.
"I think that there is much room for growth in the women's game, and continued in our game, too," said List, the winner of last week's Sanderson Farms Championship at Jackson, Mississipi.
"But for them, just having that opportunity to - on the biggest stage - show their skills, even her just teeing it up is a success without whatever she shoots."
Thompson agrees with List's assessment.
"If I can inspire one individual, I would feel like I'm making progress," she said. "Of course, yes, I want to play good. That's a whole other story. There is more to life than performing well. That's what I want, to inspire others.
"And yeah, we'll see where the golf takes me. I know I've played well the last few weeks, and just take one shot at a time. Whatever happens, it's a blessing to be here."
Tom Kim claimed the Shriners Children’s Open title last year, becoming the first player to win twice on the PGA Tour before the age of 21 since Tiger Woods in 1996.
The South Korean finished tied second in the 2023 Open at Hoylake alongside Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
Recovering from a sprained ankle, picked up during his stay on Merseyside, forced him to miss what would have been a first PGA Tour title defence at the Wyndham Championship in August.
Kim returned to make a top-10 finish at Open de France last month.
"At the end of this past year once we made the trip to the UK, I started to play really well," he said.
"I have a good game plan this week. It worked last year. I can’t do one better than a win, so hopefully I can repeat something like I did last year."
Additional reporting: Reuters
