Was Picking Lexi Thompson Over Nelly Korda a Wrong Decision Done by the PGA Tour? Answering the Million-Dollar Question

Although there are two well-known segments of golf, male golf and female golf, both of these have separate Tours as well. But on a few rare occasions, we see distinguished male and female golfers teeing it up together on the course, and that sight is always pleasant. Recently, Lexi Thompson, one of the highly coveted female golfers, received an invitation to play at the Shriners Children Open in Las Vegas.

After Brittany Lincicome in 2018, Thompson was the first woman in 5 years to compete on the PGA Tour and was seventh in total, including Babe Zaharias, Shirley Spork, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley, and Michelle Wie West. Though the 11-time LPGA winner did not make the cut, she definitely justified her sponsor’s invitation. But was the golf stunner, Thompson, the right choice? Or was it the LPGA cover girl, Nelly Korda?

Should Nelly Korda be at Thompson’s place this week in Las Vegas?

Both Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson are very accomplished and respected golfers on the LPGA Tour. Both of them hold a special spot on the LPGA tour and are the two faces of female golf all over. The two were part of this year’s US Solheim Cup team, which unfortunately lost to their European counterparts. After the defeat, the 24-year-old Korda had a week of deafening silence and went MIA from all the platforms. She even sat out of the LPGA events that took place after the Spain showdown.

Since Korda was on rest after gruesome golf and was not playing, Thompson made partners with Rickie Fowler. Thompson has some credible experience playing with her male counterparts, as she has competed in several Pro-AM rounds. She has always teed it up with male golfers at an equal level. It goes without saying that though Nelly Korda is more popular than 28-year-old Thompson and is a fan favorite, that did not make the latter a bad or wrong choice. Lexi became the seventh woman in history to play in a PGA Tour event and go head-to-head with the male golfers.

The 28-year-old has been playing with male golfers all her life. Her brothers, Curtis Thompson and Nicholas Thompson, used to have PGA Tour cards. She has more experience playing with pros as compared to her LPGA compatriot, Nelly Korda. Korda has also teed it up with her fellow male golfers in the past.

In 2022, she partnered with Denny McCarthy for the PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout. She played on the same tees as male golfers and tied for fifth place. PGA Tour pros Max Homa and Kevin Kisner then gushed over her round as she completed it and were in complete awe of her game. Despite the praise that the 1X major champion got, the 11X LPGA winner indeed proved her worth and showed everyone that she indeed was the right choice to make history yet again!

Read More: While Lexi Thompson Witnessed an Aching Slump, Has Any Woman Ever Made a PGA Tour Cut?

How did Lexi Thompson justify herself as the right choice for Shriners Children’s Open?

Thompson’s first day, which is Thursday, started a bit rough as she stuck it close from the fairway bunker at No. 1 and made par. On the second hole, she carded a 20-foot birdie. As her group progressed further, the game was called off for the day, and her group had only played 16 holes. Her first day ended with a score of 1 over par.

On Friday, she came early to finish her opening round and ended it with a final score of two over 73. As she began her second round, she bogeyed her first hole, but at par-5 on the 13th, she made a beautiful birdie and bounced back. Moving on the LPGA star made five birdies in 10 holes and was at 2 under, close to the cut line, with 7 holes remaining. As her second round went on, she put 69 on the scoreboard, unfortunately missed the cut, and ended her event on an overall par. Though she could not make the cut, she was proud of her performance, and so was every member of the golf fraternity!

Well, all of the things that went down in Las Vegas indeed prove that Lexi Thompson was the right choice, and there was no matter of wrong choice here as all the LPGA girls are currently killing it with their skills and form!

Watch This Story | “Just so cute”: A rejuvenating little surprise delights LPGA’s pride Lexi Thompson as she heads to rewrite PGA Tour’s History