Global Golf Post - September 19, 2011

PRATTVILLE, ALABAMA | Looking back, this has
every chance of being a seminal moment in wom-
en’s golf – the day that Lexi Thompson arrived.
Just at the time when she was needed most,
Thompson became the youngest winner in LPGA
Tour history, capturing the Navistar LPGA Clas-
sic on Sunday by a whopping five shots.
Thompson, 16, is not an LPGA Tour member
and was playing last week on a sponsor’s exemp-
tion. And in the most unusual of circumstances,
her victory at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Capitol Hill will not gain her membership on
the Tour. At present, the minimum age for LPGA
membership is 18.

Lexi Thompson
Which presented LPGA Commissioner Mike
Whan with a puzzling dilemma. Thompson had
petitioned the LPGA to waive the membership
requirements for her and was denied.
Whan did rule that if Thompson made it
through all three stages of the LPGA Qualifying
Tournament, she would be granted membership.
She has already played the first stage and won it
by 10 shots.
Whan issued a statement late Sunday that
included this: “Earlier this year, Lexi petitioned
the LPGA to waive the age restriction limita-
tion for an under-age professional to allow
her the ability to earn LPGA membership via
the three-stage 2011 LPGA Qualifying Tour-
nament. The petition was approved, and as
such, she went to Stage I Q-school, and via her
performance there, she qualified to proceed to
Stage II Q-school the week of September 26th.
Should Lexi qualify for LPGA membership via
her Q-School performance, she will be an LPGA
member for the 2012 season.”
Whan also confirmed that Thompson will
be eligible for the season-ending CME Group
Titelholders event later this year in Orlando.

YOUTH IS SERVED
Youngest winners on other tours:
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR (2006)
Amy Yang, 16 years, 192 days
PGA TOUR (1991)
Phil Mickelson, 20 years, 208 days
EUROPEAN TOUR (2010)
Matteo Manassero, 17 years, 188 days
NATIONWIDE TOUR (2007)
Jason Day, 19 years, 239 days

TM THE SOLHEIM CUP® SEPTEMBER 23325, 2011 Go to LPGA.com to follow all the action. EUROPE vs USA EUROPE vs USA EUROPE vs USA EUROPE vs USA EUROPE vs USA EUROPE vs USA Tune In Live on the Golf Channel The biggest event in women’s golf in one of the world’s most beautiful countries.

Tune In to the nearly 30 hours of live coverage from Ireland as the United States Solheim Cup team tries to defend its title and keep the Solheim Cup in the United States for two more years.