John Hawkins writes that Thompson’s spot at the PGA Tour event this week is a publicity stunt, but Woods’s future Ryder Cup captaincy would be Team USA’s best move. Plus, quick thoughts on a new book on the PGA Tour–LIV Golf saga.
Lexi Thompson has been in the news for mostly the wrong reasons in 2023, first as a slumping star, then as a highly questionable qualifier for the U.S. Solheim Cup team, then as one of four Americans ever to face Europe three consecutive times without registering a victory. Although she went 3–1 in Spain last month and has posted a pair of top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour since, Thompson’s participation at this week’s PGA Tour event in Las Vegas is a leap without logic—the silliest of the 12 attempts by a woman to play against men since Annika Sörenstam took the plunge in ’03.
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It’s not an issue of gender so much as it is current form. The downside opposed to the upside, the risk versus reward. Thompson’s competitive psyche has gone through the wringer in what has become her worst season as a professional. A year of steep decline after a decade of relative excellence, which gave her the name recognition the Las Vegas tournament is now employing for its own commercial purposes.
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A struggling female player coming to the aid of a FedEx Cup Fall gathering in desperate need of attention? C’mon, fellas! Wasn’t this stretch of the schedule preserved to provide opportunity for the PGA Tour fringe—guys looking to strengthen their status for 2024? How many tickets will Lexi Thompson sell? Will her presence warrant any measure of increased visibility on a national scale? At a lower-rung Tour event relegated to cable television in the heart of football season, do those auxiliary factors even matter?
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Sörenstam’s appearance at Colonial 20 years ago was historic and heartwarming. Michelle Wie’s eight starts at the game’s highest level were irrefutably interesting, and she almost made the cut twice. Like so many other
ideas worth a shot once upon a time, Lexi + Las Vegas = the point of diminishing returns. A lethargic sideshow with weak fiscal overtones. An ill-advised reach for a prominent golfer still trying to regain traction at her own level.
“It actually could hurt her more than help,” a highly informed observer assessed. “She’s just getting back on track. Why now?”