Lexi Thompson has missed short putts before.
Torturously. Agonizingly. Regrettably.
They’ve cost her major titles. They’ve followed a rules controversy that left her in tears. They’ve led to terse news conferences and media backlash.
This time was different.
When Thompson’s 6-foot birdie missed on the final hole Friday, effectively ending her bid to become the first woman since 1945 to make a PGA Tour cut, new narratives followed.
“Very proud,” is how the 28-year-old described her 2-under 69 second round, which put her at even-par for the tournament and, ultimately, three shots outside the cut line. She finished ahead of more than 30 men in the 133-player field. “As the day went on, I tried to stay committed to my targets out there and to my swing thoughts and just enjoyed the whole experience.”
There was courage, for accepting the sponsors’ exemption in the first place.
During July and August on the LPGA Tour, Thompson recorded only one round in the 60s, and five rounds of 75 or worse, with an 80 in Canada. She missed all five cuts. When she qualified for the Solheim Cup, mostly based on 2022 performances, Thompson was playing perhaps the worst golf of her career. Some critics said she should cede her spot to another American player.
Thompson won three of her four Solheim Cup matches, including the anchor match in Sunday singles. When her sponsors’ exemption into the PGA Tour event was announced weeks later, Thompson ranked 25th in the world and was 82nd on the LPGA season points list. PGA Tour player Peter Malnati called her inclusion “a gimmick,” before quickly walking it back.
