Lexi Thompson Shoots 69 on PGA Tour, Nearly Makes Historic Cut

Lexi Thompson electrified the golf world this week when she became just the seventh LPGA player to tee it up on the PGA Tour, shooting a 2-over par 73 in her debut round alongside the men. But on Friday, the 11-time LPGA winner turned her game up a notch. Thompson beat her first round by four shots, posting a stellar 2-under par 69 to flirt with the Shriners Children’s Open cut line and nearly make history. Only one woman has made a PGA Tour cut: Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945. Thompson is projected to miss the weekend in Las Vegas by two shots.

“Very proud,” Thompson said of her performance. “I played really well today.”

After Round 1 was suspended due to darkness, Thompson finished her 17th and 18th holes at 7:45 a.m. local time Friday, carding a bogey and a par to post her opening-round 73. 

Thompson’s second round didn’t exactly start how she planned. She flew the green on the par-4 10th (her first hole) and failed to get up-and-down for par. The bogey put her at 3 over for the tournament—three shots outside the projected cut line at the time. 

But after sticking her approach to just four feet on the par-4 11th, Thompson bounced right back. That boost of momentum was all she needed to go on a tear: Thompson went 4-under over her next 11 holes, reaching 2-under for the tournament at one point, a score which had her safely inside the cut line. 

On the par-5 13th, Thompson reached the greenside fringe with a 275-yard approach. At the drivable par-4 15th, she smashed a driver 285 yard to just 29 feet, two putting for birdie. And on holes 1 and 2 she sank 23- and 28-foot putts for back-to-to back birdies. The Thompson train was full steam ahead, bound for a potential made cut. 

“I knew once I had made a few birdies in a row that I would be somewhat close, but I knew the cut line would keep on going lower and lower with these guys, especially with not that much wind out there,” Thompson said. “I just really tried to stay focused on my game and focused on my swing thoughts, picking small targets and staying 100 percent committed, and whatever happens, happens.”

Thompson’s hopes of making the weekend started to dwindle on the par-3 5th, however, when she hit her tee shot in the hazard. She managed to get up-and-down for bogey from the 99-yard penalty drop, but another blunder came on the 247-yard par-3 8th, where she lost one more shot. Thompson hit a 2-iron off the tee, a club that would make it difficult for any player to hold a green. She pointed to those long irons shots as one of the most difficult aspects of the PGA Tour experience.

“They tuck [the pins] very close to the edges to where you have to hit high shots and carry it and be able to stop it within two bunkers or a narrow part of the green,” Thompson said. “I would say that was the biggest part because I don't get it as far down as the guys, so I have a little bit longer of a shot. But I took my medicine and just hit to the fatter part of the green.”

An eagle on the closing par-5 9th would have given the one-time LPGA major champion a solid chance to make the weekend, but she walked away with a par after missing a 7-footer. Thompson hit 12-of-14 fairways and 14-of-18 greens in regulation in Round 2 to post a 2-under 69 and an even par tournament total.  

Thompson may not have matched Zaharias’s historic feat, but she did join a prestigious list of women. According to golf statistician Justin Ray, Thompson posted just the third round in the 60s by a woman on the PGA Tour. Michelle Wie shot 68 at the Sony Open in 2004 and again in ’06. 

Thompson not only impressed the Las Vegas spectators and the larger sports community, but her own competitors. Last week’s PGA Tour winner Luke List had some kind words. 

“For young women all over the world, especially the U.S., just looking up to someone like that and seeing them come out and beat some of the guys, hopefully there will be some girls that will learn to play the game and then continue to develop and set their goals really high because of Lexi,” List said.

Thompson will take three weeks to rest before her next event, The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. She’s currently ranked 82nd in the Race to CME Globe and will need a strong finish to secure a spot in the LPGA’s Tour Championship.