How Lexi Thompson’s offer to play in Shriners Open happened

Lexi Thompson hasn’t had much time to think about playing against the men next week at the Shriners Children’s Open. She didn’t even know it was a possibility until a few days ago.

“I just learned actually Sunday after my round at Walmart,” she said, speaking of the LPGA’s NW Arkansas Championship where she was competing. “Just kind of a little blindsided, but obviously very honored just to have the thought that they wanted me to be there.”

There would be TPC Summerlin, where Thompson will become the seventh woman to compete in a PGA Tour event. She received a sponsor invite to the tournament, which begins Thursday.

Shriners Children’s Open executive director Patrick Lindsey and Thompson’s manager had been discussing the idea for a while, but Thompson had been completely left out of those negotiations.

“My manager called me Sunday, and I was like, ‘all right, let me soak in my last round.’ And then it was just even more excitement,” Thompson said from Texas, where she is playing this week in the Ascendant LPGA outside of Dallas.

She tied for eighth last week in Arkansas, her first top-10 finish of what has been a difficult season. But even with her struggles, the player generally considered the most popular in the women’s game had no hesitation about accepting the invitation.

“I think honestly it’s kind of meant to be,” she said. “I think there is such a better story alongside than just the golf part of it, so I love that factor. I hopefully can interact with some of the kids and have a very special week.”

Thompson called the invitation a once-in-a-career opportunity.

“And the fact that there are kids,” she said of playing under the Shriners banner. “I love kids, and that I’ll be leaving more of an impact on the children out there, that’s the bigger thing. Golf is one thing. If I can leave the game and the world in a better spot and inspire others, that’s what I want.”

Thompson said she has her work cut out for her, not only playing against PGA Tour players and from much longer tees than she’s accustomed to using but also on a course she has never seen.

“I’m trying to get some info on the golf course and see what I have in store for me, but that’s about it,” she said of any special preparations. “I know I’ll reach out to Danielle Kang because she lives there, get a little feedback on the golf course.”

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.