Lexi Thompson signs autographs for fans on the 18th green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s Championship. ,
Getty Images
The last time Lancaster Country Club in central Pennsylvania hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 2015, 135,000 spectators showed up, setting an all-time attendance record for a national golf championship that still stands today. That figure does not include dozens of kayakers on the Conestoga River who paddled along the classic William Flynn design.
Nine years later, with women’s participation in the sport growing rapidly – more than 800,000 women have taken up golf during the pandemic – the sport is more likely to attract huge crowds and shatter previous records.
Eleven-time LPGA Tour winner Lexi Thompson, who has earned more than $14 million in tournament winnings in her career, is very excited at the prospect. She is renting a house for her whole family to stay in for a week so they can attend and support the tournament once again.
“We want the sport to continue to grow and get a bigger crowd, whether it’s TV coverage or fans supporting us. I think the women’s game is moving in that direction and it’s great to see those numbers. We’re continuing to grow and hopefully the weather will be on our side. I’m sure they’re promoting the US Women’s Open really well, so hopefully we’ll get a bigger crowd,” Thompson said.
Prize money is a record $12 million, up $1 million from last year and $8 million from a decade ago. While the prize money is lauded by players and a sign that interest in the women’s game has grown exponentially, the gender gap remains – there’s $20 million at stake at the men’s US Open. However, pay parity certainly seems less elusive than it did just a few years ago.
“I think we are moving in that direction and we have seen it with the prize money and purses at all the major championships. We still have a long way to go, it’s baby steps but all we can do is try our best to showcase the talent we have and bring our personalities to the table to help move the sport forward. I hope we will eventually get equal pay, but I think we have some work to do,” Thompson said.
Thompson also advocates for supporting women-owned small businesses, an issue she pursues through her partnership with U.S. Women’s Open sponsor American Express
American Express
This week, the logo for a local breakfast spot Savoy Truffle Market Lexi’s stand will be featured on the bags, while Celine Boutier and Gabby Ruffles will represent the Lancaster Beignet Company and Nicole Taylor Boutique, respectively.
Thompson, who participated in the event the first two years in conjunction with Carmel-area groomer Diggidy Dogs and Pinehurst boutique Cooper & Bailey’s, calls the experience a privilege.
“It’s an honour to showcase the importance of small businesses in local areas. I think what AMEX does for these small businesses is amazing. It helps them grow and get the word out about their business and that’s where everything starts. I’m very honoured and grateful that they want me to help grow their business and be a part of that,” he said.
Thompson is looking forward to eating at the Savoy Truffle Market, which claims to serve Lancaster’s best breakfast sandwiches, during tournament week.
“I definitely plan to try these because my favorite food is breakfast — especially sandwiches.”
Thompson, currently 54th The top-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings has struggled recently, missing the cut in her last three tournaments. But her game has gotten better as the season heats up, and she has finished in the top 5 at this tournament three times in the last six years. She has been practicing to be ready to play her best game for the US Open.
“I’ve been working really hard to get more consistency, especially in ball striking – that’s where I get the most confidence – and also in putting when I need it,” Thompson said. “I’ve been putting in hours of work on all parts of my game. Ball striking is the thing I depend on so I’ve been working hard on that, but I’ve also been working on putting for two or three hours a day,” she said.
A tenacious competitor, Thompson has a track record of stepping up to the biggest stages and rising to the occasion. Just two weeks before the opportunity to play against men at the Shriners Children’s Open last season, Lexi took the chance to become the seventh woman to compete in a PGA Tour event and scored under par through two rounds, finishing just three strokes behind the cutline.
Thompson said, “I just wanted to get it started and not so much that I play against men, but that I go out and show these kids, which is what Shriners do, that anything is possible and that they should pursue their dreams and not let anybody or anything get in the way of it. That week it was all about the kids, doing the kids’ clinics and seeing them out there – that’s where my heart really was. It was one of the most special weeks of my life.”
Last year, Thompson won the LPGA’s Founders Award, an award that celebrates the character and values that reflect the Tour’s ideals. She considers winning the award one of the greatest accomplishments of her career.
“My parents taught me that I’m not better than anybody else. I have a kind heart and that’s the way I was raised. If I have a bad day on the golf course, of course I’ll be disappointed, but the fans and the sponsors, that’s what makes the tournament real and what makes us able to play. So, I’ll sign every autograph, take every picture because they took time out of their lives to support me and they make the tournament possible. If I can make somebody else’s day better, that makes me happy.”
Thompson, 29, announced this morning that she plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season, so this will likely be her final US Open as a player.
