Alexis (15) stays competitive playing with men

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE

After turning pro in June, 15-year-old wunderkind Alexis Thompson wasted little time burning through her annual quota of six LPGA sponsors exemptions. What’s a girl to do after that? Beat up on the boys, of course!

Thompson teed it up on the Men's Minor League Golf Tour in a Thursday one-rounder and fired a 67 to finish runner-up in the one-day event at Hillcrest Country Club in Hollywood, Florida.

Thompson, the only female in the 39-player field, left a birdie putt on the 18th hole a couple of inches shy of forcing a play-off with winner David Schuster of Turner Hill, Massachusetts.

Thompson, also tied for fifth [in a MLGT event] at Hammock Creek in Palm City on Wednesday. She says she plans to play once or twice a week on the Men's Minor League Golf Tour just to keep a competitive edge on her game.

She isn't doing so to mimic Michelle Wie, who famously—and unsuccessfully—tested her game against men when she was a promising teenager.

"There's no intention of ever doing that," said Scott Thompson, her father.

Maybe not this year, but Alexis still has a while to go before she turns 18, the age at which she can become an LPGA member. That’s a lot of time and competitive energy to kill—just ask Wie—not to mention a boatload of lost marketing opportunities for the LPGA.

"The LPGA could use her out there," said former US PGA Tour pro Guy Boros, who shot 68 Thursday. "They need her a lot more than she needs them.