DALY CITY, Calif - Lexi Thompson played a Pro-Am Wednesday nearly 2,000 miles from where she’ll tee it up on Thursday at 12:49 PM PST outside San Francisco at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.
Thompson was in New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic to play in the Pro-Am at the event her two older brothers – Curtis and Nicholas Thompson – will tee it up at this week at the Zurich Classic.
Zurich is also Thompson’s newest sponsor and she played with two of Zurich’s top executives in the PGA Tour’s Pro-Am Wednesday before hopping on a flight Wednesday afternoon to San Francisco to get in town in time for Thursday’s first round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.
“It's kind of crazy that I'm sitting here with both my brothers, and I'm actually going to San Francisco tomorrow night to play in my own tournament,” Lexi said. “But it's great to be here today, and I'm quite honored to represent Zurich.”
Although her brothers were the two in the field, much of the questions in the media center for the three Thompson siblings were directed at Lexi.
Lexi did not play the Swinging Skirts event last year so when she headed to the ANA Inspiration’s Media Day a couple months ago in Rancho Mirage, she swung up to San Francisco to play Lake Merced. She’s also had her caddie on the grounds for the last two days so the course won’t be totally sight unseen before she tees it up Thursday.
“Who knows, it might be better not to stress out the first few days that I'm there at the tournament,” Lexi said. “So we'll see. But I feel really good about my game right now. I've been practicing a lot, and I'm happy with the few finishes that I've had so far, playing pretty consistent. So we'll see where it goes.”
On Tuesday, Lexi hosted a junior clinic for the First Tee of Louisiana at the Zurich Classic alongside both of her brothers. Lexi’s message to the kids was to find the fun first and the competition later. With two brothers in the game, she found both at an early age as the Thompsons became arguably the most talented golfing family in the world.
“Battle Royale!” Nicholas said in describing the family rounds.
The years have piled up since Lexi first picked up a club to join her brothers on the links. Nicholas is now a 32-year-old veteran PGA Tour player. Curtis is the promising young pro fresh out of LSU, making his second career PGA Tour star. Lexi is the 10th ranked women’s player in the world at the age of 20. Yet, the competitiveness of this family battle royale remains.
“It hasn't gone anywhere yet,” Curtis said. “The competition with anything is still there, whether it's golf, ping‑pong, bowling. I mean, my brother and I play Trivia Crack. I mean, it ruins your day if you lose, no matter what it is. The competition is unbelievable.”
Added Lexi: “We always say we could make a reality TV show out of us. Even us at home, but on the golf course would make a really good one. But, yeah, we're really competitive, and that's what's gotten us to where we are today.”
But past the bragging rights and glow of a win lies a family unit that’s allowed more than competition to push their fellow siblings forward. And the advice never stops flowing in the Thompson house.
“I would say it's not really more of an asking thing like what do you think I should do here? It's kind of a circle,” Curtis said. “If we feel we should give advice on something, we don't need to be asked. It's just kind of input wherever we feel it should be.”
“We're just always there for each other,” Nicholas said. “When you need help, no matter what it is, you can always turn to one another.”
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