Lexi Thompson began her first season as a part-time player at the Founders Cup last week. The 11-time LPGA winner tied for 13th at Bradenton Country Club and moved up five spots in the Rolex Rankings to 50th.
Because Thompson finished 50th on the Race to CME Globe points list last season, she’s exempt into most LPGA events in 2025, including limited fields. As a past champion of the Chevron Championship, she can play in that event as long as she wants, and a top-10 finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA last summer secured her spot in this year’s field in Frisco, Texas. It’s also likely that Thompson will finalize her spot in the U.S. Women’s Open field next month based on her position in the Rolex Rankings.
Thompson must remain in the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings by March 24 to earn a spot in the first wave of exempt players. If she somehow falls outside the top 75 in that time, she could move into the top 75 by May 19 and get in the second wave of exemptions.
It was at last season’s U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club when Thompson announced her plans to step away from full-time competition in 2025.
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Thompson told Golfweek in Bradenton she might play in the upcoming Ford Championship in Arizona in late March and the JM Eagle LA Championship in California next April ahead of the season’s first major.
“It’s definitely a more ease of mind,“ said Thompson of playing a lighter schedule.
Lexi Thompson of the United States plays a shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club on February 08, 2025 in Bradenton, Florida.
Lexi Thompson of the United States plays a shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands 2025 at Bradenton Country Club on February 08, 2025 in Bradenton, Florida.
© James Gilbert, Getty Images
The number of events Thompson competes in this year will likely depend on how well she plays and how much fun she’s having. That’s the beauty of being semi-retired, after all.
But what will it look like for Thompson further down the road as she continues to play part-time?
For starters, there’s no minimum number of events she’d need to play in order to keep her status. Because Thompson has already achieved Class A status, there are no participation requirements to retain eligibility of membership.
Class A status is reached when a player has competed in 10 official tournaments or 1/3 of the total number of official events, whichever is less, for four consecutive seasons.
If Thompson’s place on the CME points list plummets (top 100 keep their cards for next season), she can always ask for sponsor exemptions. She’d be eligible to participate in a maximum of six official tournaments as a sponsor invite in one season. It’s worth noting invitations to the U.S. Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s Open do not count against the six.
