LPGA Tour grants Thompson, others more playing time under new open Monday qualifier rules

January 14 -- Despite denying Alexis Thompson’s request for extra sponsor’s exemptions for the 2011 season, LPGA Tour commission Michael Whan announced that the tour has opened up Monday qualifiers to all professional women golfers.

“This season, Lexi still will be able to secure up to six sponsor exemptions for LPGA sanctioned events, and also may choose to pursue additional playing opportunities through our ‘open’ Monday qualifier format,” Whan said in a statement announcing his decision to turn down Thompson’s request for six additional sponsor’s exemptions.

The rules change was “completely independent” of the Thompson decision, LPGA chief communications officer David Higdon told Waggle Room.

The tour made the decision in the middle of last year to allow more pro golfers to enter Monday qualifiers but made it official with Whan’s Friday announcement. “Next year there will be seven U.S. events [which were not] available to [Thompson] or others in the past year,” Higdon said.

The Thompsons were okay with the ruling since Alexis will have more opportunities to play in 2001, Thompson’s manager, Bobby Kreusler of Blue Giraffe Sports, told Golf Channel’s Randall Mell.

Open qualifiers are not new to the tour, which in 2003 let any woman golfer with a USGA handicap index of 3.4 or less to try to qualify the Monday before for the upcoming event.

“The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) will hold its first-ever open Monday qualifying round at the start of the ShopRite LPGA Classic tournament week,” according to a May 21, 2003, press release.

“The ShopRite LPGA Classic Monday qualifier is open to all female golfers, either professional or amateur with a USGA handicap index of 3.4 or less,” the release continued. “This differs from a traditional LPGA tournament Monday qualifier, which is open only to LPGA Tour non-exempt members, Class A or B LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) members and no more than two female amateur golfers with a USGA handicap index of 3.4 or less who are invited by the sponsor.”