🔴Girl power!’ questions after Lexi Thompson’s day on the PGA Tour❗

Around quarter-after 1 local time, from a spot close to the first tee at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, someone shouted two words of encouragement, and Lexi Thompson smiled. She’d just said a short prayer. She’d been staring ahead. On her walk up to the tee box, she signed a quick autograph. Thompson always has time for her fans, even on this stage. And what a day it was. Thursday, during the first round of the Shriners Children’s Open, Thompson became the seventh woman ever to play a round on the PGA Tour, but the “girl” appeared calm. The mood of the “girl” appeared serene.

And then the “girl” powered.

Thompson’s first shot with the ‘boys’ was a bomb, a 302-yard poke into the right fairway bunker.

And away she went. Ahead of Thursday, much had been made of this all — most of it was supportive, though one player called it a “gimmick” — but Thompson herself was thrilled. And ready. In women’s golf, she’s a star, with 11 wins over her 13-year pro career, including a major. She’s a bomber, too. Some of this week wasn’t new, either. The 28-year-old from Florida has been playing pro events since she was 12. She regularly plays with her brothers, Curtis and Nicholas, who both made Tour appearances. Now there are three Thompsons with that distinction. Lexi spoke of her turn hopefully being an inspiration.

And then, five-plus hours after she started, Thompson marked her ball on the 17th green and picked it up, as darkness suspended play until Friday morning. She was done. She was one-over par for her first round with a hole-plus to play, and she was tied for 76th in the 131-player field, 10 shots behind leader Beau Hossler.

Noted. But how’d Thompson look? What were the highlights? The lowlights? The numbers? The comments?

What do we make of it all?

Reaching the 552-yard, par-5 9th in two. This was great. Thompson, from 262 yards out, found the green, and she two-putted for a four.

– Almost reaching the 598-yard, par-5 13th in two. This was good. Thompson, from 279 yards out, dropped her second shot just in front of the green, and she took shots from there for another four.