Morgan Pressel and Lexi Thompson grew up playing golf about 30 minutes apart in South Florida — Pressel in Boca Raton and Thompson in nearby Coral Springs.
The two talented golfers, who between them have won nearly $18,000 on the pro tour, won’t have to travel far in January for a chance to add to their win totals as the LPGA tour has added a stop at the Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton.
Thompson has 11 tour victories, 66 top 10 finishes and has nearly $9.9 million in career earnings since turning professional in 2010. Thompson, who now lives in Delray Beach, has won an event in each of the past six seasons, the longest active streak on the LPGA Tour.
Pressel has two career victories to her credit and 63 top 10 finishes. She has earned nearly $7.9 million since her rookie year in 2006.
The inaugural Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio tournament will take place from Jan. 20 to 26 and will feature a 108-player field with a $2 million purse.
“This is amazing,” Thompson said. “I never thought I would be able to stay in my own bed for a tournament. To be able to get up and drive 15 minutes and be here is going to be unbelievable, not only for the LPGA, but because a lot of players live here.”
Thompson, 24, said the community will support the tournament and she’s looking forward to it.
“I have never played in a home tournament so it is going to be a little different being able to cook my own dinners and stay in my own bed with my puppy,” she said. “It will be different, but I think it will be great and a lot more relaxing. When we are out on the road, we rent a house, which makes you feel like you are at home at least rather than being in a hotel room.”
Pressel said she is happy to be involved in a community where her own Morgan Pressel Foundation has raised more than $7.5 million to aid and support patient care and research in the fight against breast cancer.
“It is going to be even more fun to get my friends to come to Boca Raton to show them the area where I grew up and where I learned to play golf,” said Pressel, 31, a graduate of Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton. “It is very tangible for us to give back to the community.
“It is a wonderful golf course,” she said. “Once they get here, they will see it is fabulous and really puts a premium on your second shots and there are some tricky greens.”
Pressel said she believes it is a great opportunity for the younger players to see LPGA golfers up close.
“I remember when I was younger going out and watching the LPGA players, and as a young kid that was inspiring for me to go out and watch the best players in the world,” she said. “I think this will be no different because we want to grow the game with the youth and our crew is so fan-friendly…and that is what I remember as a young kid and hopefully we will be able to add that back to South Florida by playing at Boca Rio.”
Ricki Lasky, who is the chief tournament business officer for the LPGA, said they get requests all of the time to host LPGA events and he was thrilled with Boca Rio.
“There’s always tons of ins and outs of why it doesn’t necessarily work out,” she said. “So when I got the call to come down to take a look at this club, they had me at hello. It’s just a marriage made in heaven.”
“The course was designed by an architect named Robert von Hagge, and basically his edict was to design a course that none of us can play and he did a great job,” said Paul Shapiro, president of the Boca Rio Golf Course. “This is a very difficult course. It’s a very unusual Florida course because it’s not defended by water. We do have 104 bunkers and they are very strategically placed. It’s going to take a lot of intelligence for the players to win this tournament.”
Gary Curreri is a South Florida Community News correspondent.
