It may be just a coincidence, but since the year Lexi Thompson was born — 1995 — the percentage of American junior golfers who are females has doubled.

Obviously, it’s not all due to Thompson — to say the least — but it’s not an overstatement to say that the young Lexi has more than done her part to grow the game, particularly among girls.

For the record, the growth statistic, according to the National Golf Foundation, is this: In 1995, 17 percent of all junior golfers in the U.S. were female. Now, that percentage is 32.7.

Thompson knows the figures, and they bring a smile to her face. On Saturday, the No. 2-ranked female golfer in the world conducted a First Tee kids exhibition — presented by CoBank — at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver. Though the event, which drew more than 200 people, wasn’t limited to girls, they were the vast majority of attendees.

Thompson wants to help golf grow on all levels, and among both females and males, but the trend among girls in the last couple of decades is particularly gratifying for players such as her on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s amazing,” the 22-year-old said. “That’s what we want. We want to see little girls pick up a club early and get involved in the game because it is an amazing sport. You learn a lot about yourself. We want to grow the game, so it’s great to see.

“The thing I’ve noticed is the number of little girls wearing the program shirts or hats that are out following us. There’s so many little girls out following us and that’s what we want to see. We want to see smiles on their faces when we sign something for them or are giving them high-fives between holes. Knowing that they play the game as well, and we have an impact on that, it means the world to us.”

Thompson points to organizations such as The First Tee, PGA Junior League and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf as key reasons the percentage of girls among junior players has grown markedly in the last couple of decades. For her part, Thompson serves as an ambassador for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf. The program features more than 400 sites around the world, reaching roughly 60,000 girls. Just in Colorado, 13 sites host LPGA*USGA Girls Golf programs. There are locations in Aspen, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Evergreen, Loveland and Pagosa Springs, besides seven in the Denver metro area. The CWGA coordinates and helps run the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program based at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. For all the Colorado sites, CLICK HERE.

“Obviously I want to accomplish what I do on the golf course, but I want to give back to the game and grow it as well,” Thompson said. “Being part of that program is a huge honor. To get the girls involved in the game at a young age, and to see how excited they are to be involved with it, it means a lot to me to be part of it.

“I definitely embrace it. I notice the little girls that follow me the whole day (during rounds on the LPGA Tour), and I’ll sign and give them golf balls between holes and everything because it means a lot. They took time out of their lives to come out and watch me and support me. The least I can do is give them something signed. I really embrace it because I’m following my dreams and that’s what I want to show to them.”

And, perhaps more than most LPGA Tour players, Thompson can make a connection with girls. After all, at age 22, she’s not very far removed from being a girl herself. But she definitely took a more accelerated route to considerable success in the game than most.

Thompson qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open as a 12-year-old. She won the U.S. Girls’ Junior as a 13-year-old. She turned pro at 15 and won an LPGA Tour event as a 16-year-old. Now, at the grand old age of 22, she owns eight LPGA Tour victories, including one major. Thompson has captured one title this year, with five runner-up finishes.

“My No. 1 goal is to be in the Hall of Fame,” she said. “Besides that, the people I look up to like Nancy Lopez and Juli Inkster, it’s not only because of what they’ve accomplished, but what they do for their fans, for their sponsors and how they’ve grown the game. People look up to them. That’s what I want to accomplish in life. I want people to look up to me and respect the game because they watch me play. I can accomplish all I want on the golf course, but if I give back to my fans and grow the game, that’s all I want.”

Thompson vividly remembers her first up-close interaction with LPGA Tour players, when she qualified for that first U.S. Women’s Open at age 12. And she keeps that in mind when she mixes with youngsters these days.

“At the Open I got to see Annika (Sorenstam) and Lorena (Ochoa) and Juli (Inkster); that was amazing on its own,” Thompson said. “I didn’t talk to them too much — I was a 12-year-old — but to see them on the range and the putting green, I was like, ‘I just watched you guys on TV last week or a few weeks ago.’ I looked up to them. That’s what drove me to be out there. I’m like, ‘I’m playing beside my role models.’ That’s what I want to be to the kids watching me.”

Indeed, whether she’s conversing with girls or boys, Thompson tries to provide a little inspiration to the impressionable kids.

“I always say to the little girls and boys to follow their dreams whether it’s in golf or anything they want to do in their lives — to go after what they want,” she said. “It takes a lot of hard work to achieve your goals in life, but don’t let anybody get in the way of that. Do something that you love; that’s the most important part.”

Although the LPGA doesn’t have a regular tour stop these days in Colorado, it was in this state where Thompson says she was the most nervous she’s ever been. That was at the 2013 Solheim Cup — the women’s version of the Ryder Cup — at Colorado Golf Club in Parker. Thompson was 18 at the time, and playing in the U.S. vs. Europe matches for the first time.

“I remember the first tee shot very vividly” with LPGA legend Lopez in the stands among those leading the fans in support of the U.S. team, Thompson said. “It’s pretty intense, a lot of adrenaline. It was the best feeling to hit that tee shot. Just to hear the USA chants … We didn’t play that well that week, but it was an incredible experience.

“That first tee shot there was the most nervous I’ve ever been. You’re playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team, you’re playing for your country, so there’s a lot more on the line. But I thrive on it. I love it.”

Next week in West Des Moines, Iowa, Thompson will participate in her third Solheim Cup. And if her excitment and that of the other competitors rubs off on girls — and boys and adults — perhaps golf will take another incremental step in the right direction.

Thompson’s exhibition was the second conducted by a big-time player this summer at Green Valley Ranch. David Duval did the honors in June — just as Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer and Paula Creamer did last year. And on Aug. 25, Mark O’Meara will be putting one on for The First Tee of Pikes Peak at a Colorado Springs site to be determined.
 

Earlier this month, 2014 ANA Inspiration winner Lexi Thompson committed to conduct an all-girls clinic hosted by CoBank, at The First Tee of GVR on Aug. 12 (CLICK HERE). Then on Tuesday, Colorado resident David Duval, winner of the 2001 British Open, was announced for a CoBank Kids Clinic benefiting The First Tee of GVR that’s scheduled for June 20 at 5 p.m. All kids are welcome for the free one-hour clinic, which will be followed by autographs and photos. Registration for the event will begin on Monday (June 5) at coloradoopen.com.

Duval (pictured) has won 13 times on the PGA Tour — all coming between 1997 and 2001. At one time he was the No. 1-ranked player in the world.

Though he competes very little on Tour these days, Duval has become a well-received TV analyst on the Golf Channel.

The upcoming clinics at GVR come a year after The First Tee at the northeast Denver course hosted three in 2016, featuring Hale Irwin, Paula Creamer and Ryan Palmer.
 

Kevin Laura, the CEO of The First Tee of GVR and president of Green Valley Ranch GC, said Thompson has committed to lead the clinic, hosted by CoBank, on Aug. 12 from 11 a.m. to noon at GVR.

Thompson has notched seven victories in her LPGA Tour career, including the 2014 ANA Inspiration, the first major of the LPGA season. She’s ranked No. 5 in the world among women and is the top American.

Thompson was in position for another ANA Inspiration victory a month ago, but with six holes to play, she was penalized four shots — two for replacing her marked golf ball in the incorrect spot on the 17th green the day before, and two more for signing an incorrect scorecard because she didn’t learn about it until Sunday after the infraction was pointed out by a TV viewer. After being tied at the end of regulation, So Yeon Ryu beat Thompson in a playoff. Thompson has subsequently called the situation “a nightmare.” Last week, the USGA and R&A announced a subsequent Rules of Golf decision that limits the use of video review, effective immediately.

Thompson’s clinic — and possibly another one GVR officials are working on — will follow on the heels of three held at The First Tee of GVR last year, all hosted by prominent tour players. Hale Irwin, Paula Creamer and Ryan Palmer did the honors last year.
 

But that’s not to say that golfers from Norway haven’t made their mark. For instance, Norwegian Suzann Pettersen is among the top 10 players in the Rolex women’s world golf rankings.

And, locally speaking, the top college golfer for a Colorado-based team this season hails from Norway.

University of Denver junior Tonje (pronounced Tonya) Daffinrud is ranked one of the top 50 women’s college golfers in the country by both Golfstat (43rd) and Golfweek (38th).

Though Daffinrud hasn’t won an individual title this season — she did claim a victory as a freshman — she’s been a model of top-level consistency. In the six college tournaments she’s played this season, the 21-year-old has posted a remarkable five top-10 finishes.

“We’ve had many great players at DU in recent years, but Tonje is something,” said coach Lindsay Hulwick, the new head coach at DU, where she served as an assistant coach from 2005 to 2012. “I don’t know if any player has had (a run of top-10s like that). She’s quite impressive, but I’m not at all surprised by what she’s doing.”

Just last week, Daffinrud (pictured in a DU photo) made her way into the Pioneer record book alongside two of the best players the program has produced. In firing a 7-under-par 65 at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Kapalua, Hawaii, the junior tied the lowest round in DU women’s golf history. Current LPGA Tour player Stephanie Sherlock and former LPGA Tour competitor Katie Kempter previously shot 65 at tournaments for DU, both during the 2007-08 season.

“It’s fun to have records and have that in my resume,” Daffinrud said this week. “But for me it’s not about that. It’s a nice bonus.”

If nothing else, it confirms that Daffinrud may also have what it takes to make it to the LPGA Tour, like Sherlock and Kempter have done.

“It kind of confirms how far I’ve come,” Daffinrud said. “For a long time, I’ve had the goal of going professional. Shooting rounds like that inspire and motivate me to work toward that.”

After tying the course record with the 65, Daffinrud finished second in the tournament, behind only Pepperdine’s Grace Na, one of the top 10 women’s college players in the country.

In addition to that runner-up showing, Daffinrud has one third place, a fifth, a seventh and a 10th this season. Only once has she finished outside the top 10: a 33rd-place showing at the Bruin Wave Invitational a month ago.

Daffinrud, who owns a 73.2 stroke average this season, was named the Western Athletic Conference’s Women’s Golfer of the Month for October, and the Women’s Golfer of the Week for last week.

Daffinrud actually missed the season opener for DU, but she had a good reason: She was playing for her homeland of Norway in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Turkey in late September. Individually, Daffinrud had a solid showing at that worldwide amateur event, finishing 32nd out of 157 competitors.

Daffinrud has been playing on national teams for Norway since age 13. In 2008 as a junior golfer, she won every tournament in which she competed. But given Norway’s climate, she’s been a big fish in a small golf pond, relatively speaking.

“The season (in Norway) is pretty short; it starts in May and ends in September,” she said. “And golf is not as big a sport (as it is in some other countries). The weather and courses are not as good everywhere. But the Norwegian Golf Federation has put a lot of resources into building junior golf.”

The NGF’s support has helped Daffinrud develop as a player over the years. In fact, one of the keys she cites as a reason for her good play this season is due in part to the federation’s help. Since last summer, Daffinrud has been working on the mental side of the game with Dr. Joseph Parent, author of the popular “Zen Golf”. In fact, Daffinrud had some in-person sessions with Parent before going to Hawaii for last week’s tournament.

Daffinrud came onto DU’s radar four years ago in Illinois at the Junior Solheim Cup. Among Daffinrud’s matches that week was one against Lexi Thompson, who would go on in 2011 to become then the youngest winner ever of an LPGA Tour event, at age 16. Thompson barely defeated Daffinrud, 1 up, in singles.

Hulwick, then a DU assistant under Sammie Chergo, was at the Junior Solheim Cup recruiting.

“(Daffinrud) really caught my eye,” Hulwick recalled. “She’s very athletic, tall, and has a great swing. Her game and maturity were already at a high level. I knew we had to get her.”

And the timing was right. Though Daffinrud was also being recruited by some of the top college programs in the country, DU was coming off its best finish ever at the NCAA Championship Finals, a fifth place.

And why did Daffinrud choose Denver?

“At the end it came down to the coaches,” she said. “I’m pretty independent in how I practice and play golf. Of course, we have a team structure, but the coaches let me do it my way. I want to follow my own path, and at DU I found that (opportunity). And being from Norway, the cold doesn’t really affect me. The eduction is very impressive as well.”

Daffinrud is double majoring in international business and economics, and she said there’s no question she’ll return to DU for her senior season.

But the most important part of this college season remains ahead, and that’s what Daffinrud is concentrating on now. The Pioneers have a maximum of four tournaments remaining, starting with this weekend’s SMU Invitational in Dallas. Then there’s the team’s one and only Western Athletic Conference Championship, where the Pioneers will try to win their 10th straight conference title, the last nine coming in the Sun Belt. Then DU hopes to earn a spot in the NCAA regionals, and the NCAA Championship Finals.

“We’re in a new conference, and our goal for sure is to win and keep our streak going,” Daffinrud said. “Regionals are our most important tournament; we want to make it to nationals.

“Individually, my goal is to win the last four tournaments. I play to win. I’ve come close (this season), but I’m not satisfied. Hopefully, I’ll make it to nationals regardless of how the team does. And a top 10 at nationals would be something I would be happy about. I want to get after it.”

Hulwick said big goals are within reach for Daffinrud.

“She’s very disciplined and committed,” the coach said. “She sets goals and she achieves them. She’s very independent, and she wants to be the best. She puts in the extra time before and after practice. You don’t see her kind of drive very often.”

But it’s not too soon to look at which players are likely to be competing Aug. 16-18 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, where the biennial team competition between the best women’s players from the U.S. and Europe will take place.

As American captain Meg Mallon said late last summer in a visit to Colorado, “It’s a pretty exciting time for women’s golf. We’ve got veterans like Angela (Stanford) and Cristie Kerr playing (well), then you’ve got young players like Lexi Thompson that are coming up and trying to make the team. It’s going to be fun to see how it develops” in the months leading up to the event.

While players have been accumulating qualifying points for the Solheim Cup since 2011, 2013 tournaments will take on extra importance. European players will earn twice as many points as before, while American will receive 1.5 times as many points as before, with points doubled at major championships.

The 2013 LPGA Tour schedule begins Feb. 14 in Australia, while the Ladies European Tour debuts Feb. 1, also Down Under.

The 12-player U.S. team will consist of the top eight golfers on the points list through the Women’s British Open (Aug. 1-4), the next two highest-ranked Americans from the Rolex Rankings, and two captain’s picks divulged by Mallon in early August.

If the points were finalized now, here’s what the automatic qualifiers for the American team would look like: 1. Stacy Lewis (pictured) 518 points; 2. Kerr 294; 3. Paula Creamer 264; 4. Stanford 234; 5. Brittany Lincicome 203; 6. Brittany Lang 154; 7. Thompson 132; 8. Katie Futcher 97; and from the Rolex Rankings: 9. Morgan Pressel; 10. Michelle Wie.

The Europeans’ roster will be made up of the top four players from the Solheim Cup points list, the four next-best Europeans from the Rolex Rankings, and four captain’s picks announced by Liselotte Neumann in early August.

Here’s how the European automatic qualifiers would look like if the qualifying period ended today: 1. Caroline Masson 79.5 points; 2. Carlota Ciganda 78.2; 3. Pernilla Lindberg 60.21; 4. Giulia Sergas 58.38; and from the Rolex Rankings: 5. Suzann Pettersen; 6. Catriona Matthew; 7. Azahara Munoz; 8. Anna Nordqvist.

At least on paper, the U.S. should have a leg up with the 2012 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year on its roster. Lewis, who won four LPGA Tour events last year, was the first American to earn the Player of the Year honor since Beth Daniel in 1994.

Lewis figures to be playing in her second Solheim Cup, after the Europeans edged the U.S. 15-13 in Ireland two years ago.

“Things didn’t quite end the way we wanted them to (in 2011), and I’ve been wanting to get points every week and get back on the team (for this year) so we can take the Cup back,” Lewis said at Colorado Golf Club.

The top six players on the American Solheim Cup standings have 39 LPGA Tour victories among them, with Kerr (15) and Creamer (nine) leading the way. Thompson, the youngest LPGA Tour event winner in history (16 years, 7 months), is also a fan favorite, as is veteran Wie, winner of two LPGA events in her career. Another player who falls into the fan-favorite category, Natalie Gulbis, will need a strong year to automatically qualify for the team as she’s currently 12th on the U.S. points list with 74.

U.S. players earn points through top-20 finishes at official LPGA Tour events.

On the European side, a good bet to find a spot on the team one way or another is Laura Davies, a 25-time LPGA Tour champion who has played in every Solheim Cup since its debut in 1990.

The Americans will have 18 LPGA Tour events before the Solheim Cup, while the European will have about a dozen Ladies European Tour tournaments to earn additional points.