Lexi Thompson makes historic debut at the Shriners Children's Open

Editor's note: Thompson bogeyed the 17th and made par on the 18th to shoot a first-round 73.

LAS VEGAS – Lexi Thompson was 1-over par through 16 holes when the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Open was suspended due to darkness.

Thompson, playing this week on a sponsor exemption, is the seventh woman to tee it up in a PGA TOUR event. Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie West, Suzy Whaley and Brittany Lincicome are the only other women to compete in a TOUR event in the last 70 years. Babe Didrikson Zaharias was the first woman to receive a sponsor exemption in 1935. Zaharias was the last woman to make a cut. She made two cuts in 1945.

Thompson opened the round to raucous applause. Her drive at the first hole traveled 302 yards, and she stuck her approach to 9 feet. She missed the birdie putt but didn’t have to wait long for redemption, holing a 23-footer on the par-4 second to move to 1 under.

“It was a very special feeling,” Thompson said.

She bogeyed the par-4 third hole, then ran into more trouble later in the front nine. She made a double bogey on the par-4 seventh hole, three-putting from 14 feet. She bogeyed the par-3 eighth, too, but bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 ninth to shoot a front-nine 37.

The back nine was much smoother. Thompson was 7-for-7 in greens hit before play was suspended at 6:15 p.m. She made six pars and one birdie at the par-5 13th.

Paired alongside Kevin Roy and Trevor Werbylo, Thompson had the largest gallery of the afternoon, with a smattering of young women and children following throughout her round. She was greeted on every tee box and green with chants of encouragement.

“So many people around that first tee and then following us those next few holes,” Thompson said. “It was just great, especially to see those little kids out there. The fans make the game, and that's why we continue to play and just hopefully grow it.”

Thompson entered the tournament in good form. She played on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team in September, then carded back-to-back top 10s on the LPGA. She was 27 under in her last three starts on the LPGA.

She will need to conjure a few more birdies on Friday to make the weekend (and history). The top 65 players and ties after two rounds make the cut. Thompson is tied for 76th. There are 75 players at 1-under or better.

“I played decent,” she said. “I had one bad hole and a few iffy shots. But it's golf; it was kind of expected.”

The first round will resume at 7:45 a.m. The second round will start as scheduled.