Dubai: You only begin to realise you are talking to a 15-year-old when she tells you things like "my parents won't let me on to the ski-slope at the Mall of the Emirates on my own" or, "the first thing I did was look for a cyber cafe so I could upload my Dubai photos on facebook."
But then Alexis Thompson is no ordinary 15-year-old. Ever since she burst onto the scene by becoming the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the US Open at 12, Lexi, as she is known, has rewritten the record books with her exploits on the course.
She decided to turn pro in the middle of this year, a decision that raised some eyebrows and she raised more when she finished just one stroke behind eventual winner and world number one Jiyai Shin at the Evian Masters. "Yeah…playing the US open at 12 and finishing second at the Evian Masters would rank as the best moments of my career so far," she told XPRESS.
So far as raising eyebrows go, Thompson seems to have developed a fair knack for it. She recently petitioned the LPGA to increase her sponsor exemptions from six to 12 in 2011 to enable her to play more tournaments and a decision is pending. Her move has stirred a hornet's nest with pros like Christie Kerr and Angela Stanford reportedly against it, but Laura Davies backing the American youngster. How does she react to all that?
"I don't let all that affect my performance. I am here to play at the Dubai Ladies Masters and enjoy being to a new place. The only thing I know about next year is that I'll be playing in Australia in February," she said.
Does she miss being a normal teenager without all the star trappings?
"I do what youngsters my age would of course. On the flight to Dubai I was completing a book report for the home school that I am doing," she said, adding: "I am really fortunate as an American teenager, going places, seeing new cultures. It's a dream for most."
So, what has she taken in so far on her first visit to Dubai?
"For starters, I love the weather here. Everything here seems so clean and modern. I have been to the Mall of the Emirates and I have driven past the world's tallest building. It's just amazing," she said.
And for someone just starting off on the gruelling LPGA Tour, Thompson has understandably set herself modest goals for the coming year. "I have been working on my putting of late. My goal for next year is a few top-five finishes," she said, adding: "And yes, I hope to return to Dubai."
