LPGA Tour: Lexi Thompson Interview, Kraft Nabisco Championship Preview

Lexi Thompson is excited for the year's first major championship.

The LPGA Tour's 2012 season is only five tournaments deep, but women's professional golf is alive and well, primed to unveil the popular Kraft Nabisco Championship this week—you know, the one where the winner takes the famous leap into the water (Poppie's Pond) next to the 18th green, when all is said and done.

Last year, it was Stacy Lewis who accomplished the unthinkable before taking the plunge. She ousted defending champion Yani Tseng, the Rolex Rankings' No. 1 player in the world, by three shots to win not only her first-ever major championship, but her first-ever LPGA event.

No other players in the field were even close to Lewis and Tseng.

But everyone around Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. is talking about Tseng this week—and rightfully so. She's already won three times this season, including the past two events—the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and the Kia Classic.

Tseng is naturally the odds-on favorite to capture her sixth major championship this week. But, 17-year-old rookie phenom Lexi Thompson figures to have something to say about it.

She also had something to say to me as we knocked out a pre-tournament interview.

Just prior to our conversation, Lexi kept her rapidly growing fanbase up to speed, tweeting to more than 15,000 strong, "Practicing then playing at @KNCGolf today, excited to be back here!"

"Here" is the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills. It's a track that Lexi says "fits her eye," a golf course where she can use her driver a lot.

That's bad news for the competition because Lexi hits it a long way. She's currently No. 7 on the LPGA Tour in driving distance, hitting the ball off the tee an average of almost 270 yards.

But just because the Kraft Nabisco is one of the year's four major championships, she's not altering her preparation to get ready for it.

"I prepare the same for every tournament," Lexi said. "I'm more excited about this event, though, because it is a major. And I love the golf course. Mission Hills is in great shape."

Lexi turned pro two summers ago and was granted early LPGA membership after becoming the youngest champion in Tour history when she won the Navistar LPGA Classic last year.

She then became the youngest professional to win on the Ladies European Tour when she captured the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters championship.

So, she already has her first professional win out of the way—twice. But what about her first major? Is there any extra pressure to get that accomplishment under her belt?

"Not really," she said. "I try to win every tournament I play in. Majors are no different."

For Lexi, golf has been, without question, a family affair. Her dad has been her caddie most of her career. Then, there are her two older brothers. Nicholas has been a member of both the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, while Curtis is on the LSU men’s golf team.

It stands to reason why Lexi is as good as she is—and why she hits the ball so far—having played alongside her older brothers as a youngster.

"I have always looked up to my brothers," Lexi said affectionately. "They are a huge influence on me. We constantly text and Facebook each other to give each other support. And we all hang out at home when we are in town together."

Which can't be that often considering her hectic schedule. Lexi has committed to over 20 LPGA Tour events in 2012, which means she'll be on the road a great deal this year, playing a lot of golf, of course, while also attending the Florida Virtual High School program where she's trying to graduate six months early.

"By this April," she exclaimed. "So I still have a lot of schoolwork."

This life is still very new to her despite already having played in 21 events on the LPGA Tour from 2007 to 2011, including six as an amateur, with more than half a million dollars in earnings.

"I'm still learning so much every day out here," she admitted. "But, I get to travel to places and do things that most people only dream about doing. I'm very lucky."

That attitude is one of the reasons I like her so much.

The first time I encountered Lexi was at the 2010 U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont. She was practicing on the putting green, ear buds in place, bobbing her head back and forth to the music. And here I was watching her and wondering if she was scared to death—this little girl alongside the best professional players in the world—at a major championship, no less.

But she didn't seem to have a care in the world. In fact, she seemed very much in her element.

She was thrilled to sign autographs for fans who were crowding around her. That was so impressive to me, to see how she very genuinely went about not only signing her name for everyone who asked, but also talking to everyone that wanted to say hello to her.

"I really enjoy being with my fans," she said. "They offer great support and encouragement to me. I like signing autographs and posing for pictures. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do what I love."

It was at that moment I knew she was the real deal. Lexi Thompson gets it. I guess it isn't difficult for anyone to see that.

Lexi's appeal is that she's genuine. Not only is she one of the most talented athletes on the LPGA Tour, but she's also a sweetheart and she carries herself with a very determined, but easygoing demeanor.

She's confident without being cocky. She's the girl next door.

At last week's Kia Classic, the on-course television cameras were in her face from one fairway to the next. Lexi hasn't yet mastered the art of pretending the cameras aren't there, so she would give an occasional, almost embarrassed glance directly into America's eyes with that million-dollar smile of hers.

That's what I tell her—that she has a million-dollar smile. And it's going to make her millions.

Her sponsors already know this—Cobra, Puma, Rolex and Red Bull.

"I love my sponsors," she said. "They make things so much fun for me. We do really fun and exciting things, so I always have a blast. It doesn't ever seem like work."

The real work has been on the golf course.

Lexi's off to a slow start in 2012, but only one other rookie, defending U.S. Women's Open champion So Yeon Ryu, has earned more money.

I get the sense Lexi is about to really get things rolling, though. After all, she was the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open. She won the U.S. Girls' Junior Golf Championship. And she already has those aforementioned pro victories. It's her time.

Let's face it, because of her talent and her accomplishments, the expectations are very high.

Lexi's not only supposed to win a lot of golf tournaments, but she's supposed to be the face of the LPGA Tour one day. It seems like a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a 17-year-old. But, she has the perfect outlook.

"I don't really pay attention to the expectations," Lexi admitted. "It's nice, but all I can do is try my best, which is what I do."

So far, her best has been plenty good enough. But I have a feeling it's only going to get better.

Follow @TheDGK