Lexi Thompson became the youngest winner in the 61-year history of the LPGA Tour by capturing a five-shot victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic. Thompson, who is 16 years, 7 months and 8 days old, shot a final round 2-under 70 to help secure her victory over Tiffany Joh, who finished in second at 12-under-par.

Before Thompson’s win, Marlene Hagge had held the distinction as the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour. Hagge was 18 years, 14 days when she won the 1952 Sarasota Open, which was an 18-hole event. Hagge won two 18-hole events at the age of 18. The youngest winner of a multi-round event on the LPGA Tour had been Paula Creamer, who captured the 2005 Sybase Classic when she was 18 years, 9 months and 17 days.

Thompson is no stranger to breaking records. In 2007, she became the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 12. That same year she won the Westerfield Junior PGA Championship to become the youngest winner in Junior PGA Championship history.

Golfing is a way of life in the Thompson family. Lexi’s oldest brother Nicholas, 28, is a member of the Nationwide Tour this season and spent the past three years on the PGA Tour. Her other brother Curtis, 18, is a freshman on the Louisiana State University men’s golf team and her father, Scott, was her caddie this week on the Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill.

“Just being there with my dad, he was like, Lexi, just enjoy that walk,” Thompson said of coming up the 18th to a huge ovation from the crowd. “He told me, ‘I am going off to the side because I might cry.’ You know, I definitely cried after I finished. Just finishing that with my dad on the bag, it was the best experience. I wouldn't be out here without my dad ‑‑ and my mom, of course.”

Thompson, who carried a five-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round, held steady for the majority the day on the course. She went through one tough stretch when she made two straight bogeys on No. 11 and 12. But the 16-year-old held her composure as her lead was cut to three shots thanks to four straight birdies from Joh, making back-to-back birdies on No. 16 and 17 to increase her lead back to five shots heading into the 18th hole. After just missing her birdie putt that would have given her four straight rounds in the 60s, Thompson tapped in her par putt to complete her impressive victory and during the trophy presentation, Thompson announced that she will donate $20,000 of her $195,000 first-prize check to the tournament’s official charity, The Wounded Warrior Project.

Video star
Tiffany Joh has become well-known on the LPGA Tour recently for the musical talent that she has shown in her You Tube videos, but the rookie has also been impressing with her golf. Joh shot a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s final round to record a career-best runner-up finish.

Of course, Joh’s success on the golf course should only bring more attention to her music videos as well. Joh’s first video, “She Beats It” went viral when it was premiered during last week’s Golf Channel telecast of the NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G. She released her second video at this week’s Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV titled “Grip It”. Since being released on Tuesday, the video has gone viral with 33,527 views on YouTube. The video features several LPGA stars showcasing their dance moves including Beth Bader, Jenny Suh, Alison Walshe, Jeehaee Lee and Meredith Duncan.

To view Joh’s latest video “Grip It” please visit, http://www.youtube.com/user/cupofjoh#p/search/0/JOUHWRHii1k.

Solheim Sendoff
The Navistar LPGA Classic marked the LPGA’s final event before the biennial Solheim Cup takes place next week at Killeen Castle in Ireland. All 12 of the U.S. Solheim Cup team members and six of the 12 European Solheim Cup members were in the field for this week’s tournament in Alabama.

Of the players who finished in the top-13, seven of them will be participating in next week’s Solheim Cup. Six of those golfers will be playing for Team USA: Angela Stanford (3), Brittany Lang (T4), Stacy Lewis (T6), Morgan Pressel (T9), Paula Creamer (T12), and Juli Inkster (T14). European Team member Karen Stupples finished in a tie for fourth.

After play was finished on Sunday at the Navistar LPGA Classic, a send-off ceremony was held to wish all of the Solheim Cup competitors well during next week’s event.

Golden ticket winners
Lexi Thompson, Tiffany Joh and Giula Sergas punched their "Ticket to CME Group Titleholders" at the Navistar LPGA Classic, each earning a spot in the season-ending CME Group Titleholders event, which will be held Nov. 17-20, 2011 at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. The inaugural CME Group Titleholders, a season finale with a field made up of three qualifiers from every LPGA Tour tournament, is a format never previously used in professional golf.

Birdies for a cause
This year's Navistar LPGA Classic Presented by Monaco RV is going above and beyond to help raise funds for this year's beneficiary, the Wounded Warrior Project. The par-3 16th has been designated as the "military hole". Navistar will donate $100 for every birdie made during this year's tournament to the Wounded Warrior Project. Over the past four years, the hole has averaged 83 birdies. In addition, a member of the military will be on the green to tend the flag during tournament play.

During Sunday’s final round the 16th hole notched 25 birdies which raised $2,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project. Over the course of the four-day event, a total of 97 birdies were made on the hole. Rolex Rankings No. 4 Na Yeon Choi hit a hole-in-one on the 16th during Sunday’s final round, holing out with a 9-iron from 136 yards, and earned an additional $1,000 for the effort. So the total donation for the week was $10,700.