At 12 , she became the youngest player to appear in the U.S Women 's Open . Now 20 , Lexi Thompson can boast six professional championships and most recently , a provocative magazine cover . The LPGA player , who has career earnings of almost $ 3million , will appear topless on the front of the May edition of Golf Digest - using only a towel to cover her torso . Professional golfer Lexi Thompson , 20 , will appear on the front of May 's edition of Golf Digest . She appeared in the Women 's U.S. Open when she was just 12 . At the time she was the youngest player ever to have appeared in the major tournament . She celebrated the shoot by tweeting : ' I landed on the May cover of @ GolfDigest ! So pumped to represent fitness & power . ' The decision has sparked a mixed response from readers . PGA teaching pro Chance Scheffing told CBS New York : ' I wasn ’ t sure if it was a Playboy ad , or if it was a Golf Digest ad . ' Golfer Morella Carta added : ' I just think that this is a detriment to women , because I ’ d like to be recognized by being a good golfer ; not about how my body looks like in the front page of a magazine . ' I think that if we allow this to happen , we will never get to the place where we should be . ' It is the first time a pro-golfer has appeared on a 'Fitness and Power ' issue cover - with past choices embroiling the publication in controversy . Thompson ( pictured in 2014 ) turned professional in June 2010 at age 15 and in September 2011 , she set a new record as the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA tournament - 16 years , seven months , and eight days . Fox Sports golf reporter Holly Sonders , who was with the Golf Channel at the time , appeared on the cover and in a photo spread in 2013 . The next year , the magazine featured Paulina Gretzky , who was only connected to the sport as PGA tour professional Dustin Johnson 's fiancee . LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan said he was 'disappointed ' in Golf Digest 's position to put Gretzky on the cover . Lorena Ochoa was the last female golfer to appear on the cover back in 2008 . Editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde said in a publisher 's note : 'We 've come a long way from a year ago when the LPGA condemned our choice of Paulina Gretzky ( and Holly Sonders in 2013 ) as the cover images for Golf Digest 's annual fitness issue . Mea culpa , ladies . 'You can have stunning beauty and the highest level of golf performance at the same time , as demonstrated this year by Lexi , Stacy Lewis , Cheyenne Woods and Michelle Wie . ' Thompson celebrated the shoot by tweeting : ' I landed on the May cover of @ GolfDigest ! So pumped to represent fitness & power ' He added : 'LPGA players not only outdrive the average guy by 20-plus yards , but they do it with the same clubhead speed we have . We can learn more from them not because they swing like us , but because we should swing like them . 'They do n't just muscle the ball and make up for swing flaws with strength . ' The publication also confirmed that the shoot took place in a closed set and Thompson 's mother was in attendance so she could discard any shots . Thompson made the news last year after jumping into Poppie 's Pond , a tradition for tournament winners at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage , California . She has just completed a faultless win in the Kraft Nabisco Championship . She turned professional in June 2010 at age 15 and in September 2011 , she set a new record as the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA tournament - 16 years , seven months , and eight days - when she won the Navistar LPGA Classic . Thompson was the youngest player to play in the Women 's U.S. Open in 2007 when she was just 12 . However her record was beaten last year when 11-year-old Lucy Li qualified . In 2014 the magazine featured Paulina Gretzky , who was only connected to the sport as PGA tour professional Dustin Johnson 's fiancee .
LPGA player posed shirtless for May 's 'Fitness and Power ' issue . Editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde defended decision after recent controversies . Two previous front covers have featured two non-golfing women . Comment: