Alexa Pano, 18, blossoms right before our eyes

Alexa Pano is just 18 years old and a rookie on the LPGA Tour. It only feels as though we’ve known the young woman from Lake Worth, Florida, forever.

In a way, that’s because we have.

Pano has been in golf’s auxiliary spotlight for more than a decade, popping up at consistent intervals along the trail from junior to professional ranks. Her steady progression through golf’s stages skipped only one phase – college.

“I've just kind of always wanted to play professional golf, and I wanted to do it as soon as I could,” said Pano.

Alexa Pano bounces up to the LPGA this season after one year on the Epson Tour.

She waited until last April to abandon her amateur status at age 17 to compete in one more Augusta National Women’s Amateur. More than any female in history, Pano has basically grown up in front of our eyes at Augusta National. It was a destiny she expressed before there was even an opportunity for women to compete there.

When P...