LEXI SCORES SECOND LPGA TOUR VICTORY ... IN LPGA MALAYSIA
Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club- East Course
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rolex Rankings No. 21 Lexi Thompson ran away from a strong field in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to win her second-career LPGA Tour victory and first as a Tour member at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. The 18-year old American shot a final-round 69 for a four-day total of 19-under 265 to finish four shots ahead of Shanshan Feng. Feng shot a 67 to pick up her second runner-up this season, a week after she won her second LPGA title in China.
Thompson set a new scoring record for the event with a 19-under 265 total and shot all four rounds in the 60’s for the first time in her career. The four-day total also marks a career low for the Coral Springs, Fla. native. Her previous best was 271 which she shot on three separate occasions, most recently at the 2013 Marathon Classic.
“Just a bunch of happiness right now, that's for sure,” said Thompson. “Words can't even describe the feeling I have right now. It's sort of like a rerun from Navistar, just having that feeling walking up to the 18th green, embracing the fans and just knowing you have the win under your belt. It means so much, especially to get it here in Malaysia.”
Thompson becomes the third Rolex First-Time Winner this season joining Jennifer Johnson (Mobile Bay LPGA Classic) and Ilhee Lee (Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic). She picked up her first LPGA Tour win as a non-member at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic and made 43 starts in between her two victories. Thompson was a rookie last season in 2012 and said her second win was probably harder to capture than the first.
“Yeah, probably,” said Thompson. “I mean, it took a little longer than I thought. But it's the top players in the world here, so it's not easy. Every tournament you have to shoot super low and you have to have your A game, and that's what I had this week.”
She said it was satisfying to finally see all the hard work pay off in the two years she had in between wins.
“I've worked so hard between this whole last year since Navistar, just working hard on my game, improving on my short game in particular, and just to have it pay off, it means so much to me, and it's just no stopping here, just going to continue to work hard and just going to try to win every tournament,” said Thompson. “I mean, that's the same attitude I have going into every event.”
Thompson started the day with a three-shot lead over South Korean Ilhee Lee but had the margin cut to one shot through seven holes after an early bogey on No. 2 and two birdies by Lee on the 6th and 7th holes.
“It got really close,” said Thompson. “I had a little off start. I had a few bad tee shots. But I was just trying to stay into it and be confident with all my tee shots and shots into the green. But I knew not only the group I was playing with, Suzann and Ilhee, they're both good players, but even players behind them were obviously coming up and playing well. I knew I had to just keep on birdieing and making pars.”
But the teenager used a stretch of three-consecutive birdies after the turn to push her in front of the pack and extended her lead to five shots through 12 holes.
“Yeah, those were big,” said Thompson. “No. 10, I just hit a close wedge shot and made like a four footer, but the birdie actually on 11 was really unexpected. I made about a 35 footer. But those are always huge in a tournament, getting that momentum and getting the confidence going into the next hole and always pumping yourself up to make more birdies out there.”
After back-to-back bogeys by Ilhee Lee on Nos. 13 and 14, Shanshan Feng entered the picture for the race for runner-up. Feng would birdie two of her final three holes and sank a 30-footer on 18th hole to claim solo second.
“I was in the second to last group, so to be honest I had less pressure than the other girls,” said Feng. “I started six back, I believe, and I knew, because I played with Lexi yesterday, she's in good shape. We know she's not going to do bad today, so I had to shoot a really low score to catch her, which I tried but I didn't make. I mean, after the win last week, the pressure is off, and I got my confidence back and I'm really relaxed on the course. I really enjoy playing now.”
Thompson walked to the 18th tee box knowing she had win No. 2 in the bag and tried to enjoy every moment including a warm reception from the Malaysian fans at the 18th green.
“I was feeling very good coming up to the 18th green,” said Thompson. “Like you said, there's top players here at these tournaments, limited field events, and if you win one of these tournaments, you know you beat the best in the world. It means so much to me, and this tournament is one of the best out there and one of the best run events, so it's a huge honor to get this one under my belt.”
Youthful movement: Lexi Thompson’s win in Malaysia marks the second time a teenager has won on the LPGA Tour this season. She joins Lydia Ko (CN Canadian Women’s Open) as teen victors in 2013 and her peers even say her second win will not go unnoticed. Runner-up Shanshan Feng said she thinks Thompson’s win will be more of a motivating factor for young players to try the professional ranks early on.
“I mean, of course it's going to be huge because it's going to encourage a lot of the junior players to actually turn pro, and turn pro earlier,” said Feng. “So I think it's really good if we can have a lot more good young American girls to come on the Tour, because it is the American Tour, right? We want to see more Americans.”
Thompson, who looks just as comfortable playing the role of LPGA Tour ambassador than any player on Tour, said she hopes her successes and continue to motivate young kids to dream big.
“I see it pretty big, I guess,” said Thompson. “Being 18, I'm getting a few wins out here, I'm just really following my dreams, and that's what I want to pursue to little kids watching me and just always supporting me. I'm just following my dreams and doing what I love, and that's what I want every kid that looks up to me to do.”
She said she covets the role of being a young star on Tour and looks forward to seeing more including fellow two-time LPGA winner Lydia Ko. Ko announced she will play as a professional at the LPGA’s season-ending event, CME Group Titleholders, which she qualified for with her win at the CN Canadian Women’s Open.
“I mean, it's great to have that family and fan support system behind us and to have Lydia coming up, too, being young, and she's going to be great out here, so it'll be interesting to see how we all do,” said Thompson.
Feng, who is just 24 years old, joked that Thompson’s youthful and aggressive approach to the game makes her feel aged beyond her own years.
“I think she's making us look old,” said Feng. “Going with her yesterday, watching her swing, she can swing like so hard and it doesn't hurt her body. I was like, oh, very nice to be 18.”
Just one of the pros: Lexi Thompson played in her first LPGA Tour event at the age of 12 when she qualified to play in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007. She’s come a long way since breaking onto the scene as just a pre-teen and now calls herself a two-time LPGA winner at the age of 18. Thompson has been considered ‘the kid on Tour’ and is currently the youngest member but has earned the respect of her fellow Tour pros with her performance on the course and professionalism off of it.
Thompson was greeted by a water shower from fellow Americans Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda and Alison Walshe on the 18th green. She said the simple notion did not go unnoticed.
“That is special to me just to have a group of friends come out and embrace me after the win on the 18th green,” said Thompson. “It means a lot. You know, it is very competitive out here, but at the end, off the golf course we're all friends, and we're still normal people, just traveling the world playing golf.
Golden Ticket Winners: Alison Walshe, Michelle Wie and Jane Park punched their "Ticket to CME Group Titleholders" at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, each earning a spot in the season-ending CME Group Titleholders event, which will be held Nov. 21-24, 2012 in Naples, Fla. The third-annual CME Group Titleholders is a season finale with a field made up of three qualifiers from every LPGA Tour tournament.
Of Note…Rolex Rankings No. 1 and defending champion Inbee Park finished the week at 1-under 283 and in a T32. No. 3 Stacy Lewis closed out strong with a 2-under 69 and moved into a tie for sixth. The finish marks her seventh consecutive top-10 finish.
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club- East Course
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rolex Rankings No. 21 Lexi Thompson ran away from a strong field in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to win her second-career LPGA Tour victory and first as a Tour member at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. The 18-year old American shot a final-round 69 for a four-day total of 19-under 265 to finish four shots ahead of Shanshan Feng. Feng shot a 67 to pick up her second runner-up this season, a week after she won her second LPGA title in China.
Thompson set a new scoring record for the event with a 19-under 265 total and shot all four rounds in the 60’s for the first time in her career. The four-day total also marks a career low for the Coral Springs, Fla. native. Her previous best was 271 which she shot on three separate occasions, most recently at the 2013 Marathon Classic.
“Just a bunch of happiness right now, that's for sure,” said Thompson. “Words can't even describe the feeling I have right now. It's sort of like a rerun from Navistar, just having that feeling walking up to the 18th green, embracing the fans and just knowing you have the win under your belt. It means so much, especially to get it here in Malaysia.”
Thompson becomes the third Rolex First-Time Winner this season joining Jennifer Johnson (Mobile Bay LPGA Classic) and Ilhee Lee (Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic). She picked up her first LPGA Tour win as a non-member at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic and made 43 starts in between her two victories. Thompson was a rookie last season in 2012 and said her second win was probably harder to capture than the first.
“Yeah, probably,” said Thompson. “I mean, it took a little longer than I thought. But it's the top players in the world here, so it's not easy. Every tournament you have to shoot super low and you have to have your A game, and that's what I had this week.”
She said it was satisfying to finally see all the hard work pay off in the two years she had in between wins.
“I've worked so hard between this whole last year since Navistar, just working hard on my game, improving on my short game in particular, and just to have it pay off, it means so much to me, and it's just no stopping here, just going to continue to work hard and just going to try to win every tournament,” said Thompson. “I mean, that's the same attitude I have going into every event.”
Thompson started the day with a three-shot lead over South Korean Ilhee Lee but had the margin cut to one shot through seven holes after an early bogey on No. 2 and two birdies by Lee on the 6th and 7th holes.
“It got really close,” said Thompson. “I had a little off start. I had a few bad tee shots. But I was just trying to stay into it and be confident with all my tee shots and shots into the green. But I knew not only the group I was playing with, Suzann and Ilhee, they're both good players, but even players behind them were obviously coming up and playing well. I knew I had to just keep on birdieing and making pars.”
But the teenager used a stretch of three-consecutive birdies after the turn to push her in front of the pack and extended her lead to five shots through 12 holes.
“Yeah, those were big,” said Thompson. “No. 10, I just hit a close wedge shot and made like a four footer, but the birdie actually on 11 was really unexpected. I made about a 35 footer. But those are always huge in a tournament, getting that momentum and getting the confidence going into the next hole and always pumping yourself up to make more birdies out there.”
After back-to-back bogeys by Ilhee Lee on Nos. 13 and 14, Shanshan Feng entered the picture for the race for runner-up. Feng would birdie two of her final three holes and sank a 30-footer on 18th hole to claim solo second.
“I was in the second to last group, so to be honest I had less pressure than the other girls,” said Feng. “I started six back, I believe, and I knew, because I played with Lexi yesterday, she's in good shape. We know she's not going to do bad today, so I had to shoot a really low score to catch her, which I tried but I didn't make. I mean, after the win last week, the pressure is off, and I got my confidence back and I'm really relaxed on the course. I really enjoy playing now.”
Thompson walked to the 18th tee box knowing she had win No. 2 in the bag and tried to enjoy every moment including a warm reception from the Malaysian fans at the 18th green.
“I was feeling very good coming up to the 18th green,” said Thompson. “Like you said, there's top players here at these tournaments, limited field events, and if you win one of these tournaments, you know you beat the best in the world. It means so much to me, and this tournament is one of the best out there and one of the best run events, so it's a huge honor to get this one under my belt.”
Youthful movement: Lexi Thompson’s win in Malaysia marks the second time a teenager has won on the LPGA Tour this season. She joins Lydia Ko (CN Canadian Women’s Open) as teen victors in 2013 and her peers even say her second win will not go unnoticed. Runner-up Shanshan Feng said she thinks Thompson’s win will be more of a motivating factor for young players to try the professional ranks early on.
“I mean, of course it's going to be huge because it's going to encourage a lot of the junior players to actually turn pro, and turn pro earlier,” said Feng. “So I think it's really good if we can have a lot more good young American girls to come on the Tour, because it is the American Tour, right? We want to see more Americans.”
Thompson, who looks just as comfortable playing the role of LPGA Tour ambassador than any player on Tour, said she hopes her successes and continue to motivate young kids to dream big.
“I see it pretty big, I guess,” said Thompson. “Being 18, I'm getting a few wins out here, I'm just really following my dreams, and that's what I want to pursue to little kids watching me and just always supporting me. I'm just following my dreams and doing what I love, and that's what I want every kid that looks up to me to do.”
She said she covets the role of being a young star on Tour and looks forward to seeing more including fellow two-time LPGA winner Lydia Ko. Ko announced she will play as a professional at the LPGA’s season-ending event, CME Group Titleholders, which she qualified for with her win at the CN Canadian Women’s Open.
“I mean, it's great to have that family and fan support system behind us and to have Lydia coming up, too, being young, and she's going to be great out here, so it'll be interesting to see how we all do,” said Thompson.
Feng, who is just 24 years old, joked that Thompson’s youthful and aggressive approach to the game makes her feel aged beyond her own years.
“I think she's making us look old,” said Feng. “Going with her yesterday, watching her swing, she can swing like so hard and it doesn't hurt her body. I was like, oh, very nice to be 18.”
Just one of the pros: Lexi Thompson played in her first LPGA Tour event at the age of 12 when she qualified to play in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007. She’s come a long way since breaking onto the scene as just a pre-teen and now calls herself a two-time LPGA winner at the age of 18. Thompson has been considered ‘the kid on Tour’ and is currently the youngest member but has earned the respect of her fellow Tour pros with her performance on the course and professionalism off of it.
Thompson was greeted by a water shower from fellow Americans Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda and Alison Walshe on the 18th green. She said the simple notion did not go unnoticed.
“That is special to me just to have a group of friends come out and embrace me after the win on the 18th green,” said Thompson. “It means a lot. You know, it is very competitive out here, but at the end, off the golf course we're all friends, and we're still normal people, just traveling the world playing golf.
Golden Ticket Winners: Alison Walshe, Michelle Wie and Jane Park punched their "Ticket to CME Group Titleholders" at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, each earning a spot in the season-ending CME Group Titleholders event, which will be held Nov. 21-24, 2012 in Naples, Fla. The third-annual CME Group Titleholders is a season finale with a field made up of three qualifiers from every LPGA Tour tournament.
Of Note…Rolex Rankings No. 1 and defending champion Inbee Park finished the week at 1-under 283 and in a T32. No. 3 Stacy Lewis closed out strong with a 2-under 69 and moved into a tie for sixth. The finish marks her seventh consecutive top-10 finish.
Labels: LPGA TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 4:01:00 pm
<< Home