Lexi Thompson claimed her seventh LPGA title in impressive fashion at the Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday and shot a final-round 4-under 68 for a six-shot victory over reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun. With the win, Thompson will move to No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and will surpass Stacy Lewis as the top-ranked American.
“It means the world to me,” said Thompson. “I’m out here not only representing myself but representing my country being an American, and this being a huge year with the Olympics. But I’m just trying to focus on my own game, not anybody else’s. Just trying to do my best and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I’m out here following my dreams, honestly.”
Thompson started the day with a four-shot lead over In Gee Chun but the South Korean made things very interesting early with three-consecutive birdies straight out of the gate to cut the lead to just one.
“I was just saying I had to make birdies to win this thing,” said Thompson. “She was playing unbelievable with a three-birdie start there, and I knew I had to make birdies to stop her. I was just trying to focus on my game and nobody else’s out there.”
Thompson picked up her first birdies on Nos. 6 and 8 to extend the lead to three but dropped her only shot of the day on the 9th hole to cut the lead back to two. The 21-year-old hit her most critical shot of the day and responded with an incredible second shot on the par 5, 10th hole to set her up for a four-foot eagle putt. Thompson hit her 5-iron perfectly to the front edge of the green where it rolled just enough to catch the downward slope to take it winding down toward the hole.
“That was a round changer,” said Thompson. “Bogeying the 9th, I knew 10 was a birdie hole. But if my ball rolled down the slope to four feet and walking out with an eagle always helps on the scorecard there. I think it landed left fringe and I saw it slowly trickle. I went off by the applause by the fans off the green, and I thought, okay, that’s got to be pretty good.”
Up by three shots with eight holes to play, Thompson knew she wanted to stay out of trouble and did so in the final stretch. She picked up her final birdie on No. 15 to get to 20-under par. Chun stumbled on the back nine with three bogeys and a double on the 17th to let Thompson enjoy her walk down the 18th fairway.
“Yeah, I would say after I was finished with 17 there, I was feeling pretty comfortable, but still you want to get 18’s drive down there in good position, so you never really want to get ahead of yourself in the game of golf because anything can happen, really,” said Thompson.
The six-shot win marks the largest margin of victory in Thompson’s career, besting her previous mark of five shots at her first win, the 2011 Navistar Classic.
“No, I’ve definitely had a smile on my face ever since I was walking up to 18th green,” said Thompson. “It’s just a relief. I had a very great week out there. I always look forward to coming back next year.”
ADDED TO THE LIST
Lexi Thompson adds her name to the esteemed list of champions in Thailand and becomes the first American to raise the trophy in Chonburi. She joins five fellow major champions and raises the total of LPGA wins among champions at the event to 121.
“It’s a huge honor. This tournament in general is one that I’ve imagined myself winning because of the venue, the golf course and the fans,” said Thompson. “I’ve just always pictured myself winning here. But just to have my name on the trophy with all the other names that have won this tournament, it’s a huge honor. Any tournament that you win it’s a blessing. But to see the names, the past champions that have won, it’s a pretty big deal. So I’m looking forward to coming back next year.”
HONDA LPGA THAILAND LIST OF CHAMPIONS
| Year | Player | Wins | Majors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lexi Thompson | 7 | 7 |
| 2015 | Amy Yang | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | Anna Nordqvist | 5 | 1 |
| 2013 | Inbee Park | 17 | 7 |
| 2012 | Yani Tseng | 15 | 5 |
| 2011 | Yani Tseng | 15 | 5 |
| 2010 | Ai Miyazato | 9 | 0 |
| 2009 | Lorena Ochoa | 27 | 2 |
| 2007 | Suzann Pettersen | 15 | 2 |
| 2006 | Hee Won Han | 6 | 0 |
QUOTABLE
“Yeah, it’s been huge. I’ve been working with John Denney down in South Florida on the mental side of the game and just overall my outlook on life being more positive and realizing that golf isn’t my life. It’s just what I do. It’s not who I am. Just coming out here, not getting so mad at bad shots. I still get frustrated. I’m human. But that’s the way I get even and I just try to go into the next shot with a positive attitude. And it’s helped me with the wins last year there in Korea, Michigan and especially at Solheim too. Just keeping my nerves under control with the breathing, this one here it helped dramatically.”
-Lexi Thompson on working on the mental aspect of her game in the off season
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