It was pedal to the metal for Lexi Thompson this morning, who returned a 9-under 63 and holds the early lead at the inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim.
Thompson notched 11 birdies to just two bogeys at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, the Pete Dye-designed track that partially lies within yet another track – the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It was just overall a very solid round,” said Thompson, whose 63 is the second-best round of her 2017 season, behind only the 61 she returned in the second round of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. “It was quite the early morning so it was a bit cold on the range and struggled a bit on the range, but I just hit a few good drivers at the end and I just committed to one thing going into the round and I think that's what made my day a lot easier on me. I just stuck to my routine and committed to my golf shots.”
Thompson’s commitment surely showed on her scorecard. She only needed 26 putts, and hit all but one fairway along with 16 of 18 greens.
Thompson, who won June’s Kingsmill Championship presented by JTBC, holds a one-stroke lead over Sandra Gal, who returned a bogey-free 64 on Thursday morning.
“I struck it pretty well out there and then I made a few good putts,” said Gal, who is aiming for her second top-10 finish of 2017. “I've been feeling like my game's been pretty good the last couple months but I just haven't been scoring, so everything just came together.”
Amy Olson sit three strokes behind Thompson at 6-under 66, which ties for her best round of 2017. The North Dakota native and June newlywed recently began calling the Hoosier State home – her husband, Grant, is on the linebacker coach at Indiana State University.