Lexi Thompson was on 59-watch and ended up shooting a 12-under-par, 61, the second-lowest round in relation to par in LPGA Tour history, to climb into second place at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
“I thought about it mid second nine, but then I was like this course is a par 73, so I’ve got some work to do,” Thompson said with a smile. “I thought about it, but I just wanted to keep on playing my own game and see where it goes.“
Thompson started her day with a chip in birdie on the first and didn’t look back, tallying nine more birdies and an eagle on the par-73 Ocean Club Golf Course.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even nervous at all today,” Thompson explained. “It was just one of those days where you feel like you’re just super comfortable out on the golf course and relaxed. In my pre-shot routine, I was like good tempo, that was all I told myself.”
Brittany Lincicome continues to lead after firing her own stellar round of 65, which included a hole-in-one on her third hole of the day, the 161-yard par-3, 12th.
“I was trying to hit 155 and that was my 7-iron. For some reason I felt like I hit it just a touch thin, so I think on camera you can hear me say, “Go, go,” and it rolled a little bit, and went in.”
Lincicome now sits at 17-under for the week, one shot clear of Thompson.
“You know, I’m just playing well, and still made everything today,” Lincicome said. “Putter is on point right now, and it’s exciting to see, you know. It would be nice if it stuck around a couple more days, but, yeah, to back up the round that I did yesterday, with today, having a hole-in-one, it’s going to be an expensive night, I think.”
Chasing the duo down in the penultimate group will be another pair of Americans in Gerina Piller and Stacy Lewis who sit at 14-under and 13-under respectively.
IN THE ZONE
In shooting her second-round 61 Lexi Thompson entered the zone, which only elite athletes can describe.
“Yeah, it’s just one of those days that’s hard to explain,” Thompson admitted. “As an athlete, it’s just like nothing can mess you up. Your swing is just in the zone and no interruptions, you’re just focused. I could have gotten out of whack on the first hole, I airmailed the green and then I chipped in. But if I let that get to me and didn’t get up and down or anything like that, I could have let that falter, but I ended up chipping in and it helped the rest of the round.”
NEW WORKOUT PLAN PAYING OFF FOR GERINA PILLER
Gerina Piller enters 2017 in search of her first career win and is off to a strong start sitting three shots back of the lead heading into the weekend at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
“Just really believing in myself that I can do this,” Piller said of the key to her capturing her first win. “I don’t have to play perfect golf and just go out there, play my game and focus on the process and the results will take care of itself.”
Something that Piller hopes will lead her to victory is a new diet and workout routine.
“I did this thing called Whole 30 and just kind of eliminate kind of -- process of elimination,” Piller explained. “And it’s not that I lost weight, I just, I feel better, I have more energy. I never really have been one to work out. I’m sure I’ve said it many times. I’ve been in the gym and it’s paid off and it’s nice to see that it has paid off. I came back and did some driver testing before I came out here back in Texas and I didn’t feel as rusty as I normally do because I do take the whole month of December off. I don’t touch a club, I don’t even look at them. It’s a huge change for me, but I feel like it’s very positive.”
RED, WHITE AND BLUE LEADERBOARD
The top-5 players on the leader board at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic all hail from the United States including 36-hole leader Brittany Lincicome.
“Whoa! I like that,” said Lincicome. “Every time I watch the PGA or maybe the web.com, it’s like, American, American, American. I’m like, come on, girls! That’s very exciting.”
“It’s always something we want, being an American, but it’s such an amazing tour, so global, so you never know,” Lexi Thompson added.
WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND
79 players made the cut at 2-under, 144. Notable player to miss the cut include Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Thankfully, the wonderful people at Pure Silk are hosting a party tonight from 7-9, so everyone is invited and I’ll be buying drinks there. Worked out perfectly.” -Brittany Lincicome on if she plans on buying drinks after her hole-in-one
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 12 - Lexi Thompson’s 12-under, 61, is the second lowest round in relation to par in LPGA history trailing only Annika Sorenstam who shot 59 (-13) at Moon Valley Country Club during the second round of the 2001 Standard Register PING
- 61 - Thompson’s 61 is the lowest round of her career by two shots. Thompson carded 63s at the 2013 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and the 2012 Navistar LPGA Classic
- 4/5 - Four out of the five times Thompson has shot 64 or better she has went on to win the event
- 161 - Brittany Lincicome tallied a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole, her third of the day. Lincicome used a 7-iron from 161
- 4 - Gerina Piller has four runner-up finishes and 31 top-10 finishes in her LPGA Career
- 11 - Stacy Lewis has 11 runner-up finishes since her last victory which came at the 2014 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
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