Early in the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, it looked like Lexi Thompson was in danger of a second consecutive missed cut, opening the tournament with a 1-over 73. After dropping within a stroke of the cutline on Friday, the 24-year-old American star birdied three of her final five holes to reach the weekend at -1.
On Saturday, Thompson finally hit her stride at Lake Merced. She carded a 3-under 69 to jump from T21 to a tie for fourth heading into Sunday’s final round. The closing stretch truly seems to agree with Thompson, who has played the final four holes at -7 over her first three rounds.
“I think it’s just a great stretch of holes,” said Thompson. “15 is a reachable par 5 for basically everybody out here, so it's definitely a good birdie opportunity. It's overall just a great golf course. There's challenging holes, but at the same time there's some birdie holes out there.”
Thompson has earned at least one LPGA win in each of the last six seasons (2013-2018), the longest active streak on Tour.
WITH A WIN
Sei Young Kim would earn her eighth career victory and visit the winner’s circle for the fifth consecutive year
With her eighth career victory, Kim would tie Mi Hyun Kim for the fifth most wins by a Korean player in LPGA history; only Se Ri Pak (25), Inbee Park (19), Jiyai Shin (11) and Na Yeon Choi (9) have more wins
Kim would become the season’s fifth winner from the Republic of Korea, joining Eun-Hee Ji, Jin Young Ko, Sung Hyun Park and Amy Yang
With the $270,000 winner’s check, Kim would project to move from 44th to 41st on the All-Time Money List with $6,402,923
Charley Hull would earn her second career victory and first since the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship
With the $270,000 winner’s check, Hull would project to move from 116th to 108th on the All-Time Money List with $3,147,459 and become the 110th player to LPGA history to break the $3 million threshold in career earnings
Hull would become the fifth multiple LPGA Tour winner from England, joining Laura Davies (20), Alison Nicholas (4), Trish Johnson (3) and Karen Stupples (2)
Maria Torres would become the first LPGA Tour winner from Puerto Rico
Torres would become the season’s second Rolex First-Time Winner, joining Celine Boutier
Torres would become the sixth alumna of the Florida Gators women’s golf team to win on the LPGA Tour, joining Sandra Gal, Lori Garbacz, Deb Richard, Laurie Rinker and Donna White
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 15 Sei Young Kim (72-66-68)
- She hit 7 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens
- Kim’s 54-hole score of 206 is her second-lowest mark of the 2019 LPGA season; she posted a 54-hole score of 203 at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup where she finished T10
- This is the seventh time in her career she has held the 54-hole lead; she has three wins in her career when leading going into the fourth round
- Kim is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she has seven career victories, most recently at the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, where she set the LPGA’s 72-hole scoring record at 31-under 257
- This is Kim’s eighth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; she finished second at last week’s HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open
- At the inaugural LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in 2018, she finished T37
- At the 2015 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, a separate LPGA event held at Lake Merced Golf Club, Kim finished T9
- Kim represented the Republic of Korea at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where she finished T25
- She was the 2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year
Rolex Rankings No. 26 Charley Hull (69-70-70)
- She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens
- Only Hull and Maria Torres (69-71-71) have recorded three under-par rounds at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship
- Hull’s 54-hole total of 209 is the best mark of her 2019 LPGA season
- Hull is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she has one career win at the 2016 CME Group Tour Championship
- She has two career wins on the Ladies European Tour, the 2019 Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open and the 2014 Lalla Meryem Cup
- This is Hull’s ninth event of the 2019 LPGA Tour season; her season-best finish was T12 at the ANA Inspiration
- At the inaugural LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in 2018, she finished T3
- Hull represented England at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, where she finished T7
- Hull is a three-time Team Europe Solheim Cup member (2013, 2015, 2017), and represented Team England at the 2016 and 2018 UL International Crown
Rolex Rankings No. 124 Maria Torres (69-71-71)
- She hit 9 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens
- Only Torres and Charley Hull (69-70-70) have recorded three under-par rounds at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship
- As a rookie in 2018, she recorded two top-10 results including a career-best T7 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
- Torres was tied for the lead for the first two rounds at the 2018 Evian Championship where she recorded her career-best finish at a major, T26
- She missed the cut at the inaugural LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship in 2018
- Finished sixth in the 2018 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings
- Torres, 24, from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, was a two-time All-American at the University of Florida and 2016 SEC Individual Champion
- Torres became the first woman from Puerto Rico to earn a full LPGA Tour card by winning a three-hole aggregate playoff to finish 20th at the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School in 2017
QUICK HITS
- Only Charley Hull (69-70-70) and Maria Torres (69-71-71) have recorded three under-par rounds at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship
- Through three rounds, Lexi Thompson leads the field with 15 total birdies
- Through three rounds, Charley Hull’s three bogeys is the lowest total number of bogeys among the field
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