Thompson had nine birdies and one bogey on the day and said a missed opportunity on the par 5 first hole sparked a birdie barrage the rest of the day.
“Yeah, it was a good day out there, very solid,” said Thompson. “I just made sure I had fun out there and stayed positive. I missed a putt on the first hole which got me down a little bit, but I tried to stay positive going into the next hole and fire at pins like I did the first day.”
Thompson, who also held the first-round lead, has a chance to surpass Stacy Lewis as the top-ranked American with a win or runner-up this week. But the 21-year old has her sights set on the trophy to be handed out this week.
“I think it’s all a matter of me getting comfortable on the golf course and just having fun with my caddie Benji in between shots and just keeping myself relaxed,” said Thompson. “I know where my game’s at right now. But I also know there are a lot of great players out there, so I have to focus on myself.”
Thompson had her best day on the greens on Saturday and needed just 24 putts in her round of 64. The six-time winner recently change to an ‘eyes-closed’ method and has stuck to her commitment of playing more off feel.
“Yeah, I think today a huge key was my putting,” said Thompson. “I made a lot of good putts today. Even some for up-and-downs there on 8 and 9, which definitely helped out. But the 15-footers are always nice to make.”
Thompson’s rounds of 64 are the lowest of the week so far and put her within striking distance of the tournament scoring record, 21-under par, held by Suzann Pettersen (2007) and Ai Miyazato (2010).
She started the third round just one shot off 36-hole leader and defending champ Amy Yang and jumped out of the gates, getting to 4-under par through seven holes and picked up three consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-7 to go out in 32.
The Florida native would get four birdies in her first six holes on the back nine and extend her lead to six shots with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par 4 16th hole. But a two shot swing came when In Gee Chun drained an impressive winding 45-footer on the par 3 16th to cut the lead to five and Thompson dropped her only shot of the day on the same hole in the following group. Chun birdied the 18th to get within three shots but Thompson answered with a 15-foot birdie to cushion the lead to four with 18 holes to play.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
87 – Lexi Thompson leads the field in greens in regulation, hitting greens 87% of the time
286.3 – Thompson also leads the field in driving distance with a 286.3 yard average
26.67 – Amy Yang and Minjee Lee lead the field this week in putting average with 26.67 putts per round
7 – Lexi Thompson is playing for her seventh LPGA title this week
1 – Thompson is trying to become the first American winner of the event’s 10-year history
7 – This week marks the seventh time in her career that Thompson has held the 54-hole lead; she has won on four previous occasions holding at least a share of the lead heading into Sunday
2 - This is just In Gee Chun’s second start as an LPGA member and is trying to improve on a T3 finish in her rookie debut at the Coates Golf Championship
2 - Chun is trying to join Haru Nomura as the second player in the first four events of the season to become a Rolex First-Time Winner; Chun won the U.S. Women’s Open last year as a non-member
FOLLOW THE LEADER
Lexi Thompson has built a solid record when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead so far in her career. She’s held the lead heading into Sunday six previous occasions and won on four of them. Her current four-stroke lead is just one shy of her largest margin when she lead by five shots with 18 holes to play at her first career victory at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic as a 16-year old.
LEXI THOMPSON’S RECORD HOLDING THE 54-HOLE LEAD
| Year | Tournament | Margin of Lead | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout | 1 (shared) | T-4 |
| 2014 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | 2 (shared) | Win |
| 2013 | Lorena Ochoa Invitational | 1 (solo) | Win |
| 2013 | Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia | 3 (solo) | Win |
| 2011 | Navistar LPGA Classic | 5 (solo) | Win |
| 2011 | Avnet LPGA Classic | 1 (shared) | T-19 |
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