DRIVE IT LIKE LEXI

It may be surprising Lexi Thompson was looking for a little extra something from her favorite club in her bag but the six-time LPGA Tour winner recently decided to make a tweak to her driver. The setup on the Old Course at Siam Country Club is a bomber’s paradise and Thompson said putting her new driver into play this week for the first time went seamlessly today.

“I hit basically driver on every hole but maybe two holes there, so I love hitting my driver on every hole,” said Thompson. “I’m actually using the new Cobra driver, the new King Cobra, so it’s working out pretty well so far.”

Thompson led the field on Thursday in driving distance with a 284 yard average and also leads the Tour in the category through the first three events with a 290.438 yard average. She finally decided on a King Cobra, a black driver with an extra stiff bright-blue Fujikura shaft.

“Well, I’ve been trying to work into it for probably the last few months, and just trying to find a shaft that works for me, and finally found something I’m very comfortable with,” said Thompson.

KERR NAMED GWAA’S BARTLETT AWARD RECIPIENT

Twenty-year LPGA Tour veteran Cristie Kerr received some good news earlier this week and was still smiling about it on Thursday in Thailand. It was announced to the public yesterday that she would be the recipient of the 2016 Charles Bartlett Award, given to a golfer for unselfish contributions to the betterment of society. Kerr is being recognized for her continued efforts in the fight against breast cancer.

“Yeah, I found out a couple days ago, and I was floored,” said Kerr. “With a chance to be able to go to Augusta in front of all the sportswriters and accept this award, it’s awesome. I mean, it’s crazy to be viewed by them as somebody worthy of this award, so I’m very honored.”

The Golf Writers Association of America will honor Kerr at the 44th ISPS HANDA GWAA Annual Awards Dinner April 6 in Augusta, Ga. The 38-year old said she has played Augusta but has never attended the Masters.

“But I have never been to actually the tournament,” said Kerr. “We have things to do, and hopefully I can stay for part of it, but it’ll be pretty cool just to be there.”

Fellow Tour member Morgan Pressel received the award last year giving the LPGA back-to-back nods for the award, something Kerr says she hopes gets noticed in a big way.

“Yeah, and she said it’s pretty amazing to go and be in that room, so I’m just very honored,” said Kerr. “It’s huge for our Tour, and I think it totally needs to be exploited.”

Former winners include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Val Skinner, Betsy King and Lorena Ochoa.

Notes and Interviews: Rd.1 Honda LPGA Thailand

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