Lexi Thompson among six at summit for Meijer LPGA Classic finale
Six players, including Lexi Thompson, are tied at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds of the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan.
Thompson carded a four-under 68, as did co-leaders Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark and Paraguay's Sofia Garcia. Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom tied for the best round of the day on Saturday, carding a five-under 67, while South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi and Spain's Carlota Ciganda each posted a three-under 69 to create the six-player logjam.
"Of course it was a close call last year, but it's fair game tomorrow," said Thompson, who lost to Lilia Vu in a playoff at the Blythefield CC layout in 2024.
"Everybody is going to come out swinging. Good weather tomorrow, so I know birdies will have to be made and I'll have to go pin-seeking. I will hope for the best, go out there and embrace the opportunity, and really love on the fans."
Thompson, who has not won on tour since 2019, recorded seven birdies and three bogeys and finished with birdies on 16 and 18.
Sagstrom dazzled the crowd, producing eagles on the fourth and sixth holes, sandwiched around a birdie on the fifth. The 2025 LPGA Match Play winner, who holed out from the fairway on the sixth, got to 12 under with a birdie at 14, but bogeyed the par-4 16th hole to drop to 11 under.
Sagstrom will be paired with Thompson and Koerstz Madsen in the final threesome of the day on Sunday.
Australia's Karis Davidson is two strokes behind at nine under, while four players - including Megan Khang - are tied at eight under.
Wei-Ling Hsu of Chinese Taipei tied Sagstrom for the low round of the day and is tied for 12th at 7-under par.
enduring a fourth missed cut in a row on tour following Friday's second round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Carlota Ciganda saours sweet LPGA Classic win in Michigan
Spain's Carlota Ciganda shot a five-under-par 67 to finish 16-under and win the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan. Ciganda came into the event with two previous LPGA tour victories under her belt, having won the KEB Hana Bank Championship and Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2016. But it had been nearly a decade since the 35-year-old had managed to match those early-career highs. "It feels amazing obviously after all these years," Ciganda said. "I knew I could do it, but obviously once the years keep going and you start getting older you start doubting yourself." The Spaniard has traditionally done well at this event, with finishes of 17th, eighth and fifth the previous three years. She credited her host family and the terrain, which brought back memories of her native Spain. "I love coming here," Ciganda added. "It reminds me of Spain where I'm from in the northern part of the Spain. Very similar. Lots of trees, peaceful. I love the golf course. Five par-fives, you can hit it hard here. So I really like that. "And just staying with Bubba and Gretchen the host family for almost ten years, doesn't even feel like a tournament. Just feels really comfortable. We had a great vibe going on this week, and it's been amazing to stay with them and play and obviously to win." South Korea's Somi Lee finished her day ahead of the other top contenders, but she fired an impressive seven-under 65 with eight birdies to establish a baseline of 14-under as the number to beat. Ciganda made it to 15-under with her birdie on 17, then calmly sank her putton 18 to earn a second straight birdie and two-shot lead on the field. For closest pursuer Hye-Jin Choi, who had an eagle on the par-five fourth, that proved too much to overcome. The South Korean, still looking for her first career win despite 23 top-10 finishes, had been at 15 -nder for much of her back nine, putting her in a strong position going into the 17th. But she settled for a five-shot bogey on that hole, leaving her needing a little help on 18. Instead, Ciganda netted another birdie on 18, putting Choi in the uncomfortable position of needing an eagle, which she couldn't land. Choi sank birdie on 18 to finish four-under 68, leaving her alone in second at 15-under. Lee finished in third, while three golfers tied for fourth at 13-under: France's Celine Boutier (67), Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70) and Lexi Thompson.
RTÉ News
18 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Lexi Thompson among six at summit for Meijer LPGA Classic finale
Six players, including Lexi Thompson, are tied at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds of the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan. Thompson carded a four-under 68, as did co-leaders Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark and Paraguay's Sofia Garcia. Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom tied for the best round of the day on Saturday, carding a five-under 67, while South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi and Spain's Carlota Ciganda each posted a three-under 69 to create the six-player logjam. "Of course it was a close call last year, but it's fair game tomorrow," said Thompson, who lost to Lilia Vu in a playoff at the Blythefield CC layout in 2024. "Everybody is going to come out swinging. Good weather tomorrow, so I know birdies will have to be made and I'll have to go pin-seeking. I will hope for the best, go out there and embrace the opportunity, and really love on the fans." Thompson, who has not won on tour since 2019, recorded seven birdies and three bogeys and finished with birdies on 16 and 18. Sagstrom dazzled the crowd, producing eagles on the fourth and sixth holes, sandwiched around a birdie on the fifth. The 2025 LPGA Match Play winner, who holed out from the fairway on the sixth, got to 12 under with a birdie at 14, but bogeyed the par-4 16th hole to drop to 11 under. Sagstrom will be paired with Thompson and Koerstz Madsen in the final threesome of the day on Sunday. Australia's Karis Davidson is two strokes behind at nine under, while four players - including Megan Khang - are tied at eight under. Wei-Ling Hsu of Chinese Taipei tied Sagstrom for the low round of the day and is tied for 12th at 7-under par. enduring a fourth missed cut in a row on tour following Friday's second round.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Leona Maguire misses cut at Meijer LPGA Classic as quartet crowd summit
Leona Maguire missed the cut at the Meijer LPGA Classic as a second-round 73 ensured that she will sit out the weekend in Michigan. The Cavan native had been hovering just outside the cut mark after opening with a 72 on Thursday but she was unable to improve on that through Friday to finish one over for the tournament in a tie for 87th at the halfway mark and, crucially, outside the one-under cut-off point. It is her fourth consecutive missed cut as she seeks form ahead of next week's major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship as well as the KPMG Women's Irish Open at Carton House on the first week of July. Meanwhile, Spain's Carlota Ciganda and South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi each had five-under-par rounds on Friday to forge a four-way tie atop the leaderboard. They are tied with France's Celine Boutier, who carded a four-under 68 for the second straight day, and Australia's Karis Davidson (70) at eight under. Ciganda, who missed the cut at last week's US Women's Open, shook off a slow start with three pars and a bogey to score three birdies over her next five holes before going on a heater with three straight birdies over her back nine and an additional birdie two holes later. "I hit it pretty close and made a couple good putts that gave me confidence," Ciganda said. "Yeah, I felt pretty good out there." She finished her day with par-bogey-par to complete an up-and-down day that was very much more up than down. "I always feel comfortable in this golf course. I enjoy coming here and I seem to do well here." Choi, by comparison, was the picture of consistency, suffering a single bogey on the par-3 11th. Beyond that, she was at or under par on every hole, netting birdies on holes one, four, six, eight, 16 and 18. Despite 23 top 10 finishes, Choi, 25, is still seeking her first career win. "Today the goal for my round was to be bogey-free, and I tried to be very calm during the round, so it was a good round today," Choi said. The much-accomplished Boutier (six LPGA wins), finished well out of the running in a tie for 53rd at this event a season ago. But she's been rock-solid this go around, carding seven birdies with three bogeys to hit 68 two days running. "For the past few weeks my game has been pretty solid," Boutier said. "I just feel like it's coming together kind of slowly, so hopefully a few good results here and there will help me build some momentum." Davidson, 26, shares the lead on the strength of a sizzling opening round that featured six birdies and no bogeys. Seeking her first career win as well, she had three birdies and a bogey on Friday. "I think this is the first time I've been tied for first in an LPGA event after two rounds, so, yeah, I'm just really excited that I wasn't fighting for the cut," Davidson said. "It was a bit of a different feeling out there." A staggering 20 golfers are within three strokes of the leaders. Six golfers are a single stroke back: Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Lexi Thompson (69), Amanda Doherty (69), England's Bronte Law (69), Australia's Minjee Lee (70) and Paraguay's Sofia Garcia (71).
