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Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Semi-retired Lexi Thompson heads into weekend at Women's PGA contending for another major
Semi-retired Lexi Thompson shot a two-under 70 in the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Friday to put herself in position to contend over the weekend for her first major title in more than a decade. After an even-par round Thursday, Thompson was bogey-free in the second round until her final hole. She finished two strokes behind first-round leader Jeeno Thitikful, the No. 2-ranked player in the world who hadn't yet teed off for her afternoon round when Thompson hit her approach at the 18th into the bunker but couldn't come up with yet another par-saver. It was a quick turnaround for Thompson after a six-hour opening round that ended early Thursday evening. And it was another steamy day Friday on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, with feel-like temperatures reaching 38 Celsius. Along with the warming temperatures, and caddies being able to remove their bibs while on the course, was the ever-present Texas wind that picked up throughout the day. None of 156 players played without a bogey in the first round, when the average score over 75. The 30-year-old Thompson, who has said last year was her final one playing a full schedule, is in her seventh tournament this season, including all three majors so far. Her only major victory was at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014, though her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 is the most by any player. Thompson missed the cut at the U.S. Women's Open three weeks ago, but last week was in contention in the final round before tying for fourth at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Her shots to save par Friday were maybe more important than the three birdies — the longest an 11-footer, with a 6 1/2-footer and nearly four-footer as well. Thompson was only 70 yards from the pin after her tee shot at the 10th, but hit her approach into the bunker and was still 43 feet away after knocking it out of there before a curling right-to-left putt. At the par-five 14th, her five-foot putt did a 360-degree roll around the lip before falling into the cup. When her approach at No. 18 landed in a bunker right of the flag, Thompson looked upward and then blasted 15 feet past the hole, unable to save par one last time. Only 15 of 156 players broke par Thursday. Thompson had one of the 10 under-par rounds in the early wave of 77 players Friday, the best being Charley Hull's 69 after opening with a 78.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Semi-retired Lexi Thompson going into weekend at KPMG Women's PGA contending for another major
Semi-retired Lexi Thompson shot a 2-under 70 in the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Friday to put herself in position to contend over the weekend for her first major title in more than a decade. After an even-par round Thursday, Thompson was bogey-free in the second round until her final hole. She finished two strokes behind first-round leader Jeeno Thitikful, the No. 2-ranked player in the world, who hadn't yet teed off for her afternoon round when Thompson hit her approach at the 18th into the bunker, but couldn't come up with yet another par-saver. It was a quick turnaround for Thompson after a six-hour opening round that ended early Thursday evening. And it was another steamy day Friday on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco, with feel-like temperatures reaching 100 degrees. Along with the warming temperatures, and caddies being able to remove their bibs while on the course, was the ever-present Texas wind that picked up throughout the day. None of 156 players played without a bogey in the first round, when the average score over 75. The 30-year-old Thompson, who has said last year was her final one playing a full schedule, is in her seventh tournament this season, including all three majors so far. Her only major victory was at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014, though her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 is the most by any player. Thompson missed the cut at the US Women's Open three weeks ago, but last week was in contention in the final round before tying for fourth at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Her shots to save par Friday were maybe more important than the three birdies – the longest an 11-footer, with a 6½-footer and nearly 4-footer as well. Thompson was only 70 yards from the pin after her tee shot at the 10th, but hit her approach into the bunker and was still 43 feet away after knocking it out of there before a curling right-to-left putt. At the par-5 14th, her 5-foot putt did a 360-degree roll around the lip before falling into the cup. When her approach at No. 18 landed in a bunker right of the flag, Thompson looked upward and then blasted 15 feet past the hole, unable to save par one last time. Only 15 of 156 players broke par Thursday. Thompson had one of the 10 under-par rounds in the early wave of 77 players Friday, the best being Charley Hull's 69 after opening with a 78.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Chevron: Five-time major winner tried everything before beating yips putting left-handed
Chevron: Five-time major winner tried everything before beating yips putting left-handed THE WOODLANDS, Texas – About five months ago, five-time major winner Yani Tseng started putting left-handed. When asked why after the first round of the 2025 Chevron Championship, she didn't sugarcoat. 'Long story short, I've just been really having trouble with my right-handed short putts,' she said. 'To be honest, I had the yips. I just couldn't make the short putts.' The 2010 Kraft Nabisco champion tried everything, switching hands, moving her legs around, a long putter. Actually, the long putter didn't make it into competition because she couldn't keep her hands from shaking. 'I can't even hold the putter," she said laughing, "I don't know how." Tseng, 36, said she has struggled off and on with the yips for five years and hoped that hip surgery might fix it. It's not brain surgery, good friend Suzann Pettersen quipped. Yani Tseng's new instructor is who first suggested putting lefty Tseng's new instructor, Brady Riggs, was the one who first suggested she try putting left-handed. After she hit the ball well at the AIG Women's British Open last summer but missed the cut, Tseng came to the conclusion that she'd never win another golf tournament putting right-handed. The first time Tseng putted lefty was at a tournament in Taiwan late last year, and she couldn't believe she left herself a dreaded 3-footer on the first hole. 'I'm like shit! I was so nervous,' recalled a smiling Tseng. 'So I stood over it, and I'm like, 'Oh wow, I feel good.' The feeling was gone, right away. On that day I didn't miss any putt inside 5 feet. That's how stupid our brain is. It's so easy to trick.' Tseng actually reads putts from the right side before stepping over to hit it from the left. She still needs to work on speed control and sometimes gets confused on left-to-right or right-to-left. 'I feel like I've given myself a second hope that I can still go out and win a tournament,' said Tseng, who opened with a 2-over 74 playing alongside No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul and clubhouse co-leader Haeran Ryu, who shot 65. Ryu told the media after the round that when she was younger, Tseng was her father's favorite player. A 15-time winner on tour, Tseng spent 109 weeks atop the world rankings from 2011 to 2013 and is four points shy of the LPGA Hall of Fame. One of four active players with three different major championship titles, she needs to win the U.S. Women's Open or Amundi Evian Championship to achieve the career grand slam. Golf Channel's Karen Stupples played against Tseng during her peak years and was out following her group on Thursday reporting on Ryu's red-hot round. 'Honestly, it was remarkably similar to what I was used to seeing from Yani of old,' said Stupples of her game from tee to green. Tseng was a club longer than Ryu and Thitikul and still capable of hitting it a mile off the tee when it made sense. 'When she had a straightaway hole, she hit one drive that was 20 yards past the other two,' said Stupples. 'The shot shape itself is every similar to how I remember watching Yani play in her prime.' The commitment and the confidence isn't the same as it was a dozen years ago, but Tseng hopes that comes with repetition. She'll play next week's event in Utah and then hopes to improve her status in the reshuffle. She can play the KPMG Women's PGA and British Open as a past champion and will play in a U.S. Women's Open qualifier on May 5 in Phoenix. "When TV was following me today, I played much better than when I'm by myself,' she said. 'I just feel more pumped up, like I want to show you. I just feel like I still have that inside of me, that I really want to show what I've got, but that takes a little time.'
