Latest news with #MeijerClassic
Washington Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
A year after playoff loss, Lexi Thompson back in contention at Meijer LPGA Classic
BELMONT, Mich. — Lexi Thompson was back in contention going into the weekend in her beloved Meijer LPGA Classic, a year after a playoff loss at Blythefield County Club. Making her sixth start of the season in a part-time tour schedule, Thompson birdied three of the last four holes in breezy afternoon conditions for a 3-under 69 and a 7-under total. The 2015 winner at Blythefield was a stroke behind leaders Karis Davidson, Carlota Ciganda, Hye-Jin Choi and Celine Boutier. 'The golf course is one thing. It's always in great shape for us, which we always look forward to,' Thompson said after the bogey-free round on the tree-lined layout. 'But the amount of support that the tournament gets and also how Meijer gives back to the community as well. It's not just a tournament. It's much bigger than that.' The 30-year-old from Florida won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles in 2019. 'Some days are harder than others and we get frustrated, but at the end of the day it is just golf,' said Thompson, also set to play next week in the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Davidson, playing in the second-to-last group off the first tee, birdied the par-4 16th and par-5 18th for a 70. 'We just really hung in there today,' Davidson said. 'Was a bit of a grind, and nice to get the couple birdies at the end.' Ciganda and Choi each shot 67, and Boutier had a 68, all playing the morning session. 'Coming here the week before a major obviously gives you confidence for playing next week,' Ciganda said. 'The course is one that I like. I enjoy coming here, and it's always fun playing in Grand Rapids.' Thompson was joined at 7 under by Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Amanda Doherty (69), Bronte Law (69), Minjee Lee (70) and Sofia Garcia (71). Grace Kim, also part of the playoff last year that Lilia Vu won, was 6 under after a 73. She bogeyed two of her last three holes to fall out of a tie for the lead. Mi Hyang Lee, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 75 to drop to 5 under. With the major days away at PGA Frisco, only three of the top 10 in the world are at Blythefield. Haeran Ryu, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the field, followed an opening 69 with a 74 to make the cut on the number at 1 under. Vu missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 75. ___ AP golf:
Associated Press
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
A year after playoff loss, Lexi Thompson back in contention at Meijer LPGA Classic
BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Lexi Thompson was back in contention going into the weekend in the her beloved Meijer LPGA Classic, a year after a playoff loss at Blythefield County Club. Making her sixth start of the season in a part-time tour schedule, Thompson birdied three of the last four holes in breezy afternoon conditions for a 3-under 69 and a 7-under total. The 2015 winner at Blythefield was a stroke behind leaders Karis Davidson, Carlota Ciganda, Hye-Jin Choi and Celine Boutier. 'The golf course is one thing. It's always in great shape for us, which we always look forward to,' Thompson said after the bogey-free round on the tree-lined layout. 'But the amount of support that the tournament gets and also how Meijer gives back to the community as well. It's not just a tournament. It's much bigger than that.' The 30-year-old from Florida won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles in 2019. 'Some days are harder than others and we get frustrated, but at the end of the day it is just golf,' said Thompson, also set to play next week in the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Davidson, playing in the second-to-last group off the first tee, birdied the par-4 16th and par-5 18th for a 70. Ciganda and Choi each shot 67, and Boutier had a 68, all playing the morning session. 'Coming here the week before a major obviously gives you confidence for playing next week,' Ciganda said. 'The course is one that I like. I enjoy coming here, and it's always fun playing in Grand Rapids.' Thompson was joined at 7 under by Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Amanda Doherty (69), Bronte Law (69), Minjee Lee (70) and Sofia Garcia (71). Grace Kim, also part of the playoff last year that Lilia Vu won, was 6 under after a 73. She bogeyed two of her last three holes to fall out of a tie for the lead. Mi Hyang Lee, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 75 to drop to 5 under. With the major days away at PGA Frisco, only three of the top 10 in the world are at Blythefield. Haeran Ryu, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the field, followed an opening 69 with a 74 to make the cut on the number at 1 under. Vu missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 75. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Good Grace: Aussies on fire at rich LPGA Tour event
Grace Kim has fired a sizzling seven-under-par opening round to spearhead an Australian blitz at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan. A year after losing to Lilia Vu in a playoff, Kim rattled off six birdies and an eagle at the par-5 10th hole in her round of 65 to be outright second behind South Korean Mi Hyang Lee. All up, five Australians occupy positions inside the top 15 at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont. Karis Davidson produced a bogey-free 66 to share third with Sofia Garcia of Paraguay. Dual major winner Minjee Lee and Gabriela Ruffels are a stroke further back in a tie for sixth after opening with 67s. Fellow Australian Cassie Porter continued her great start to her rookie LPGA Tour season with a 68 to be joint 11th. But leader Lee is the woman to catch after the Korean played a six-hole stretch in six under to set a cracking pace in the final event before next week's Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Only three of the top 10 in the world are competing at the $US3 million tournament. Haeran Ryu, the highest-ranked player at No.5, shot a 69 in the afternoon. Playing in the morning on the tree-lined course, Lee birdied holes five to eight, parred the ninth and eagled the 10th after surprising herself by reaching the green in two on the par-5 hole. "I didn't expect I can hit the green there for my second shot," Lee said. "But it was a great line and good hit with the three wood and I made the green. It was almost 24 feet, like right-to left-eagle putt. I didn't expect to make it." The 32-year-old capped the bogey-free round with further birdies on 14 and 17. "I missed only two fairways," Lee said. "I think that's a lot of help to hit the greens a lot, too." Kim chipped in for eagle on 10 and for birdie on 11 in her morning round. "That was a good start to the back nine," the Sydneysider said. "Just kind of saved pars early and then loosened up as we went on. That was quite nice." Vu opened her title defence with a five-over 77. With The AP
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mi Hyang Lee shoots an 8-under 64 to take a 1-shot lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic
BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea played a six-hole stretch in 6 under and shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic. Grace Kim of Australia was a shot back, a year after losing to Lilia Vu in a playoff that also included 2015 champion Lexi Thompson. Fellow Australian Karis Davidson, Akie Iwai of Japan and Sofia Garcia of Paraguay were two strokes behind at 66 in the final event before the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship next week in Texas. Only three of the top 10 in the world are at Blythefield County Club, with Haeran Ryu the highest-ranked player at No. 5. She shot a 69 in the afternoon. Playing in the morning on the tree-lined course, Lee birdied Nos. 5-8, parred the ninth and eagled the 10th after surprising herself by reaching the green in two on the par-5 hole. 'I didn't expect I can hit the green there for my second shot,' Lee said. 'But it was a great line and good hit with the 3-wood and I made the green. It was almost 24 feet, like right-to left-eagle putt. I didn't expect to make it.' The 32-year-old player capped the bogey-free round with birdies on Nos. 14 and 17. She won the last of her two LPGA Tour titles in 2017. 'I missed only two fairways,' Lee said. 'I think that's a lot of help to hit the greens a lot, too.' Kim chipped in for eagle on 10 and for birdie on 11 in her morning round. 'That was a good start to the back nine,' Kim said. 'Just kind of saved pars early and then loosened up as we went on. That was quite nice.' She won the 2023 LOTTE Championship for her lone tour title. The 22-year-old Iwai made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch from the eighth to the 14th, then rebounded from a bogey on 17 with a birdie on 18. Her twin sister, Chisato won in Mexico in May for her first LPGA Tour title. Chisato Iwai opened with a 73. Minjee Lee was at 67 with Caley McGinty, Ruixin Liu, Andrea Lee, Gabriela Ruffels and Jiwon Jeon. Andrea Lee was the only U.S. player in the top 11. Thompson shot a 68. Vu had a 77. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vu outduels Hull to grab lead at LPGA Ford Championship
American Lilia Vu grabbed the lead after the third round of the LPGA Ford Championship (Mike Mulholland) Two-time major winner Lilia Vu birdied three of the last four holes to seize a two-stroke lead over England's Charley Hull after Saturday's third round of the LPGA Ford Championship. The 27-year-old American, who also led by two shots when the day began, fired a four-under par 68 in firm and windy conditions to stand on 18-under 198 after 54 holes at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona. Advertisement "It was pretty difficult," Vu said. "Not only that, I feel like my ball-striking hasn't been as great the past few days but today it was good." Hull closed with a birdie to shoot 68 and stand on 200, putting herself in the final pairing with Vu, with Japan's Ayaka Furue and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen sharing third on 201. A fifth-place pack on 202 included China's Zhang Yahui, South Koreans Ryu Hae-ran and Kim Hyo-joo, American Allisen Corpuz and world number two Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand. A double bogey by Vu at 14 left her level with Hull for the lead, but the American birdied the next three holes to seize command. Advertisement "I feel like I got a huge stop sign after that," Vu said after her stumble at 14. "I was telling my caddie I just can't get the numbers right today. "He just said to me I'm just going to get you on the green and we can try to make the putt from there and that's exactly what we were doing." Sixth-ranked Vu, a former world number one, seeks her sixth LPGA title and the first since last June's Meijer Classic, her first event after a three-month absence for a still-nagging back injury. "I'm not thinking too much about it," Vu said of winning. "I'm just going to go out there and have fun." Advertisement World number 10 Hull seeks her third career LPGA triumph and first since the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic. Hull and Vu battled for the lead much of the day, the American answering whenever challenged. Vu birdied the par-5 second and sandwiched birdies at the fifth and par-5 seventh around her first bogey of the week at the sixth before closing the front nine with another bogey. That opened the door for Hull, who overcame an opening bogey with birdies at the second, fifth and seventh and another at the par-5 12th to match Vu for the lead at 15-under. Vu responded with a birdie at the par-4 11th and a four-foot birdie putt at the par-5 12th to reach 17-under and when Hull made bogey at 14, Vu's lead was up to three shots. Advertisement But Hull answered with a birdie at 16 and when Vu made a double bogey at the 14th they were again tied for the lead. Vu answered once more with a long birdie putt at the par-3 15th and tap-in birdies at 16 and the par-5 17th to reach 18-under and lead by three before Hull's closing birdie. js/bb
