FRISCO, Texas – Semi-Lead Tire Lexi Thompson enters the weekend in a race for her first main title in over a decade, with Jeeno Thitikul extending his lead on the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship on Friday.
Thitikul, the world’s second-largest participant, completed the six-hour spherical simply earlier than sundown, with a 2-under 70 reaching 6-under 138.
“To be trustworthy, I did not suppose it will be a great consequence,” stated Thitikul, 22. “I simply advised my coach at the moment, particularly. I used to be taking pictures two regular pictures and it was like, ‘Superb!’ ”
With touch-like temperatures above 100 levels and Texas winds consistently current, solely seven of the 156 gamers who began the third main of the season have been over two rounds. There have been no bogey-free rounds this week.
After the primary spherical there have been 15 gamers with par. That is when Thitikul’s opening 68 places a stroke on her greater than Lee, who lives in North Texas.
Thailand’s five-time winner, Thitikul was with top-ranked Nelly Korda within the first two rounds in the identical group. Two birdies got here to the final three holes on Friday. The Corda has 74, with over 2 per week.
Thompson is now not enjoying a full schedule, however she is nearly all the time engaged on the sport when she’s nonetheless at house.
“At any time when I tee up it, I wish to exit right here and compete and win. I simply wish to ensure I am absolutely ready each time I tee it,” Thompson stated. “Yeah, I imply, figuring out I am not enjoying a full schedule, I really feel extra comfortable with my coronary heart right here and sit up for the week and the week.”
After Thursday’s even spherical, Thompson was bogey-free within the second spherical.
Thompson, 30, is collaborating in his seventh event this season. She confirmed she’ll play once more subsequent week on the Michigan Dow Championships earlier than “an extended trip.”
Her solely huge win was the 2014 Craft Nabisco Championship, however 13 top-five finishes within the majors since 2013 have been essentially the most of all 20 top-10 finishes in these occasions.
Thompson, who had her last victory within the 2019 event, stated she nonetheless did not enable herself to consider what it means to win one other main. She missed a reduce on the US Ladies’s Open three weeks in the past, however final week she completed fourth within the Main LPGA Basic after competing within the last spherical.
“It is me I’ll take one shot at a time. Once you’re pondering an excessive amount of upfront, it solely reaches you, so I am actually going to just accept the second,” she stated. “I hope I am out on the weekend and do the very best. That is all I can do.”
There have been solely two gamers in no less than 10 years between the key wins: Sherri Steinhauer (1992 Du Maurier, 2006 British Open) and Juli Inkster (1989 Chevron, 1999 US Open).
Thompson’s parsavers on Friday have been actually higher than the three birdies. It is the longest at 11 ft, with 6½ ft and virtually 4 footers.
Thompson was solely 70 yards off the pin after taking pictures a tee shot on the tenth, however was nonetheless 43 ft away after hitting her method into the bunker and knocking out of there earlier than a curl left-to-left putt. On the 14th, her 5-foot putt made a 360-degree roll round her lips earlier than falling into the cup.
“I went tenth from my drive,” she stated. “An amazing drive, I received it fairly near Inexperienced, however they pushed the pin over there, so as a substitute of hitting the left, I received a bit grasping and ended up plugging it in with the bunker.
“Saving pars there may be big.”
This report makes use of info from the Related Press.
