Thompson, Lewis share lead in low-scoring LPGA Bahamas opener

Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis are in rare territory in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. Sitting at 23-under 196 and tied for the lead, they’re the fourth and fifth players in tour history to be that low against par through 54 holes of an LPGA event, with the tour’s history dating back to 1950.

Thompson, in fact, had a chance to set the new 54-hole mark on Saturday at the Ocean Club Golf Course, needing birdies on the final two holes to secure the mark. However, she played the last pair in even par, ending up shy of the mark and tied with Lewis.

To go that low, Thompson has obviously rolled in a ton of putts. That’s historically not been a strong suit of her game, but a change in technique has her feeling better over the ball.

“I think I stood very far way, and now my eye is more over the ball and I’m taking it a lot straighter back than I was,” Thompson said Saturday, following 12-under 61 on Friday with 66. “I wasn’t confident with my putting, and now that I’ve changed that, I feel a lot more consistent with it and just a lot more confident.”

Lewis, who has finished runner-up 11 times since her last LPGA victory in 2014, knew the low-scoring trend set by Thompson and first-round leader Brittany Lincicome would continue on Saturday. She shot a tournament second-best 63, matched by 18-year-old rookie Nelly Korda, to pull even with the lead. With Lincicome and Gerina Piller just one and two shots off the lead, respectively, Lewis knows she’s the only short hitter with a good chance to win on Sunday.

“They have a pretty big advantage on the golf course, so I told myself to be aggressive, and I knew I needed to make birdies,” Lewis said, “and I’ve got to make some more birdies tomorrow.”

The winning score could well set the new LPGA mark for a 72-hole event, needing to reach 28 under. ‘

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports

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