In the blink of an eye, Lexi Thompson has gone from the youngest to ever qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 at age 12 (a mark since broken by Lucy Li) to preparing for her 14th career appearance in the hallowed championship. She will look for a third straight top-five performance in the U.S. Women’s Open this week at Champions Golf Club.
“It usually plays very long and very tough, it’s a mentally draining week but that’s as major championships are,” said Thompson, who secured a career-best U.S. Women’s Open result of tied for second in 2019. “There will be difficult shots out there and some bogeys, but you just have to continue with a positive attitude going into the next hole and know that you can birdie a few out there.
“My first U.S. Women’s Open I couldn’t reach a lot of the fairways, so it was a lot different than I’m sure for a lot of these first-timers out here this week.”
Thompson does come to Houston with a couple new assets to her game. She has a new putter in the arsenal and a fresh face on the bag in Tim Tucker, the full-time caddie for PGA Tour pro and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
“I’ve switched a few this year, maybe two or three. Trying to find something that I am very comfortable with,” Thompson said. “I’ve never used a [TaylorMade] Spider before, and I think I’m better with a bit more of a mallet in reducing face rotation. I changed a little bit of my setup, as well. Just moved a little closer to the ball.
“And Tim is great. He’s used to a whole different player. I don’t carry a yardage book so I usually just ask for the pin number and where I should land it, that’s about it. I like to simplify things. The first day that we went out, he has the air density and all that factored in. It was unbelievable. The first two holes he said it is going to play this number and I trusted it and hit it so close, it was a perfect number. I am truly amazed. Very talented and happy to have him out there helping me.”
For the first and second rounds of competition, Thompson will be joined by Nelly Korda and Heejeong Lim. The grouping will begin on No. 1 tee of the Cypress Creek Course tomorrow at 10:59 a.m. CT.
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