AFTER SHOOTING A 5-under 67 in the second round of the Navistar LPGA Classic on Saturday, American Lexi Thompson, who turned 16 in February, looks to be poised on the verge of a historic victory.
Should the teenager’s current five-shot lead prove enough to see her over the line, she would become the LPGA Tour’s youngest winner by a margin of approximately two years.
“I always go into every tournament wanting to win,” Thompson said. “I’m at 15, so my goal is to take it one shot at a time and try to get it to 20.”
Paula Creamer set the age record for a multiple-round tournament when she won the Sybase Classic in 2005 at 18 years, 9 months and 17 days. Marlene Hagge was 18 years and 14 days old when she won the single-round Sarasota Open in 1952.
Thompson, who led by two after the second round, had four consecutive birdies on Nos. 6-9 and recorded six overall Saturday. She bogeyed the par-4 18th.
“It’s incredible,” said Juli Inkster, a Hall of Famer with 31 career victories who said she started playing when she was 15. “They’re just starting younger and they’re just so much better.”
South Korea’s Meena Lee is second, and Tiffany Joh, Karen Stupples and Becky Morgan are tied for third at 8-under 208.
If Thompson wins, she will not receive automatic LPGA Tour membership because of her age. Thompson would have to petition the LPGA for an exemption of its 18-year-old age requirement.
The LPGA already granted her petition for qualifying school, an event she won by 10 strokes.
– additional reporting from the AP
