LAS VEGAS — Lexi Thompson saved a tough spherical from getting worse and wound up holding her personal Thursday within the Shriners Kids’s Open till darkness saved her from ending.
Beau Hossler set the tempo by matching his profession low on the PGA Tour with a 9-under 62, which included a tee shot that discovered the water left of the par-3 seventeenth on the TPC Summerlin.
Thompson was the primary attraction of this FedEx Cup fall occasion, the seventh girl to play a PGA Tour occasion and the primary in 5 years.
She was 1-over par for her spherical by 16 holes and selected to mark her ball — a 20-foot par putt on the seventeenth — and return to complete the primary spherical Friday at 10:45 a.m. ET. Nonetheless in play was an opportunity to make the reduce, although it was arduous work to maintain her rating round par.
“I performed first rate,” Thompson mentioned. “I had one unhealthy gap and some iffy photographs. Nevertheless it’s golf; it was type of anticipated.”
Thompson took benefit on two of the par 5s for birdie, and he or she received a bonus with a birdie putt from inside 25 ft on the second gap that a minimum of put her in pink numbers. However by 17 holes, she had solely 5 possibilities inside 20 ft.
It appeared as by the spherical may get away from her on the entrance 9. She was even par when she got here up wanting the inexperienced on the par-4 seventh and had 12 ft for par. She ran that about 4 ft by and missed to make double bogey.
On the par-3 eighth, she got here up effectively quick within the tough, chipped about 25 ft by the outlet and left her par putt 6 ft quick. Going through one other double bogey, she made that to restrict the injury. Then, she drilled a 3-wood on the par-5 ninth that rolled on the agency fairway simply onto the inexperienced to arrange a two-putt birdie from 30 ft.
“I knew I may get a birdie so long as I hit that fairway,” Thompson mentioned. “I knew I may get 3-wood up near the entrance of the inexperienced and make birdie there. Hit an excellent drive and simply actually stayed dedicated to that 3-wood. Tried to make eagle, however positively take a birdie.”
She did not make one other bogey the remainder of the way in which, although she had restricted possibilities at birdies, lacking from 8 ft on the twelfth and leaving an 8-foot putt quick on the par-5 sixteenth.
When play was suspended by darkness, she was in a tie for 76th.
Thompson wound up getting the nice finish of the draw although she performed late. The beginning of the spherical was met by sturdy wind and chilly temperatures. The air warmed and the wind died for the afternoon, making TPC Summerlin somewhat extra manageable.
J.T. Poston had a 63 within the morning within the more durable circumstances. Hossler, who additionally had a 62 within the ultimate spherical of the 3M Open this yr, appeared notably sharp within the afternoon. He missed solely two greens and took benefit of the possibilities he had.
“Each a part of my sport felt good,” Hossler mentioned. “To shoot that low you have to have appears to be like. Some pretty stress-free birdies is sweet.”
His one mistake did not trouble him. The pin was reduce towards the left on the seventeenth, and it slopes severely down a slope towards the water. After his tee shot discovered the hazard, Hossler was in a position to drop close to the inexperienced and received away with a easy up-and-down for bogey. Then he holed a brief birdie putt on the 18th for his 62.
Cameron Champ had a 63 within the afternoon, whereas Davis Thompson and Lanto Griffin have been at 64. Ten gamers have been at 66 or higher on a course the place scores sometimes are low.
That provides to Lexi Thompson’s problem within the morning, when she has a putt on the seventeenth inexperienced, performs the 18th gap after which begins her second spherical.
Within the final 70 years, Michelle Wie was the closest to creating the reduce amongst ladies who’ve performed the PGA Tour. She missed by one on the Sony Open in 2004, when she was 14 and a freshman in highschool.
Thompson introduced a white golf bag to the match and had children from the Shriners Kids’s Hospital write messages on it. The sponsor exemption solely got here collectively within the final two weeks, and Thompson mentioned her hope this week was to be an inspiration to kids.
“Shriners does wonderful issues for these children, so I am joyful to be out right here and supporting them in any approach I can,” she mentioned.
