Ladies's PGA: Thitikul ups lead, Thompson in hunt

FRISCO, Texas — Semiretired Lexi Thompson is coming into the weekend contending for her first main title in additional than a decade, whereas Jeeno Thitikul prolonged her lead Friday on the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship.

Thitikul, the No. 2-ranked participant on the planet, completed a six-hour spherical Friday not lengthy earlier than sundown with consecutive birdies for a 2-under 70 to get to 6-under 138. She had a three-stroke lead over Rio Takeda (71) and Minjee Lee (72), and was 4 forward of Thompson (70) after one other steamy day on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.

“To be trustworthy, did not [think] it may be that good outcome on the market,” mentioned Thitikul, the 22-year-old searching for her first main win. “Particularly at this time simply mentioned to my coach, ‘Like if anyone can shoot underneath par at this time, that participant might be actually, actually nice.’ I am taking pictures 2 underneath par and I used to be like, ‘Wow!'”

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With the feel-like temperatures going over 100 levels and the ever-present Texas wind, solely seven of the 156 gamers who began the season’s third main have been underneath par via two rounds. There have been no bogey-free rounds this week.

There have been 15 gamers underneath par after the primary spherical, when Thitikul’s opening 68 put her a stroke forward of fellow North Texas resident Lee.

Thitikul, a five-time winner from Thailand, was in the identical group the primary two rounds with top-ranked Nelly Korda, whose solely two birdies Friday came visiting the ultimate three holes. Korda had a 74 and is 2 over for the week.

Although Thompson is not enjoying a full schedule, she nonetheless practices and works on her recreation just about on a regular basis when at house.

“Any time I tee it up I need to come out right here and compete and win. I simply need to ensure that I am absolutely prepared each time I tee it up,” Thompson mentioned. “Yeah, I imply, it put my thoughts extra comfy popping out right here figuring out that I am not enjoying a full schedule, grinding week in, week out, and looking out ahead to the weeks off.”

After an even-par spherical Thursday, Thompson was bogey-free within the second spherical till she hit her strategy on the 18th into the bunker and was unable give you yet one more par saver.

The 30-year-old Thompson is in her seventh match this season, together with all three majors to date. She indicated that she is going to play once more subsequent week on the Dow Championship in Michigan earlier than “a very long time off.”

Her solely main victory was on the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2014, although her 13 top-five finishes in majors since 2013 are essentially the most by any participant and amongst her 20 top-10 finishes in these occasions.

Thompson, whose final win in any match was in 2019, mentioned she is just not but permitting herself to consider what it could imply to win one other main. She missed the minimize on the U.S. Ladies’s Open three weeks in the past, however final week she was in competition within the closing spherical earlier than tying for fourth on the Meijer LPGA Traditional.

“It is simply one thing that I’ll take one shot at a time. Whenever you get to considering too far forward of time it simply will get to you, so I am simply actually going to embrace the second,” she mentioned. “Come out on the weekend and simply hope for the perfect, that is all I can do.”

There have been solely two gamers to go at the very least 10 years between main wins: Sherri Steinhauer (1992 du Maurier, 2006 British Open) and Juli Inkster (1989 Chevron, 1999 U.S. Open).

Thompson’s par savers Friday have been actually higher than the three birdies — the longest an 11-footer, with a 6½-footer and an almost 4-footer as effectively.

Thompson was solely 70 yards from the pin after her tee shot on the tenth however hit her strategy into the bunker and was nonetheless 43 ft away after knocking it out of there earlier than a curling right-to-left putt. On the par-5 14th, her 5-foot putt did a 360-degree roll across the lip earlier than falling into the cup.

“Made No. 10 much more tough from my drive,” she mentioned. “Hit an awesome drive and I obtained it fairly near the inexperienced, however they tucked the pin again proper over there, so obtained slightly grasping as an alternative of simply hitting it out to the left and ended up plugging it within the bunker.

“Saving pars on the market are big.”

Data from The Related Press was used on this report.