Lexi Thompson in trio tied for Meijer LPGA Classic lead
Saturday 25 July 2015 13:10, UK
Lexi Thompson made six birdies in her opening eight holes en route to carding an excellent seven-under-par 64 to grab a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the Meijer LPGA Classic.
The 20-year-old American needed just 30 shots to reach the turn at Blythefield Country Club at Grand Rapids in Michigan and, after 36 holes, is level at nine under with compatriots Alison Lee (66) and Lizette Salas (69).
World No 13 Thompson was a little disappointed with her play on the back nine but she still completed her round without a single bogey on her card.
She said: "I wanted to make more birdies on the back nine. I hit it in the rough on a few holes on the back nine where I needed to hit it in the fairway to be able to make birdies.
"But I'm very happy with my round, don't get me wrong."
And she admitted that playing early in the day was a contributing factor for her low score.
She added: "Playing in the morning without the wind, the greens are a little bit softer, so it was easier to just control the way your irons are going to bounce into the green.
"The greens were rolling really well out there early in the morning so it was nice.
"I played in the afternoon yesterday and it got pretty windy, especially on my second nine. The greens were just kind of baked out, they were bouncing out a lot. It was hard to get distance control down."
South Korean world No 1 Inbee Park is five shots off the pace following her second round 68 which has left her in a tie-for-18th.
She said: "I got off to a really good start the last couple of days but just couldn't do anything on the back nine.
"That's been the problem. I feel I'm rolling the ball better. I've just got to hit it a little bit closer to give myself a lot of opportunities over the weekend and then you just never know."
Park is level with Jodi Ewart Shadoff who is the leading Brit going into day three.
Top 10 after 36 holes (US unless stated):
-9: Lexi Thompson (64); Alison Lee (66); Lizette Salas (69)
-8: Kris Tamulis (68); Gerina Piller (65); Jaye Marie Green (69); Wei-Ling Hsu (Tpe) (69); Kyu Jung Baek (Kor) (68)
-7: Kim Kaufman (67)
-6: Lisa Ferrero (66); Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) (66); Katy Harris (68)
Watch live coverage of the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sky Sports 4 HD via the Red Button from 8pm on Saturday.
