Thompson takes first-round lead in Naples

 

The 2018 champion of the LPGA Tour’s season finale got off to a hot start with five birdies through her first seven holes, and after a lone bogey on No. 9, Thompson rebounded with birdies on Nos. 12, 17 and 18 to take the solo lead heading into the second round.

“It was great just being out here. I love coming to Naples. It is definitely one of my favorite events,” said Thompson, whose 65 is her lowest 18-hole score of 2020. “It's a lot different now just not having my whole group of family that always come this week, but we're just happy to be playing this week and my brother and I had a lot of fun.”

 

Thompson has recorded four top-six finishes in six starts at this event and has averaged 2.58 strokes under par per round since 2014 at the CME Group Tour Championship. Thompson has her brother, Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Thompson, back on the bag after he last caddied for her at the Pelican Women’s Championship presented by DEX Imaging and Konica Minolta, where she finished in a tie for 27th. Curtis also caddied two years ago in Naples, when Lexi claimed her 10th career victory.

 

“It's great to have him on the bag. I always cherish every opportunity we get to spend together. But to have him out there, he's always joking and keeping me loose,” said Thompson. “Obviously playing great helps. Always keeps a smile on the face. I just wanted to go into this week and just play relaxed golf. I've been stressing a lot just trying to get my game where I think it should be, but instead I just went out and tried to have fun with my brother on the bag.”

 

Sitting in solo second is Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who recorded one of four bogey-free rounds at Tiburon Golf Club on Thursday. Starting on the back nine, Koerstz Madsen recorded six total birdies, including five of them through Nos. 15 - 2. This is only her second appearance in the Tour Championship,

 

“I feel good. I was a little shaky on my driver going into the event, and putting as well actually. So now it is always nice to start off with a good round,” said Koerstz Madsen. “I don't have any expectations. I just want to go out and play and see if I can do good mentally.”

 

Three players sit in a tie for third at -5: Caroline Masson, Megan Khang, and defending champion Sei Young Kim. Rounding out the top-10 is six players in a tie for sixth, including 2014 champion Cristie Kerr and Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who played her way into this event through three tournaments in 2020 starting at the Pelican Women’s Championship.

 

THOMPSON ON TOP AT CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP  

The game is filled with anecdotes of players practicing in the dark, practicing after wins, practicing beyond all reason. Ben Hogan supposedly hit balls until his hands bled. Whether or not he actually did, the imagery – a lone figure on the range, one swing after another, digging the game out of the dirt - has captured the imagination of golfers for more than 70 years.  

 

On Thursday at the CME Group Tour Championship, Lexi Thompson casually mentioned doing the same. “I hit balls until my hands started bleeding,” Thompson said. “I had blisters and they started to bleed. I'm like, ‘Okay, maybe I should stop.’”   

 

Unlike the stories of Hogan, Thompson had the bandages on her fingers to prove it.  

 

“I've been working so hard on my game in general trying to improve on it, and it's been kind of an up and down roller coaster with an unfortunate week last week,” Thompson said, referring to her missed cut at the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston. “But I've worked extremely hard this last week coming into this (event), so I’m very happy with how today went and how I committed to my shots.”   

 

The “today” she referenced was a 7-under par 65 at Tiburon at the CME Group Tour Championship, a round that included eight birdies – five in a six-hole stretch on the front nine - and one bogey. It’s early, but the Thompson who teed off in the opening round looked more like the player who ascended to No.2 in the Rolex Rankings in 2017 and was one short, missed putt on this golf course away from ascending to No. 1 than she has throughout 2020.  Since that moment in 2017, Thompson has been up and down, hot and cold. She won the CME Group Tour Championship in 2018 and the ShopRite Classic in 2019 but also fell to 11^th in the Rolex World Rankings and entered the week with only two top-10 finishes this season.  

 

To read more of Steve Eubanks’ column on LPGA.com, click here: https://www.lpga.com/news/2020/thompson-on-top-at-cme-group-tour-championship-after-round-1

 

SEI YOUNG KIM RISING ABOVE PRESSURE AS DEFENDING CHAMPION AFTER DAY ONE

For a moment on No. 18 at Tiburon Golf Club, those watching off the green were reminded of 2019 as defending champion Sei Young Kim nearly drained another long putt from just off the back left fringe, similar to her 25-foot putt on the 72nd hole last year. Kim said she also felt nostalgic throughout her first round, which propelled her to a 5-under 67 to sit in a tie for third at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“It feels very good [to be defending],” said Kim, who played alongside fellow Rolex Player of the Year Award contenders Inbee Park and Danielle Kang. “Because I play with Inbee and Danielle, and those are really good player and then, yeah, then we play in the warm weather and it feels really good. [Last year’s] final round I made a long putt last hole, so when I was walking down hole 18, I was reminded of that memory. I was like, ‘Oh, it's already one year ago.’ Feels like time goes by so fast.”

Since her victory, which also awarded her the largest winner’s check in women’s golf history of $1.5 million, the 27-year-old has won twice in the 2020 season, including her maiden major championship victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. With one more opportunity to win, Kim said she’s far from resting on her laurels and even though last year’s memories are great, it is a new year with new possibilities in December.

 

“I think pretty similar,” said Kim of this year’s course conditions. “Greens are softer. I think last night we got a little bit of rain, the greens so feel like little softer than yesterday. But, yeah, everything very similar.”

 

CIGANDA GRATEFUL FOR PLAYING IN NAPLES AFTER ELBOW INJURY

After playing at the Drive On Championship – Reynolds Lake Oconee, Carlota Ciganda ventured home to Spain before competing on the Ladies European Tour. Playing wall tennis with her boyfriend, Ciganda said she twisted her ankle and landed on her elbow, breaking a bone. The injury took at least four weeks to heal, before returning to the LPGA Tour at the U.S. Women’s Open. Despite a missed cut in Houston, Ciganda is grateful to be competing at the CME Group Tour Championship.

 

“To be honest, I'm just happy to be here,” said Ciganda, who recorded a first-round 68 to sit in a tie for sixth heading into Friday. “I did three weeks of rehab, lots of treatment and lots of exercises. You do anything to play golf, so I'm just happy to be here competing and playing this week.”

 

Ciganda is playing in her eighth CME Group Tour Championship, a tournament where she’s recorded two top-10 finishes including a runner-up performance in 2014. Closing out the year still playing in December is a different experience for the 30-year-old, but Ciganda said she likes what Tiburon Golf Club brings out in her game.

 

“I think the course is playing a little softer, so I think it's playing longer off the tee. But then you can be pretty aggressive to the pins, which is nice. But I think the score will be similar. Maybe couple shots lower. Depends on the wind and the pin positions next few days,” said Ciganda, who carded five birdies in her first 10 holes. “I like how it's playing. You can be pretty aggressive, and that's always fun.”

 

KERR PERSEVERING THROUGH AT CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Cristie Kerr has been battling three dislocated ribs after an unfortunate golf cart accident before the start of Volunteers of America Classic two weeks ago and persevered through the pain at the U.S. Women’s Open to finish in a tie for 23rd in Houston. Now in her eighth CME Group Tour Championship, the 2015 champion recorded a bogey-free 68 to sit in a tie for sixth after the first round in Naples, Fla.

“I feel a little bit better today, but I just thought it was really important to get through last week. There were points where I didn't think that I was going to be able to, but I guess when they say there is a will there is a way,” said Kerr, who didn’t practice Tuesday upon getting to Tiburon Golf Club. “I think that day of rest really helped me, because as I played more in the pro-am, it hurt more, and so I kind of pulled out with five holes to go because I knew I had to save myself. I've been down this road before, and I know when you push it, if you have the opportunity to rest, you have to rest with this kind of injury. So feeling the way I did today, definitely was the right decision.”

 

An experienced Kerr, in her 24th LPGA Tour season, said despite the challenges, she knows what it takes to win. Being complacent due to poor health is not an excuse, says the 43-year-old.

“I need to hit it a little bit better. I know I scored well today,” said Kerr. “I got up and down a lot, chipped in for par once. But I need to hit it better and keep putting and chipping the way that I'm doing.”