Lexi Thompson inside top 10 in South Korea
American Lexi Thompson displayed a solid performance in the LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012. She recorded an overall 208 to finish tied for the fifth position along with Sandra Gal of Germany.
Thompson looked more confident than before when she entered the Ocean Course, Incheon, South Korea, last Friday, as she had vowed to do her best this time.
The American star got off to a sensible start as she posted a 68 in the opening round to put pressure on her rivals. She made perfect shots on almost all the holes on Friday, but missed a couple of chances as well.
The second and third round, however, did not go as good as she had hoped. She shot a 70 each in the last two rounds, which caused a little dent in her overall position on the leaderboard.
Commentators said that despite a fearsome roster that featured favourites like the current world number one Yani Tseng, who was also defending her title, Suzann Pettersen, Stacy Lewis and South Korean Na Yeon Choi, the young star did well.
Commentators pointed out that the second round decided Thompson’s fate in the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament as she missed out on several good opportunities to make a good score. Capitalising on those chances, they said, could have helped her rise on the leaderboard.
She carded five bogeys and seven birdies on Saturday. Although she handled the ball with great precision on some holes, sinking birdie-putts in difficult situations, a string of bogeys took a serious toll on her overall position and nerves.
Norwegian Suzann Pettersen amazed the South Korean spectators, beating her nearest rival Catriona Matthew of Scotland in playoff. Both Pettersen and Matthew carded an overall 205 each in the three rounds, and were then forced to move into playoff where the Norwegian star drained a birdie-putt on the third extra hole to lift the coveted title.
At the end of the second round that saw her shoot a 68, Pettersen said that she just held her nerve because the course conditions were a bit different compared with Friday.
“It just felt like I got out there this morning and I didn't really expect it to be as breezy as it was,” the winner said.
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