Lexi Thompson mars her position in third round
American Lexi Thompson was in high spirits after grabbing a lead in the opening and second round of Navistar LPGA Classic 2012, but posting a 74 in the third round played into the hands of Stacy Lewis who was
quick to capitalise on this opportunity, walking away with the coveted title.
Thompson, who was defending her title at the Navistar LPGA Classic 2012 at Prattville, Alabama, convinced herself after she made a steady start that victory was not so far.
However, the third round saw the defending champion display a dismal performance and Lewis shoot a decisive 65, which turned the match into a nerve-jangling battle between the two Americans.
Despite Thompson having maintained her lead in the first two rounds, Lewis found it easy to surge ahead thanks to her sensible strokes on the greens.
Although Thompson shot a 66 in the last round in an attempt to get back in contention, Lewis kept the pressure intact by carding a 69 on Sunday.
The third round was the scene of relentless battle as most of the contenders in the roster tried to make a comeback. However, Thompson remained shaky right from the start of the round as she missed several
good chances to make a solid score.
She parred the first five holes on Saturday and carded her first bogey on the par-4 sixth. On the back nine, the Ladies professional Golf Association (LPGA) phenom remained under pressure, posting two birdies,
one bogey and one double bogey.
Commentators said that the soul-crushing defeat must be hard for Thompson as she was confident to defend her title. Most important of all, the American star managed to lead the leaderboard in the first two
rounds — something that put her in the strongest position.
Despite not being able to win at Navistar LPGA Classic once again, Thompson did not look like she had lost hope as she said while speaking to the media at the end of the event that she felt like she was “at
home” at Prattville.
“I have two weeks off and then I go to Malaysia, Korea, then Taiwan. Then I think I have a week off and Titleholders, hopefully Lorena's event and Dubai,” she said.
“It's great to be back in Alabama. I just love being here. The atmosphere and fans are amazing. You know, I feel like I'm at home”.
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