Alexis Thompson, a 16-year-old US prodigy trying to become the youngest winner in the LPGA\'s 61-year history, fired a five-under par 67 on Saturday to share the lead at the Avnet Classic.
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| Alexis Thompson watches her tee shot on the 16th hole during the third round of the Avnet LPGA Classic at the Crossings Course at the Robert Trent Jones Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama. |
Thompson, who in 2007 became the youngest qualifier in US Women\'s Open history at age 12, was on seven-under 209 after 54 holes to match South Korean Song-Hee Kim at the top entering the last round of the USD1.3 million event.
"I just tried to play very consistent, play one shot at a time, be all in on every shot all the time," Thompson said. "I\'m just going in tomorrow and play consistent like I did the past two days, just go all in and be consistent."
The youngest LPGA winner to date is Marlene Hagge, an LPGA founding member and World Golf Hall of Famer who was 18 when she won the 1952 Sarasota Open.
Thompson, playing her first LPGA event of the season thanks to a sponsor\'s exemption, is not an LPGA member and has not petitioned the organization to join, which if approved could open the door for her to play more LPGA events.
"She\'s amazing," said South Korean LPGA veteran Grace Park, who played alongside Thompson on Saturday. "I think she\'s going to win this golf tournament. I\'m jealous."
A victory would help make her case, but the girl evaded the subject of LPGA membership like a cagey veteran.
"I\'m not looking that far ahead," Thompson said. "I\'m just going one hole, one shot, at a time and seeing what happens."
Sleeping on the lead was not a worrisome prospect either, Thompson claimed.
"Play consistent like I did the last few days and hopefully it\'ll all go well," she said.
Thompson birdied the fifth and sixth holes and answered a bogey at the par-3 eighth with a birdie at nine.
She made a 20-foot par save at the 12th, curled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 13th and dropped an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-3 14th.
"My putting was pretty good," Thompson said. "I dropped a few 15-footers, so that definitely helped me out. I came out of a few golf shots, didn\'t really trust them, but my putting definitely helped."
When Thompson sank an 18-foot putt at the par-5 16th to birdie the hole for the third day in a row, she matched Germany\'s Sandra Gal for the lead.
Moments later, Gal took a bogey on a two-foot par miss at the 11th hole and Thompson was alone at the top.
Kim, ranked 13th in the world, birdied the 15th and 16th for a two-under 70 that matched Thompson for the lead.
South Korean Amy Yang was one stroke off the pace on 210 with Britain\'s Karen Stupples, Sweden\'s Maria Hjorth and Norway\'s Suzann Pettersen another stroke adrift.
On 212 were Gal, South Koreans Hee Kyung Seo and Na Yeon Choi and Americans Angela Stanford and Paige Mackenzie.
