Lexi Thompson looked like she might sprint away from the field early on at the ANA Inspiration. From her command with the putter to the way she muscled the ball out of the Bermuda rough, Thompson tackled September desert golf in a way few can.
Two stunning shots into the water – on the sixth and the 18th, however, derailed the momentum. She finished with back-to-back birdies for a 2-under 70, two back of a star-studded leaderboard at Mission Hills that includes No. 2 Danielle Kang and Brooke Henderson.
There have been plenty of changes for Thompson in recent weeks. A new caddie in John Killeen. Changes to her putting grip and stance and, as Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz reported, a return to her old coach, Jim McLean. This is Thompson’s first event back since a missed cut at the AIG Women’s British Open and a rules controversy in which she was ultimately cleared from the R&A.
LEADERBOARD: ANA Inspiration
“The claw worked great for about a four-week stretch last year, and kind of just fizzled out,” said Thompson, who now has her left index finger over her right hand. “But that’s golf. Sometimes you just need a little bit of a change, and then I changed to the SIK putter so that’s in the bag this week. A few changes out there, but it’s for the better.”
McLean said Thompson came out for a three-hour lesson. The pair hadn’t worked together in years. She was worried about losing the ball to the right, he said, and essentially couldn’t feel her swing.
“Just coming to see me,” said McLean, “she felt comfortable.”
After watching @Lexi this morning at @ANAinspiration with veteran John Killeen on her bag, we see her former caddie Benji carrying for @Kevin_Chappell early in the @SafewayOpen coverage.
— Grant Boone (@grantboone) September 10, 2020
They looked at some old swing footage he had catalogued and came up with a plan. McLean strengthened her grip a bit. They focused on hitting the center of the club face. She had a move ahead of the golf ball, he said.
“These are minor things,” said McLean, “but as you know, when you tune up a Ferrari, it’s just a little bit of this and that. You’ve got to test the right points.”
Thompson won the ANA six years ago and lost a heartbreaker in 2017 after she received a four-stroke penalty mid-round on Sunday. She has five top-7 finishes at the event in the last six years.
Asked after the round if she thinks back on the near-misses or has any regrets, Thompson said no.
“I’m here today,” she said. “That’s all that matters.”
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