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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Lexi Thompson played the back nine at Boca Rio Golf Club at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday and then hitched a ride on Greg Norman’s helicopter at the local airport. They stopped at Medalist to pick up Norman and then headed north to Orlando for Demo Day at the PGA Merchandise Show.
“I was a little nervous at first because I’ve never been on one,” said Thompson, “but it was pretty amazing, I’m not gonna lie. Going over the water and everything was beautiful.”
Thompson sat in the back while Norman was up with the pilot. She could hear their exchanges as Norman landed the helicopter. Asked if she’d ever considered following in the footsteps of Peggy Kirk Bell or Arnold Palmer in getting a pilot’s license, Thompson said no, “That scares me.”
Nothing to see here, just @SharkGregNorman arriving at Demo Day via helicopter for his time with @cobragolf. #PGAShow2020 #PGAShow pic.twitter.com/6x5eU6M5PC
— David Dusek (@Golfweek_Dusek) January 21, 2020
The new Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio marks the first time the LPGA has hosted an event in Boca Raton since 1989. Thompson lives 5 1/2 miles away from the course in Delray Beach. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes door to door, depending on the stoplights.
Thompson said she played Boca Rio twice ahead of this week. Both times the wind was blowing 35 mph. On Thursday, she’ll tee it up with Morgan Pressel, who also lives about 15 minutes away in nearby St. Andrews. Morgan’s younger sister Madison, a Symetra Tour player, is in the field as well. Both are members at Boca Rio.
“It’s probably one of the most difficult courses in the area,” said Pressel, “especially around the greens. Out there today, especially with it being so cold today, the greens almost went a little bit dormant and are super slick, so that will really I think make the rest of the week challenging.”
While Thompson’s mom, Judy, put in for 40 or so tickets for the week, Pressel said she’s been mostly passing them out to friends and family. Rounding out the 12:25 p.m. group is last week’s winner, Gaby Lopez.
Thompson plans to keep things low-key at her house in Delray. She’ll cook her own meals, go to her normal gym and hang out with her dog Leo. While she won’t be doing any entertaining, she will probably travel 15 minutes north to her parents’ house in Lake Worth to relax.
One thing she won’t be doing is watching brother Curtis on TV as he competes in Wednesday’s final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at Baha Mar. They’re a superstitious bunch, and since she was unable to watch coverage during previous rounds, she’s going to keep it the same and follow on live scoring. Curtis is inside the top 10 and within a few shots off the lead.
“It’s amazing what he’s done,” said Thompson. “Unfortunately, I got to see him go through some severe struggles with his game and mental state, but I just tried to be there for him. We all know – I know he’s the most talented person that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
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