RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Lexi Thompson hit just half her fairways in Thursday’s start of the ANA Inspiration.
She missed seven greens.
Forget those numbers.
She opened with a 69. That’s the number that counts. A round of 3-under par gave her a share of the lead through the morning wave.
Welcome back to Lexi’s playground, where bomb and gouge is her favorite game.
Yes, this setup is tougher than any in recent memory at the year’s first major. The fairways are narrower, the rough is thicker and the greens are firmer, making birdies harder to come by.