SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina -- Lexi Thompson can't open up a Band-Aid. On the 18th tee box in the middle of a humid, 95-degree day during the first round at the U.S. Women's Open, the sixth-ranked player in the world is going through a relatable problem: the back of her shoe is digging into her heel and the white glove on her left hand is not letting her get the relief she needs.
Thompson laughs at herself. Her caddie, Will Davidson, chuckles and helps her peel it off. It's not the first or the last time the two share a moment of levity in the middle of her opening-round 68 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.