Erick Malpica Flores: Carlos Erick Malpica Flores: Lexi Thompson puts last year’s penalty ‘nightmare’ behind her in strong start to ANA Inspiration

Lexi Thompson leaves Michelle Wie in her dust to open the first major championship of the 2018 season.

If Lexi Thompson had any scars from that hellish four-shot penalty she incurred in the final round of the 2017 ANA Inspiration, the big-hitting LPGA star certainly did not show it in Thursday’s opening 4-under 68 that put her just two shots off the lead in the first major of the year.

Thompson, who earlier in the week spoke forthrightly about having “nightmares” in the aftermath of going from a two-shot lead to a two-stroke deficit down the stretch of last year’s event, completely out-slugged and out-scored her marquee playing partner. Michelle Wie got off to a good start with a birdie at No. 11 (the duo’s second hole of the day) but a bogey and two doubles before the turn put her in a spot she struggled all day to overcome.

After making the turn at 4-over 40, Wie carded two birdies and a bogey on the incoming nine and walked off the Dinah Shore Tournament Course with a disappointing 75.

But the day belonged to Thompson, who posted her lowest opening-round score in this tournament. Ranked 10th on tour in driving distance, Thompson consistently left Wie in her wake off the tee. Case in point — the third hole, on which Lexi blasted her drive nearly 350 yards down the fairway.


“I get to hit my driver a lot on this golf course,” Thompson said after posting her only bogey of the day on the par-5 ninth. “I feel very comfortable with it and this golf course definitely sets up for my game.”

Thompson, who hit seven of 15 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, also had her game in gear on the greens, where she needed just 28 putts to Wie’s 30.

The seventh hole pretty much summed up how the day went for each competitor. After a poor drive forced her to pitch her ball into play from beside a tree, Thompson somehow curled a mid-range par putt in the right side door.

Wie, on a similar line but closer to the hole, watched as her birdie effort took a last-second left-hand turn and did not drop.

“I was a little bit surprised [by Wie’s performance],” Golf Channel analyst Judy Rankin said. “I felt like Michelle would get off pretty well. She’s got a good start going for the beginning of the year and that win [Women’s World Championship] under her belt is a big deal.”

Thompson will hope to put on another stellar performance while Wie will have a lot of work to do to make the cut when the two resume play on Friday starting on the first hole at 11:30 a.m. ET.



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