DANA OPEN PRESENTED BY MARATHON

September 3, 2022

Lexi Thompson

Highland Meadows Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. All right, here with Lexi Thompson. A phenomenal day. Right in the mix heading into Sundays. 6-under 65 today. Tell about your 9. You had an eagle today; a bunch of birdies on the card. Walk me through that eagle.

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, No. 9, they moved it up quite a bit to make it drivable for us. It was about 250, 251 front and I guess like 265 to the pin. It was into off the left, and it's a very risk-reward hole with a drop off over on the right.

I think it was actually probably only my second drive of the first nine, and I hit it very good. Nice flight. Ended up rolling about 20 feet just short of the hole and made it and walked off with a 2.

On my stat card I'm like, driver, green, in the hole. I'm like that's weird, on a par-4.

Q. 2 on a par-4, always strange. Walk me through the back nine. You birdied three in a row. I know didn't want to finish with a par on 18, but you had a heck of a shot on that hardpan lie. Just walk me through that.

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, the three birdies, you know, whatever the first one was, I hit a 2-iron off the tee and hit about an 8-iron to about 20 feet again and made the putt.

Next hole I hit a good 3-wood off the tee and hit about my 55 degree from 98 yards to about 15 feet and made that.

17, reachable par-5. They moved us up a little bit on the tee, but hit driver, 2-iron up to about 30, 35 feet. Didn't hit the best of first putts, but made my four-footer for birdie.

But I hit a great shot my third shot on 18; my second shot, not so much. I hit a great flop shot off the tight lie there. It was just so important to get good contact off that lie and give myself a putt.

Not the best position there, but I kind of deserved it after my second shot, be so I'll take my par.

Q. I mean, you're rolling it really well. I know you grind in your off weeks on your putting. What have you seen in those greens? Is it the lines? Is it the way they're rolling that's really been working for you?

LEXI THOMPSON: Well, they're rolling very pure. They're pretty quick. They firmed up over the week after the rain, so they've definitely firmed up.

But once you commit to a line out here you know it's going roll pretty pure. You know that takes that factor out of your mind, and that way you can just focus on your stroke and the speed. If you match those up and read the putt properly, you're all set.

Q. Sorry to bring up a subject you probably don't love talking about, but obviously been since 2019 since you won. When you get up near the top of the lead on a Sunday, is that -- do you feel like you press at all, like knowing that it has been so long or not?

LEXI THOMPSON: No. I'm just happy to be in the position.

Q. Yeah. How -- the eagle on 9 today...

LEXI THOMPSON: Uh-huh.

Q. The eagle and then obviously you had a great back nine. Did you feel like that was a huge jump start to the confidence?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely making that eagle there gave me a lot of confidence going into the back nine, just a little bit of extra momentum.

Obviously just trying to birdie that hole, making it drivable, but having that extra one with the eagle helps out that back nine. There is a few tougher holes on the back that you just have to get good drives on.

But ending on two par-5s, you know, you should have some birdie chances as well.

Q. This tournament this year is, I don't know, two months, six weeks later than usual on the calendar. It's been very hot obviously.

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah.

Q. Has the course played the same as usual in July?

LEXI THOMPSON: I'm going to say in other years -- I mean, other years I've played it probably firmer than what it is now, but we got that rain earlier in the week which softened it.

It's definitely firmed up just as the week has gone on. We've had some amazing weather. We can't ask for anything better than the last three days.

Q. Lexi, you tend to play this course very, very well.

LEXI THOMPSON: Thank you.

Q. It's been two years since you won. If you get yourself a victory tomorrow, how much do you think that's going to propel you for the rest of 2022?

LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, of course it will. But, I mean, I go into every tournament wanting to win. Yeah, it has not worked out the way I want it to in a few events, but that's golf. I think you never lose; you're always learning.

That's what I've taken from those experiences. There is always something to build on and learn from those days. It's golf. I mean, it's a crazy game. It can be with you one day and not the next.

So some days it's just your day.

Q. And just one more from me. Obviously the final group is going to be interesting tomorrow. You were always the youngest to do everything. Lucy Li is now kind of kind of (indiscernible) your record. What's it like to watch or play with somebody that kind of was in your shoes when you were a young kid?

LEXI THOMPSON: Oh, it'll be great. I played with her a little bit. Not so much out here, but I think everybody knows how amazing of a player she is. I think she's broken every record.

Just speaks wonders to the amount of work that she's put into her game, just the amount of talent she has. So I'm really looking forward to playing with her tomorrow, and hopefully just be a lot of birdies to be made.