Lexi Thompson long overdue for U.S. Women’s Open triumph

Lexi Thompson will take a one-shot lead in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club, helped in large part by a new mindset on the course.

Lexi Thompson has seemingly never met a fan she didn’t like, a young girl whose day she didn’t try to brighten. She looks so carefree when surrounded by the kids who idolize her that it seems she doesn’t have a problem in the world.

But, deep down, Thompson struggled for far too long. She was too hard on herself, expected perfection with every shot, and when she didn’t get it, her game suffered. She knew she had to work on it, and that effort is paying off this week at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Thompson will take a one-shot lead into the final round looking for her first title at the tournament where she first stepped into the spotlight as a 12-year-old amateur in 2007. Still just 26, Thompson is already making her 15th appearance at the U.S. Open. She’s played 51 career rounds. The five-under 66 she shot on Saturday at Olympic Club was her lowest score by two shots.

Thompson didn’t have many opportunities to get down on herself in her spectacular third round. Putting has always been her weakness; she ranks 83rd on the LPGA Tour this year. But she got her round started with a lengthy downhill birdie putt on the fourth hole. She made the turn by holing out from just short of the green on the ninth to get within one of the lead held by Yuka Saso. At the par-five 17th, now tied with Saso, Thompson got to show off her power.

From 205 yards away, she hit her approach shot to 10 feet. While Thompson missed the eagle putt, she tapped in for birdie to take sole possession of the lead. She kept it by getting up-and-down from the rough over the green on the difficult 18th hole, finishing at seven-under and a shot ahead of Saso.

Thompson shot the only bogey-free round of the day. It’s been a long time since she’s enjoyed this much success at a major championship. Her lone major came more than seven years ago, at the tournament now known as the ANA Inspiration in 2014. It’s been four years since a rules violation cost her a second title. She hasn’t won any tournament in nearly two years. It’s a lengthy drought for a player who, with her long drives and smooth swing, has the ability to make the game seem easy.

Thompson recognizes she can win without being perfect

Golf isn’t easy, though, and Thompson knows that all too well. Her problems haven’t solely been technical. They’ve been in large part mental. In an effort to improve her mindset, she’s turned to John Denney, a performance coach who she first worked with in 2016 and now speaks to several times a week.

“Honesty, I mean, I haven’t really struggled but haven’t played to my standards and what I need and I just realized that I needed to change my mindset. It was only hurting me,” she said following her round on Saturday.

“Obviously I needed to work on some technical things in my game and everything. But the mental side, I think, was really getting to me. I was just taking it way too seriously and thinking that Lexi depended on my score. So it’s really hard for me to not think that, but I just got into a state, I’m going to hit bad shots, and it is what it is.”

Thompson will play in the final round with Saso and 17-year-old amateur Megha Ganne. She’s 18 holes away from proving to herself that she doesn’t need to be perfect, she can play with ease and with a calm mind and it will pay off in the end.

It’s taken her years to reach this point, but, back in contention for her second major championship, the effort is proving to be worth it. “It feels great,” she said. “I have been workly extremely hard in my off weeks that I do get…so it’s good to see the hard work paying off. But I have one more day ahead so just going to take it one shot at a time. It’s going to be a long day and see where it goes.”

That’s the thinking of a player who’s ready to win again, who’s gone far too long with her talent stuck at one major. Thompson is in a good place both on the course and off of it, and it could lead to her lifting the trophy she’s been chasing since she was 12 years old.

Then she’ll probably sign some more autographs.