Altvater: Lexi Thompson challenges but Stacy Lewis wins LPGA’s Mobile Bay Classic
Written by Fred Altvater | | BackNine@toledofreepress.comFinally the LPGA is beginning to get some fantastic finishes. Stacy Lewis collected her second official LPGA Tour win at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.
She shot a final round 3-under-par 69 to hold off hard-charging teenage phenom, Lexi Thompson.
Shouldn’t Lexi be more concerned with picking out a prom dress rather than which club to pull?
The Mobile Bay LPGA Classic was the eighth tour event of the year and it was only the third win by an American-born player.
Lewis moves to No. 6 in the Rolex Rankings. Christie Kerr at No. 5 and Paula Creamer at No. 10 are the only other American women golfers in the top 10.
This is exactly what the LPGA needs, two American women battling for titles.
Oh, by the way, did I fail to mention that No. 1 and the most dominating golfer in the world, man or woman, Yani Tseng took the week off?
Well, no matter; the ladies did not fail to impress.
Lexi’s final round 7-under-par 65 included seven birdies and no bogeys to close within one shot of the winner. Her fast finish provided some Sunday afternoon drama and forced Stacy to birdie 16 to secure the win.
Stacy Lewis is one of the most consistent players on the LPGA. She burst onto the professional scene by winning the rain-shortened LPGA NW Arkansas Championship in 2007 while still a student at Arkansas.
She won her first major championship, the 2011 Kraft Nabisco, by staring down Yani Tseng in the final round.
Stacy always seems to perform well in big events held on tough golf courses. She was runner-up at the first LPGA event of 2012 the Australian Women’s Open at Royal Melbourne.
The LPGA is definitely on the upswing, but for the trend to continue it needs its top American players — Paula Creamer, Christie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, and yes even, Michelle Wie — to perform well and start collecting titles.
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Tags: Fred Altvater, Lexi Thompson, LPGA, Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, Stacy Lewis, The Back Nine, Yani Tseng
