Lewis Outlasts
Lexi In Mobile
MOBILE, ALABAMA | Stacy Lewis had to fend
off teenager Lexi Thompson down the stretch,
and her closing 69 was just enough to earn the
Texan her second career LPGA victory Sunday
at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.
Lewis held a five-stroke lead early in the
final round, but the hard-charging Thompson
tracked her down on the par- 5 16th. Lewis
made bogey on the 15th when her approach
found the water while up ahead Thompson two-putted from six feet for birdie on the par- 5 16th.
The two-stroke swing left the players tied.
Lewis reclaimed the lead with her own birdie
on the 16th and then parred out to secure the
title. Lewis was steady all week, posting rounds
of 68-67-67-69 for a 72-hole total of 17-under-
par 271. She earned $187,500, pushing her
season total to $436,746, good for fourth on this
season’s money list.
Although Thompson, 17, came up a little
short, she did atone for a mighty last-round
collapse a year ago at this event. Tied for the
lead after three rounds in 2011, she skied to a
closing 78, finishing T19th. But after opening
70-71 last week, Thompson played the weekend in 66-65 and nearly pulled out the victory,
finishing on 272. She banked $114,347.
France’s Karine Icher finished another
stroke back in third place at 15-under 273.
The victory was Lewis’ first since winning
the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. But she
has played steadily this season, collecting five
top- 10 finishes in eight starts.
“I feel like I’ve been close ever since then
but I haven’t been able to win, and people say I
