LEXI Thompson of the United States upstaged an illustrious field to lay her hands of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia
title with a super four stroke victory at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club yesterday,
The 18-year-old lanky golfer only had two-under 69 in the final round, but her hard work in the earlier three rounds
saw her win with a whopping 19-under 265 total for a purse of US300,000.
Coming in a distant second was Feng Shenshen of China who had a final round of four-under 67, for a total of 15-
under 269 and pocketed US186,577. Her blemish free round had birdies on the first, sixth, 16th and 18th.
Lexi is no stranger to pulling of surprises, as in 2011 and only 16-years-old, she won the Navistar Classic LPGA
event as a non-member. She turned pro in 2010.
So, officially, the LPGA Malaysia is her first victory as a card-carrying member.
She also set a record for winning score at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia with 19-under-par 265. Previous best
was 15-unders set by South Koreans' Park Inbee (2012) and Choi Na Yeon (2011).
In a nutshell, this year she played in 19 events, made 16 cuts, won one, and had five top-10s for an earning of
$944,631,
"Words can't describe my feeling now, as walking up the 18th tee and knowing that I had already won the title was
really sweet. I worked hard on my short game over the year and Im really happy with my improvement, and its me to
keeep on trying to improve and win more tournaments.
"It took me a long time (two years) to win my second title, but it is really special as this tournament, which is one
of the best run around, and with the best players in the fray, this one is really special," said Lexi.
And what is she going to do witht the money?
"I think I will go shopping for a new car, and the Skyline (Nissan GTR) I saw at the KLGCC parking lot looks like a
good buy," said the American.
Shenshen summed up the feeling of the field, when she declared that finishing second behind such a young
player has made the entire field look like a bunch oldis.
"Lexi is only 18 and looking at her swing for the last four days, without a hint of being tired, has made me and the
others look like a bunch of oldies," said the China ace who is only 24 herself.
Shenshen had a final round of four-under 67, for a final total of 15-under 269. Her blemish free round had birdies
on the first, sixth, 16th and 18th.
But seriously, said Shenshen, the win is going to open the door wider to more teenagers from the United States to
turn pro at an earlier age.
"On the brigh side, Lexi's win will inspire more youth to turn pro, especially in the United States. And this only
means that the 'older' players need to work harder if they want to win tournaments," said Shenshen.
No stranger to victories, she entered the tournament with a win in the Reignwood LPGA Classic, and has 28 top-
ten with a total earning of more than US$3million.
Speaking impeccable English, she moved to the US in 2007 to enhance her golfing career.
"Finishing 19 under in this tournament is no easy feat, and even though many players here had more experience
than Lexi, they just could not match her drive, and her putting is simply amazing.
"But I also enjoyed myself here in Malaysia, as the food was delicious, and the people and shopping really good.
I always enjoy myself here in Kuala Lumpur as it is a nice city," said Shenshen.
And on the LPGA site, she listed one of the five things that she would like to do is 'meet Yao Ming and teach him golf'.
