Time for the ladies.
While the images of Jordan Spieth’s high-flying back-to-chest bump with Michael Greller are fresh in our memory banks, it’s time to turn our attention to one of America’s great golf venues — Olympia Fields County Club outside Chicago.
It serves as the backdrop for the Women’s PGA Championship and this one will be overseen by the PGA Of America rather than the LPGA Tour, you know the LPGA — inventors of the first-ever four-shot penalty in the history of modern golf. We say “modern” but maybe we should say “ever” because no one from yesteryear was stupid enough to hit someone with a four-shot penalty.
That four-shoter, you may recall, cost Lexi Thompson a major championship at the ANA Inspiration, successor to the old Dinah Shore.
There will be no four-shot penalties this week, or ever again, hopefully, which means Lexi’s got a chance.
Olympic Fields is a long course for the ladies — it can play longer than 6,800 yards — advantage Lexi The Bomber.
The “betting parlor” Ladbrokes has installed Thompson as an 8-1 favorite. Ladbrokes is based in the UK and if we had to guess, it got its name because all the lads place their bets and end up broke!
Ariya Jutanugarn, last week’s No. 1 in the world who is now No. 2, is in there at 10-1. She’s so long she seldom hits driver, her three-wood sails past most of the competition on that tour. The new world’s No. 1, So Yeon Ryu, goes off at 12-1 with Lydia Ko.
Another bomber, an American as well, Michelle Wie is a longshot 33-1. No respect.
Which brings us back to Lexi.
She’s the favorite despite the fact that compared to the rest of her game, her putter is simply awful. Painful to watch. She can three-putt on a moment’s notice, especially when the heat is on. That’s what happened at the Manulife two weeks ago when Thompson three-putted the 17th and 18th holes then lost in a playoff to Jutanugarn. It may sound like a broken record but if this young lady could putt, no one would beat her.
But as Lee Trevino once said: “God did give anyone everything…..”
He gave Lexi extreme length but she was too far back in the line when He was passing out putting strokes.
Despite that, Thompson has become entrenched at No. 4 in the world behind Ryu, Jutanugarn and Ko, all of them can putt circles around Lexi.
Same for defending champ Brooke Henderson, who has good length, that funky swing action and putts quite well. She’s currently No. 12.
Thompson remains the highest-ranked American and the only one in the Top 10. Sadly, there are only four in the Top 25 — Cristie Kerr (14), Stacy Lewis (17), Gerina Piller (24) and Jessica Korda (25).
Piller could be a Top 10 player but she makes Thompson look like Jordan Spieth when it comes to the flat-stick.
Thompson has putted with her eyes closed, eyes open. She’s switched putters a bunch of times. A quick glance at her setup shows her hands lower than most good putter and her eyes are really far inside the golf ball compared to most accomplished putters.
You’d think she’d make a call to putting guru Dave Stockton. Hasn’t happened.
How will she fare this week?
She’s great to watch, but when she putts, you might want to close your eyes.
