Lexi Thompson, teamed with Megan Khang, comes agonisingly close to collecting first LPGA win in 6 years

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[PHOTO: David Berding]

Lexi Thompson came agonisingly close to winning again, but she did her part to try to raise another trophy. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Playing in a team format at the Dow Championship, Thompson made a birdie putt on the par-3 18th hole at Midland Country Club in Michigan. She punctuated it with a fist pump for a one-shot lead with teammate Megan Khang, who appropriately called their team Biggie Smalls because of their height difference.

Sticking to their game plan from the week, Thompson hit the tee shot on the first playoff hole at 18 to about five feet but, under the alternate-shot format, Khang missed the putt and another chance for a Thompson victory vanished.

Korean golfers Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im won on the first playoff hole, the first victory of each of their young careers. They had two holes to play after Thompson putted out for birdie on the final hole of regulation. Lee made a birdie putt on the 17th hole to tie, but Team BTI failed to birdie the final hole to walk it off, setting the stage for a playoff.

Thompson and Khang went first in the playoff. Lee answered Thompson’s towering tee shot but left a longer putt for Im, which she made from eight feet. Khang then missed the short putt to extend the festivities.

It’s another second-place finish for Thompson. Since her last win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in 2019, Thompson has finished second place a whopping 11 times.

Asked about their approach for who would tee off on the extra frame, Khang said: “[Lexi] had been hitting so good on 18. Again, we hit such great shots in regulation I don’t think it would have been too big of a deal. We stuck with the game plan that we decided at the beginning of the week, and Lexi hit a great shot in.”

Khang was then told that there were chants of “Clutch Khang” on the playoff hole, and Khang’s disappointment was palpable as she replied: “I don’t know if that’s true anymore…”

Thompson is now 0-for-6 in playoffs in her career, but this team format is a different animal.

“Lexi hit it really near the pin, but Somi doesn’t care and hits it [close] to the pin,” Im said. “I said, ‘Just go for it.’”

Thompson and Khang were graceful in defeat, but it still has to hurt. Thompson has won 11 times in her LPGA career with one of those a major, but she hasn’t won in six years and is playing fewer events and getting married later this year. Khang has won once. Im and Lee became the 17th and 18th different players on tour to win this season and are also the tour’s sixth and seventh first-time winners this season. They both collected $US399,510 in winnings from the $US3.3 million purse.

This was the first playoff for the Dow Championship, and there was no visible frustration for Thompson, who hasn’t said when she’ll play next. The tour is now off for a week and then comes the European swing and the last two majors of the year, the Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open.

Thompson has played well in majors this season with a tie for 14th at the Chevron Championship and tie for 12th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She missed the cut at the US Women’s Open and just missed out on one more victory today.

“It’s incredible. Megan played some amazing golf this week,” Thompson said. “I pulled together some good golf today. It’s just great to be alongside her. We have a lot of laughs and in between shots we are relaxed and have a good time. Like she said, ham and egged it and had a good finish here.”