Lexi Still Leads Navistar LPGA Classic


Seventeen-year-old Lexi Thompson posted a 3-under 69 Friday to maintain the lead in the Navistar LPGA Classic. The $1.3 million, 72-hole event began Thursday on the Senator Course at Capitol Hill - a part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - in Prattville, Ala.

Thanks to the 9-under 63 she fired Thursday, the Coral Springs, Fla., native and defending champion stands at 12-under 132, one stroke ahead of South Korea's Mi Jung Hur and American Mindy Kim, who both carded 65s.

Thompson had four birdies and a bogey, with the latter - her first bogey of the tournament - coming on the par-3 seventh hole.

After just one birdie on the front nine, the 22-year-old Hur got rolling on the back with five straight birdies to start the inward half and another on the par-3 16th.

Kim, who was born in South Korea but moved to California as a young girl, also played well on the back nine after going out with two birdies. The 23-year-old, who had four top-10 finishes in 2011, reeled off five birdies on Nos. 10-14 followed by a par, birdie on No. 16 and a bogey six on the par-5 17th for a 31 on the home half.

Sharing fourth at 134 are Hee Young Park (69) of South Korea and American Lizette Salas (69), while another stroke back are Americans Gerina Piller (67), Angela Stanford (68) and Sydnee Michaels (68) and Canadian Lorie Kane (68).

Leslie Gulbis carded her second straight 68 and is now at 136, four strokes behind Thompson.

With a few players still on the course as this report went to press, the tentative cut line was even-par 144. Among the players staying around for the weekend are No. 1-ranked Yani Tseng, who's shot rounds of 71 and 70, and Michelle Wie, who followed up her opening 71 with a 73.

For updated scoring, visit http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/Leaderboard.aspx.