Titanic Thompson

Titanic Thompson was a notorious gambler and golf hustler of the 1920-30's, but it seems a fitting name for Lexi Thompson, golf's newest major champion at the tender age of 19.  Having won three times previously on the LPGA, this win does not qualify as a major surprise, but the overwhelming display of power golf that left Michelle Wie in her wake does.

Sunday set up a very appealing final group with two of the premiere ball strikers on the tour, both of whom

suffer putting nightmares.  Both ladies managed themselves well on the greens, or at least didn't let their putters hurt their tee-to-green games.  But Thompson's driving was especially consistent, as it was almost a relief when on the back nine she missed a fairway by all of two yards.  And even with a 4-5 shot lead, the big dog came out on every driving hole.  

We've known for some time that Lexi is a big-time talent, with length to die for.  If she can be a Tour-average putter, this won't be her last major by any stretch.  The Tour is in great need for young, appealing talent to step up, and one hopes Lexi is part of that.  But as is often the case, the loser (to the extent second place in a major is losing) may be the more interesting story.

John Strege takes on the Wither Wie game story in a post at The Loop, though it's more valuable as a reminder of Wie's amazing performance as a teenage prodigy than for its insight as to where this leaves her:

It was here, rather than her nearly making the cut in a PGA Tour event at 14, that her real potential was evident. She was never qualified to play the PGA Tour, never would be, but she stood poised to conquer the world of women's golf. At the Kraft Nabisco, the LPGA's first major championship, she tied for ninth at 13, was fourth at 14, tied for third as a professional at 16.

A top ten at age 13 is just sick.  And I remember the third place at age 16, where an unnaturally hard bounce on her approach shot into the 18th green left her one shot out of the playoff.  

Strege continues:

Eight years later, she positioned herself to begin delivering on that potential. She was tied for

the 54-hole lead -- the first time she has led in a major championship since taking the first-round lead at the U.S. Women's Open in 2006. 

She was striking the ball well, hitting fairways and greens and putting reasonably well. Then Lexi Thompson steamrolled her on Sunday, adding to the list of unanswered questions about her career: How will a devastating loss prevailing over a breakthrough victory affect her psyche going forward?

This loss is no doubt disappointing to Wie, but I see no reason it should be devastating.  She got herself in position at a major, which is the hardest part, and got beat by the better player on that day.  She had a frustrating day no doubt, but struck the ball well from start to finish.  But this should be hugely encouraging for her and her fans, especially if she can keep it going.

Of course, you'll know that I do have some constructive criticism for the young lady...  First, one of things that I've always liked about her as a player is that you see her trying to hit golf shots, not just bomb it.  I think that 3-wood stinger she kept hitting is an extremely useful shot, and she's no doubt long enough not to need to bomb it.  But she was 4-5 shots behind a player on a roll, and at some point she needed to make birdies, if not eagles.  There's a point at which sticking to your strategy turns into stubbornness, and when you have a chance to win you need to reach for it.

Next, and of far greater importance, is the putting...  I just can't watch that hunched over stroke any more, and it's got to be hell on her back.  More substantively, she's what Judy Rankin called a dead-weight putter, trying to die the ball into the hole.  The only reason I can think of to die the ball into the hole is that you're terrified of a three-footer coming back, not a screaming-hot recipe for success on any tour.  I think the Quasimodo stance has to go, and she needs to work on putting much more aggressively, which I think will help with the short putts that she misses so badly.  

As for the tournament, this is the last year of Kraft's sponsorship contract.  It's easily the premier event on the LPGA tour (the only thing comparable is the Women's U.S. Open, run by the USGA), and Commissioner Mike Whan has indicated a commitment to keeping the event intact under new sponsorship.  There is precious little history or tradition on the ladies' tour, and one hopes a suitable sponsor (preferably not Pure Silk, Swinging Skirts or any of the other marginal names) will see the value in such a sponsorship opportunity.

And no discussion of this event is complete without the wet golf shirt traditional jump into Poppie's pond:

Lexi looks a tad apprehensive, wouldn't you say?