14-Year Old Thompson One Shot Off Lead at Navistar

NFL News - October 2nd, 2009 - Written by John

Even after Janice Moodie stormed through the course with a bogey-free 64 to take the lead at the Navistar LPGA Classic, even when prodigy Michelle Wie hit an eagle on a tough par-5, second-place Alexis Thompson was the talk of the town.

The 14-year old Alexis Thompson.

She created a buzz at the and made a name for herself Thursday, shooting eight birdies with only one bogey to finish the day with a 65, one shot ahead of no. 1-ranked Lorena Ochoa.

"Everything was working for me," said Thompson, who is in the ninth-grade. "My ball striking was good. My driver was a little off, but I'm not going to complain. I rolled my putter really good."

"It's amazing," Ochoa said on Yahoo! Sports. "I was warming up on the range when I heard that a 14-year-old was winning the tournament. It's very impressive. I wish her the best for the rest of the week."

For those who have been following the girl, her success is coming with little surprise. She has been running the junior circuit throughout Florida, winning tournaments since she was seven-years old and comes from a family with a golfing pedigree. Her brother, Nicholas Thompson, went to Georgia Tech and was named to the 2005 U.S. Walker Cup team. After finishing second on the Nationwide Tour money list, is currently in the PGA. In 2007, she became the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the LPGA Tour and was the second-youngest to ever to win an American Junior Golf Association tournament. On ESPN, Thursday, she was asked she first broke 80 and said she couldn't remember.

"I dunno," she said bashfully. "Maybe eight or nine (years old)."

She was able to improve her game thanks to her parents, who have shuttled her around the state in an almost family vacation manner, while home-schooling her. In 2007, they were asked by the Tampa Tribune about the trials gone through the get Lexi around to the different events.

'We love it,' her mother, Judy, said. 'It is our life. When we don't have something going on in golf, it's almost weird.'

She is now doing it on a bigger stage, just trailing Moodie, who is 36 years old.

"The thing is, I think she wants to beat me more than I want to beat her," Moodie told reporters after the round. "I used to be that age. I know what it’s like."

Thompson nearly missed the tournament, but made a last-second choice to make it to Alabama after her father, Scott, suggested it.

"My dad was like, 'You want to go and try to qualify for this event?'" Thompson said on Yahoo! Sports. "I was like, 'Yeah, sure, why not?'"

Ochoa is the defending champion and finished second in her last tournament. She is hungry, now winless since April. And with Moodie playing well, it will be tough to speculate whether Thompson will be able to handle the national attention she is receiving right now. But she's had a lot of practice, and a lot of time to get ready. This is what her parents were preparing for, after all.

To discuss this and other NFL related stories be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/