Las Vegas— Lexi Thompson survived a difficult round Thursday in the Shriners Children's Open before darkness ended it.
Thompson, the sixth woman to play a PGA Tour tournament and the first in five years, headlined this FedEx Cup autumn event.
After 16 holes, she was 1-over par and marked her ball, a 20-foot par putt on the 17th, and returned to play the first round Friday at 10:45 a.m. ET. Though keeping her score around par was difficult, she could still make the cut.
"I played decent," Thompson remarked. I had one terrible hole and several shaky strokes. Golf, though, was expected."
Thompson birdied two par 5s and made a birdie putt from 25 feet on the second hole to go into red figures. Only five of her 17 shots were inside 20 feet.
It appeared she may lose the round on the front nine. She was even par until she missed the par-4 seventh green with 12 feet to par. She missed that 4 feet away for a double bogey.
She was short in the rough on the par-3 eighth, chipped 25 feet by the hole, and missed her par putt 6 feet. Another double bogey, she made that to reduce the damage. She then hit a 3-wood on the par-5 ninth that rolled on the hard fairway into the green for a 30-foot two-putt birdie.
"I knew I could get a birdie as long as I hit that fairway," he remarked. I knew I could make birdie with 3-wood at the front of the green. Hit a solid drive and stuck to that 3-wood. Attempting eagle, but taking birdie."
She had few birdie opportunities, missing from 8 feet on the 12th and missing an 8-foot putt on the par-5 16th.
She tied for 76th when darkness halted play. Thompson triumphed despite playing late. The round began with high wind and cold temperatures. The afternoon air warmed and breeze died, making TPC Summerlin more tolerable.