Wie and Thompson Are Familiar Foes

Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie are in Saturday's final group at the U.S. Women's Open, just like they were during the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. (USGA/Kim Barney)

Saturday, June 21, 2014

By Greg Midland, USGA

Round 3: Live Scoring       Live Updates

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. – Saturday’s final grouping of U.S. Women’s Open 36-hole leader Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson, who is three strokes back, has injected excitement and intrigue to what was already a compelling championship.

The American stars, who both emerged onto the national stage before they were teenagers, have been playing at such a high level for so long that it is easy to forget how young they are – Wie is 24, Thompson is 19. And their list of accomplishments is remarkably similar (see chart, below).

As a 10-year-old, Wie became the youngest qualifier for a USGA championship at the 2000 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, an event she won three years later. She played in her first U.S. Women’s Open in 2003, at age 13, and was a regular in LPGA Tour events throughout her high school years. Memorably, she also came within one stroke of making the cut in the 2004 Sony Open in Hawaii, a PGA Tour event.

Thompson also has been comfortable playing against older competitors for some time. She qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open, held at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, at age 12, and hasn’t missed qualifying for the championship since. She also played in the 2010 Curtis Cup as a 15-year-old, going 4-0-1 to help the USA to victory. Thompson turned professional later in 2010 and became the youngest winner (16 years/8 months/8 days) of an LPGA Tour event the following year.

Wie and Thompson have already battled head-to-head in one major, the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, which Thompson won. The two were tied after 54 holes; Thompson shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 to Wie’s 71. 

It’s not a surprise that Wie and Thompson are ahead of the pack at Pinehurst No. 2. Both have the power and technique to compress the ball at impact and produce shots that have the trajectory and spin to hold the difficult greens, especially from the natural sandy areas, from which most players have struggled.  

So what should we look for as this marquee pairing begins their third round at 1:25 p.m. EDT? If the last two days are any indication, we should see some terrific ball striking that leads to birdie opportunities. If Wie and Thompson are having a good putting day, they may separate themselves even further from the field, perhaps earning a return engagement together for Sunday’s final round.

Greg Midland is the USGA’s director of editorial and multimedia content. Email him at gmidland@usga.org.