Dubai: US LPGA Teen sensation Alexis ‘Lexi' Thompson became the second youngest Ladies European Tour event winner of all-time yesterday when she lifted the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters trophy at Emirates Golf Club, aged just 16 years and 310 days — 118 days off the current record.
Hitting 15 under par 273 (70, 66, 70, 67), Thompson now ends her year with the record setting youngest LPGA win at September's Navistar Classic, aged 16, seven months and eight days, to sit alongside this latest LET accolade to make it the youngest cross-Atlantic double event win in ladies golf ever.
Having only turned professional in 2010, after making history as the youngest to qualify to the US Women's Open aged 12 in 2007, Thompson is yet to play a full card on either tour due to her tender age but has already picked up €224,442 (Dh1.07 million) in win earnings alone.
‘An honour'
Four strokes behind, South Africa's Lee Anne Pace had at one stage threatened Thompson's lead from rounds two and three. A birdie, eagle, birdie combination off the starting six, from last year's LET money-list winner, set Pace up to 12 under one shot ahead of Thompson by the seventh hole.
But two subsequent bogeys on eight and 12 for Pace, met by Thompson's four birdies between holes nine and 14 restored the odds in the teenager's favour, four strokes clear.
Thompson said of her first two wins from both tours this year: "Both tournaments have great competition, the best from both sides and countries, so it's just an honour to be at both events. Both were equal wins. Just Navistar was my first one. But both I'm definitely going to remember, that's for sure.
Superstitious
"Hopefully it will blow up in the US. Hopefully be in the newspapers and everything, but I'm looking forward to going home and celebrating with my family and friends and just relaxing."
Crediting her brothers Nicholas and Curtis for her success, as she grew up trying to keep up with them on the golf course, Thompson also claimed winning superstitions played a part in the victory.
"It's probably always going to be blue [her outfit]. It will probably be the same outfit every day. I'm really superstitious. Like I'll eat the same things, I'll wear lady bugs [earrings] everyday. It's weird but I'm really superstitious. It worked.
"It's really an honour to win this tournament. I mean I love coming back. I played last year and it was just automatic that I'm for sure coming to this tournament for years to come after.
"My goal was to get 15 under, but I knew I had to make a lot of birdies because there were so many great players behind me on the leaderboard. I just tried to focus on my game."
