Prattville, AL – Sixteen-year-old Lexi Thompson posted a under 68 Friday to grab a two-stroke lead after 36 holes of the Navistar LPGA Classic.
Thompson finished two rounds at 10-under-par 134.
This is the second time Thompson has had the 36-hole lead at this event. She was also 10-under after two rounds in 2009, but slid into a share of 27th after closing with back-to-back 74s.
Stacy Lewis (68) and Becky Morgan (69) share second place at minus-eight on the Senator Course. Meena Lee fired the low round of the day with her eight- under 64. She jumped into fourth place at seven-under-par 137.
Giulia Sergas (66), Hee Kyung Seo (67) and first-round leader Jennifer Johnson (73) are tied for fifth at minus-six.
Thompson started her round two strokes off the lead after Lewis and Morgan played in the morning wave. The teenager opened her round with a birdie on the par-five 10th.
She grabbed a piece of the lead with a birdie on the 12th. Thompson moved in front with a birdie on the 14th and extended her lead to two with a birdie on No. 17.
Thompson parred her next seven holes. She tripped to a bogey at the par-three seventh, but rebounded with a birdie on the eighth. Thompson parred the last to lead by two.
Earlier this year, Thompson shared the lead entering the final round at the Avnet LPGA Classic, but struggled to a 78 to fall into a tie for 19th. That is still her best finish in seven starts this year.
"I'm going to try to forget about Avnet, what I did the last day. I'm just going to try to go into the weekend and play like I did the last two days," Thompson stated.
Lewis birdied the first, but gave that shot back when she bogeyed the third. She converted back-to-back birdie chances on five and six before faltering to a bogey at the seventh.
Around the turn, Lewis birdied the 10th to move to minus-six. She converted a birdie chance on the 15th and made it two in a row with a birdie on No. 16.
"In the middle of the round, I was kind of struggling with my swing just trying to get things going," Lewis admitted. "I just really hung in there and hit a couple good shots at the end and made some birdies coming in."
Morgan started on the back nine and she stumbled to a bogey at the 12th. She fought back with birdies on 14 and 16 to make the turn at six-under. Morgan had bookend birdies on the front nine as she birdied the first and ninth to share second.
"Made some good putts. I actually left a few out there today. I'm not complaining, but I probably putted better yesterday," said Morgan.
Lewis is having the best week of the U.S. Solheim Cup team members. All 12 played this week, but Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim and captain's pick, Ryann O'Toole, missed the cut. Brittany Lang (68) is tied for eighth at minus-five, while Morgan Pressel (71) shares 12th at four-under-par 140. No one else on the team is in the top 20 after 36 holes.
NOTES: Defending champion Katherine Hull (70) and world No. 2 Suzann Pettersen (72) are tied for 12th with Pressel...Women's world No. 1 Yani Tseng struggled to a one-over 73 and slid into a share of 23rd at minus-three...The cut line fell at two-over-par 146 with 74 players moving on to the weekend...Natalie Gulbis, I.K. Kim, Laura Diaz were also among those that missed the cut.
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