BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) - Stacy Lewis was on a roll in the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club.
The American birdied four straight holes to pull within a shot of leader Shanshan Feng, a run that included a 40-foot putt on No. 9.
Then, the day unraveled. After her birdie on No. 10, she made a triple bogey on the par-4, 11th hole, chipping her third shot from behind the green off the front and leaving her chip back up short. A bogey on the 12th hole dropped her five shots off the lead.
After five straight pars, she hit two wedge shots into the water on the par-5 18th and closed with a 10.
Lewis ended up with a 4-over 76 to drop to 2 over - 11 shots off the lead.
Lewis declined to speak with the media after the round.
“No chance,” she said twice to an LPGA Tour official.
The former top-ranked player has 11 victories, including two majors. She has finished second 12 times since her last LPGA Tour victory in 2014.
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SPIKES ALLOWED: Christina Kim thinks she’s the last LPGA Tour player to wear metal spikes.
“I’m old enough where metal spikes were still a thing,” Kim said. “A lot of these kids weren’t even born when metal spikes were taken away from competition. For me, it provides a sense of comfort. I get great traction with it. You can read the greens with your feet and you can gauge moisture levels of the golf course with the spikes. With the way golf shoes have evolved, I just don’t feel I have as snug of a fit as I used to. I lost a few spikes today, but I always have a few spare in the bag.”
She shot a 4-under 68 to move to 2 under.
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POTUS PRESSURE? : American Lexi Thompson shot a 2-under 74 and then visited President Donald Trump in his box near the 15th green.
“I didn’t feel any extra pressure,” said Thompson, who with her family posed for pictures with the president. “It’s cool to have the president of the United States here. It’s his golf course. It’s all good.”
Fellow American Cristie Kerr also wasn’t fazed by Trump’s appearance.
“He’s a huge supporter of women’s golf,” Kerr said. “It’s cool to say that I know the president.”
Kerr said that she planned to speak with Trump after the day was over.
“We’ll talk,” Kerr said. “But we’re not going to talk about politics, I’ll tell you that.”
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LOCAL FLAVOR: New Jersey native Marina Alex admitted that her nerves got to her, playing in front of so many family and friends from her hometown of nearby Wayne, about 35 miles from the club.
“It was a little crazy,” said Alex, who was the top U.S. player after the second round. “It all just hit me. I had a lot of people here supporting me. I had people here supporting me that didn’t even know me. It just got to me. It was a mental thing more than anything.”
Alex shot a 73 and was tied for 14th at 2 under.
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