OAKMONT, Pa. -- Everything in me wants to believe that the relationship Alexis Thompson has with her dad, who's on her bag this week, is stifling and harmful. But I just watched the 15-year-old pro play the back nine holes at Oakmont this morning (she began on No. 10), and her interactions with her father seem wonderful. They laugh in between shots, and while they get serious when it's time to execute, they don't over-analyze the situation.More importantly, Thompson played her way around the back-nine like a golfer who's much older than 15. The only glimmer of immaturity appeared on the 18th hole. She flared her tee shot into the right rough, but miraculously hit her approach to within twelve feet of the hole from a buried lie. From there, however, she three-putted and stormed off the green.
Alas, a 15-year-old might not always act like a tour-weathered veteran.
(Photo provided by the USGA)
--Ashley Mayo
