Photos: Lexi Thompson And LPGA Stars Get Golf Strong

April 01, 2015

Golf Digest May 2015

Lexi Thompson is the third consecutive woman to be on the cover of our May fitness issue. She joins Holly Sonders (2013) and Paulina Gretzky (2014).

Lexi Thompson

"(Trainer Craig Slaunwhite) was all about strengthening my core. I basically live standing on a Bosu ball," Lexi Thompson says, referring to the inflatable, unstable, hemispherical platform. "Exercises like this help build the strength so you can swing within yourself. A lot of amateurs over-swing because they're not strong enough to stay in control."

Lexi Thompson

"I don't do weighted machines," Thompson says. "There's no sense in a golfer risking putting that much stress on the joints."

Lexi Thompson

"Growing up I always wanted to try to outdrive my older brothers. Playing with them definitely made me the player that I am."

Lexi Thompson

"I definitely think I can get longer. There are a hidden few yards here and there for sure. It's all about learning what muscles I need to work on to get that extra distance out of my body."

Lexi Thompson

"I love it," Lexi says of boxing. "Punching teaches you to get power with your whole body. And it gets the anger out. Like the golf course, you can get in your own little world where nothing matters."

Lexi Thompson

Michelle Wie

"Gaining strength in the right parts of my body has enabled me to swing more consistently and I'm able to move my hips better," Wie says.

Michelle Wie

"Women have the great ability to create torque because they can turn better than men, and that's why you see a lot of long swings on the LPGA Tour," Dave Phillips of the Titleist Performance Institute says. "If a woman can get a really strong lower body, she can develop speed just as quick as a man."

Michelle Wie

"Doesn't matter if you're a man or woman," David Leadbetter says. "As you age, your flexibility might lessen, although your strength increases. You end up generating power in a different way."

Cheyenne Woods

"I just love being outside, the adrenaline, and knowing that I'm fit," Woods says.

Cheyenne Woods

"Flexibility and endurance are huge in pro golf. You have to make sure your body can stand up in the heat of playing five times a week."

Cheyenne Woods

"It's nice to be mistaken as a track athlete," Woods laughs. "People are usually like, 'Wow, I didn't know golfers ran.' It's cool to show that golfers are athletes, too."

Stacy Lewis

"She sets the bar for everybody else here, guys included," trainer Dave Donatucci says of Stacy Lewis. "She's never without her logbook, and she's always trying to lift more weight."

Stacy Lewis

"I work out six days a week, whether I'm at home or on he road," Lewis says. "As I've seen my body change, I've seen my game change."

Lexi Thompson

Watch Lexi Thompson beat the crap out of some unsuspecting bro.

RBC Heritage

COMPETE IN THE GOLF DIGEST OPEN

TWO-PERSON BEST BALL

COMPETE IN THE GOLF DIGEST OPEN

TWO-PERSON BEST BALL

Photos: Lexi Thompson And LPGA Stars Get Golf Strong

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Golf Digest May 2015

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson

Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie

Cheyenne Woods

Cheyenne Woods

Cheyenne Woods

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Lexi Thompson