Lexi's run 💔

I drove to Walgreens this afternoon to get my flu shot, totally locked in to PGA Tour radio for second round coverage of the Shriners Children’s Open. And I know I was not alone.

Lexi Thompson had just birdied the first two holes on her back nine, moving to -2 for the tournament and staring down a legitimate chance to become the first woman since 1945 to make the cut at a PGA Tour event.

Golf Twitter was ablaze and ESPN+ was temporarily off-air due to technical difficulties (probably because it is ESPN+. But maybe, just maybe, it had to do with so many people rushing to watch Thompson’s shot at history).

Meanwhile, a casual golfer friend texted me and asked if I had seen Thompson drive the green earlier at the Par 4 15th (her sixth hole of the day).

I had, and it was awesome.

Amid the buzz, Thompson needed to play near perfect down the stretch. And, that didn’t happen. She bogeyed two of her final five holes and parred the gettable Par 5 9th (her last hole of the day).

Thompson shot a 2-under 69 on Friday, finishing even-par for the tournament and three shots away from making the cut (-3).

“Very proud. I played really well today,” said Thompson, who hit 12/14 fairways and 14/18 greens on Friday. “I knew once I had made a few birdies in a row that I would be somewhat close, but I knew the cut line would keep on going lower and lower with these guys.”

It’s a bummer Lexi won’t be playing this weekend, but she made Friday one of the most memorable second rounds in quite some time. And, that’s saying a lot given we’re now in the FedEx Cup Fall portion of the season.

I agree with what Shane Bacon had to say in The Fried Egg’s most recent newsletter — let’s make this an annual thing at the Shriners and reserve a sponsor’s invite each year for an LPGA Tour player.

It’s not a gimmick. It’s exciting. And more importantly, for young girls who watched Lexi shine this week, it’s inspiring.

Storylines to follow this weekend

Cameron Champ (who’s tied for the lead with Lanto Griffin at -12) has a chance to completely turn his season around, having missed 17/25 cuts so far this year. A win for Champ would be the fourth of his career.

Beau Hossler followed up his opening round 62 with a disappointing 71 on Friday. Still, he’s 9-under for the tournament (T6) and in position for his first win on Tour.

Luke List, last week’s winner in Mississippi, is also in striking distance at 9-under.

There’s a strong Canadian contingent towards the top — Nick Taylor (T4), Taylor Pendrith (T11), Adam Hadwin (T20), and Adam Svensson (T20). Watch out for one of these four to hoist the trophy on Sunday and perhaps, a greenside celebration like the one we saw this summer in Toronto (minus the tackle, of course).

A special thanks to Holderness & Bourne for sponsoring today’s newsletter.

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More news

🤔 LIV players reacted to the OWGR points rejection, including Bryson DeChambeau who floated the idea that LIV’s top 12 golfers should earn entry into the following year’s majors. (CBS)

👀 Ari Emanuel, a self-proclaimed 7-handicap and CEO of the mega agency Endeavour, said Wednesday that his company put in a bid (among “like seven others”) for a piece of the PGA Tour’s new for-profit entity, NewCo. (Bloomberg)

🤯 Kyle Berkshire hit a 579 yard drive this week (with 512 yards of carry), which he says is “the longest recorded drive in history.” (Golf)

And finally…

TaylorMade unveiled their new P770 Phantom Black Irons on Friday, and they are beautiful.

Thanks so much for reading ya’ll. Enjoy the weekend and I’ll see you back here for a recap of the Shriners. Until then, Nick B.