Thompson shoots 63 to take LPGA lead in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — Lexi Thompson shot a 9-under 63 on Thursday to take a oneshot lead over Sandra Gal and Kris Tamulis in the LPGA Tour’s inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship.

Thompson had 11 birdies and two bogeys to fall a stroke short of the Brickyard Crossing record set by Mike McCullough in the PGA Tour Champions’ 1999 Comfort Classic.

“It was quite the early morning, so it was a bit cold on the range and struggled a bit on the range, but I just hit a few good drivers at the end,” Thompson said. “I just committed to one thing going into the round and I think that’s what made my day a lot easier on me. I just stuck to my routine and committed to my golf shots.”

Gal, like Thompson, started her morning round on the back nine that features four holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gal hit 12 of 14 fairways in regulation in her bogeyfree round.

Thompson, the 22-year-old from Delray Beach ranked No. 3 in the world, tied for 21st last week in Portland, Oregon, in her first event since the Solheim Cup — where she overcame a big deficit in her closing singles match against Anna Nordqvist to earn a halfpoint for the winning Americans. Jimenez’s 64 gives him lead: Miguel Angel Jimenez fired a 6-under round of 64 to be in a three-way tie for the lead after the European Masters first round in CransMontana, Switzerland.

Aged 53, Jimenez had seven birdies and a single bogey on the picturesque Swiss Alps course to share the top of the leaderboard with 30th-ranked Tyrrell Hatton of England and Scott Hend of Australia.