CME Group Tour Championship: Lexi Thompson leads American-dominated leaderboard Friday

The CME Group Tour Championship dubbed Friday as Stars and Stripes Day. The LPGA Tour players certainly followed suit.

All of the top five, and eight of the top 12 on the leaderboard at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort are flying the Red, White and Blue.

Lexi Thompson, who is winless this year, has a three-stroke lead after Brittany Lincicome, who led by four early on the back nine, stumbled with a double-bogeys on Nos. 15 (a four-putt) and bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18.

Lincicome is tied with fellow American Amy Olson, the first-round leader, at 9 under. Marina Alex and Nelly Korda are tied for fourth, another stroke back. Megan Khang and Jessica Korda, Nelly's older sister, are part of a tie for ninth, and Cristie Kerr is 12th.

“I think it's great for the game,” said Thompson, the top American in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings at No. 8. “Don't get me wrong, no matter where you're from, it's all a matter of what you bring to the table, the talent you bring. This is such a global tour. There are so many girls from so many different countries. It doesn't matter where you're from. Great to see the Americans out here winning a few more, and hopefully we'll keep on continuing that.”

"Everyone always says we need more American players to do well, but it's not that we're not doing well," Lincicome said. "It's just that this tour is so global and everybody is so darn good. We can't get away with mediocre golf."

Thompson has been anything but mediocre so far after splitting with her caddie, going back to her natural draw, and switching putters. She has yet to bogey and capped her 5-under-par 67 on a mostly windy day with birdies on her final three holes, wrapped up by sticking a wedge from 139 yards to four feet on No. 18.

"This is one of my favorite tournaments just because I can drive to it and I have so much family and friends out here and a lot of fans," she said. "It means the world to me just to come here to Naples and play in front of them. Whether I do good or bad, they're always there supporting me, giving me high-fives."

Thompson's brother, Curtis, is on the bag this week and will be for the PGA Tour's QBE Shootout, back at Tiburón from Dec. 5-9, where Thompson will team with Tony Finau.

"He's so confident out there and that's what I need," she said of her brother.

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Lincicome, for obvious reasons, is kicking herself for what might have been, but still has a good outlook heading into the weekend.

“One little brain fart of hitting it too hard, and then my putting speed was just horrendous coming in,” said Lincicome, who had fired a bogey-free 5-under through 14 holes before hitting the rough patch. “I four-putted 15, was above the hole and just hit it way too hard then I did it again on the par-5 (17th). I don't know what happened with the speed. I was doing so great all day, and then all of a sudden it was just like small explosions in my putting stroke.”

Some of those American names at the top are ones who casual golf fans might recognize, but some are not.

"I think it's a hard task for anyone to win; doesn't matter if you're American or not," said Alex, one of those American winners this year. "There is so much depth on the tour."

Even LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan, who was a little surprised when he was asked during his State of the Tour press conference Friday afternoon about the number of Americans who have won this season. Eight have -- the most since 2014 -- compared to just two in 2016.

"This is embarrassing to admit, but I didn't even know we had eight winners this year," Whan said. "But it's good to know."

Perhaps it's because some of those more recognizable American names aren't playing this week, and some haven't for most or all of the year, for a variety of reasons.

Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller both had babies this year. Michelle Wie, who was 35th in the Race to the CME Globe, had surgery in October on a right-hand injury. Paula Creamer, who returned following wrist surgery late last year, and Morgan Pressel didn't finish in the top 72 in the Race to the CME Globe standings to qualify, placing 95th and 114th, respectively.

That's 29 LPGA Tour victories, including four majors, and a boatload of Solheim Cup appearances that are missing.

But their places have more than been filled, including in the major championship winner's circle, with Angela Stanford winning the Evian Championship.

Alex, Danielle Kang, Lincicome, Nelly and Jessica Korda, Wie, and Annie Park are the others with victories this season.

And with 36 holes to go in the year, the U.S. has a chance to drive that red-white-and-blue flag into the ground even further.

“Still under par, so not completely out of it,” said Lincicome, who won the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. “Would’ve been nice to have a few-shot lead going into the weekend, but I think I play better coming from behind. I won't be as nervous (Saturday)."

"It would mean the world to me to play really well in front of my family and friends," Thompson said of completing the year with a strong finish.

CME Group Tour Championship

When: Today-Sunday

Where: Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort

Who: 72 of the top players on the LPGA Tour

Info: cmegrouptourchampionship.com, 593-3900