What the Pros Play: Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson at the Palos Verdes Championship (Harry How/Getty Images)

Editor’s note: Thompson changed drivers recently, then went back to her previous Cobra driver. She returned to her Cobra RadSpeed driver she played last season in the weeks leading up to the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open. The conversation below, which occurred before she switched back, focuses on the most recent Cobra model. 

David Dusek: You transitioned into the new Cobra LTDx driver fairly quickly.

Lexi Thompson: The first time I saw it was at a photoshoot for Cobra, and I really liked the looks of it, to begin with, but then I started hitting it for the action shots in the commercial and I was ripping it. I was like, “Okay, this could do.”

That club wasn’t even fit for me, and I knew it could work. Right away, I knew it was going to be a lot more forgiving.

D.D.: From a performance standpoint, what does a driver need to do for you to find its way into your bag?

L.T.: Looks are really important because you have to like what you are looking down at, and the alignment aids have to work, but mechanics-wise, for me, I like to know that I can work the ball if I have to.

I also like something with a little lower spin, which this driver is, but at the same time, when you get super low spin, it can sometimes make a driver less forgiving. But with this new head, it actually really is. You get the faster ball speed and the lower spin rate, but at the same time, you have high MOI [moment of inertia, which is a resistance to twisting on off-center hits], which is ideal for this kind of driver.

D.D.: Do you try to take part of the course out of play with your driver? For instance, do you like it set up so it’s hard to hook it?

L.T.: I don’t tinker with the weights before a round, and if I really need to hit a fairway, I do it with my swing. I might choke up on the grip a little for more control. I used to hit big hooks, but over the years I have changed my swing for the better. It’s a straighter ball flight now. There really isn’t one side of the golf course that I try to take out, but hitting the fairway is always nice. 

D.D.: What is your stock carry distance with a driver, and at what distance does a fairway bunker get your attention?

L.T.: I’d say my carry distance is about 250 yards. I’d say that I’ve gained a few yards with this driver because it is lower spin, and the wind doesn’t hit it as much, but for me, it’s all about having that control. 

D.D.: You are one of the most dedicated players on the tour when it comes to fitness. How has that affected your equipment choices over the years?

L.T.: Good question. With the driver, my clubhead speed has stayed around 105 mph, so I really haven’t gained extra swing speed with working out, so I haven’t had to tinker with my shafts too much.

D.D.: But I noticed that you did switch into the new Fujikura Ventus Blue T.R. shaft in your driver.

L.T.: Yeah, I noticed with the new LTDx head, my old shaft did not fit quite as well. You get that sometimes, and with the mechanics of a head, a shaft can make up for that. The first thing I always do is try my old shaft in the new head, but the new Fujikura shaft wound up being the best match. 

Lexi Thompson’s driver – $499

Lexi Thompson hits a fairway wood off the tee during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

D.D.: You only carry one fairway wood, and it has about 14.5 degrees of loft. How hard is it for you to find a fairway wood because, I assume, it needs to be a secondary driving club for you?

L.T.: It is hard. It’s actually set at 13 degrees and is an older model, but I think the 3-wood is the hardest club to get fit for. Once you find a good one, it’s hard to replace because there is very little room for error when you hit it off the ground and if you are struggling with your driver you want to go with something like a 3-wood. But I don’t hit it much into par 5s. It’s mostly off the tee. I like to hit the 3-wood and tee it super low if it’s windy.

Lexi Thompson at the 2021 Solheim Cup (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)

D.D.: A growing number of elite PGA Tour players, including Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Max Homa, have started carrying a 7-wood over the last few seasons. Have you tried one or thought about adding one?

L.T.: I have tried a 7-wood and a 9-wood, and I had one in the bag at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014 at Pinehurst because there was a drivable par 4 that I needed it so I could go over some trees. It was good, but I’m not much of a hybrid person. There’s just something about them; I’ve never been able to hit hybrids that well. 

I like to hit my 2-iron off the tee as a fairway finder, especially in the wind or over at the British Open. It’s just how I’ve set up my golf bag. I love my 3-wood, the driver is obviously my favorite, but my 2-iron is my go-to if I just need to get it on the ground. I can just punch it down the fairway. I carry it about 215 yards, but at a British Open, it rolls like 70 yards!

Lexi Thompson’s fairway wood – $269

Lexi Thompson (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

D.D.: Ok, trivia time: Do you know the year the Cobra S2 irons, which you play, became available?

L.T.: Ha, probably the year I turned pro, if not the year before.

D.D.: Yup, 2009.

L.T.: I know because I have been using them my whole career. 

D.D.: What is about those clubs that has made them impossible for you to replace?

L.T.: It’s kind of the same thing that I talked about with the 3-wood. With irons, I’m not one to use a blade, but the S2 is super forgiving and super soft coming off the face. I know that when I hit them solid, they are going to go the distance I need them to. They are going to be steady in the wind.

I’ve been using the Project X 5.0 shafts, and people tell me, “You should be using 6.0 [which is stiffer],” and I’m like, nope. My golf swing is set up for them and every time I have tried something new, it doesn’t come out right. It’s just not the same. 

Lexi Thompson

D.D.: Has Cobra told you if it is running out of S2 irons, and how often do you have to get a new set of the same irons because you wear the old set out?

L.T.: We’ve definitely had those conversations. I try all the new irons that Cobra makes, and they’re great. It’s just that once you find something you love, it’s hard to replace. But yes, we’ve had that talk. There may be something in the works, so we’ll see.

Lexi Thompson’s Srixon irons – $199.99 each

Lexi Thompson’s wedges (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

D.D.: Do you prefer high-bounce or low-bounce wedges, or do you mix them up?

L.T.: I play with five wedges: a 60, a 55, a 50, 47 and a pitching wedge (the pitching wedge is the aforementioned Cobra S2 Forged). 

D.D.: You are so macho!

L.T.: I know, right. No woods, five wedges. I don’t like to look down and see a lot of offset. I am very straight-edged with my wedges. Around the greens, people might think that causes the club to dig more, but for me, I know that I can get the spin and the control with it around the greens. And on full shots, I’d much rather look at a straight-edged wedge. But I’ll admit, I don’t really know the bounce in my wedges.

Lexi Thompson putting at the Cognizant Founders Cup (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

D.D.: At the Solheim Cup, you used a Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 putter, and a TaylorMade Spider Tour putter at the QBE Challenge when you played with Bubba Watson last December. You played an Odyssey Eleven mallet at the Founders Cup with a special microhinge insert. Do you just need to see something new from time to time? What do you look for in a putter?

L.T.: Putters go hot and cold, and my putting goes hot and cold. I used the Spider for most of last season, but some days you putt well, and some days you don’t. Sometimes I think it’s nice to try a new putter to get a feel for a new face, firmness or softness-wise, to see what you have the best speed and control with. I think it’s important to mess around with different putters and see what’s out there. 

D.D.: But for you, always a mallet?

J.T.: Yes, I’ve never used a blade. They just don’t work for me. 

Lexi Thompson with ball in hand during the final round of the 2022 Chevron Championship (David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports)

D.D.: You are in the 2022 version of the Bridgestone Tour B RX.

J.T.: I started tinkering with the ball at the end of December. It definitely flies a little farther. For me, my golf ball is a part of my equipment, and it’s really important for me to see how it plays in the wind. Here in South Florida, it gets pretty windy, so I try balls in a crosswind, and if I see it move more than I’m expecting, I rule it out. With this new ball, it moves less than expected.

At the same time, I still have control around the greens. 

D.D.: Too many recreational golfers think a ball is a ball, and they believe that because they lose golf balls, it doesn’t matter what they play. What does a ball have to do for you to consider playing it?

J.T.: I’d say the two things are it has to give me good control in the wind, and consistency is huge. I fall back on my control with my irons and my yardages. 

Lexi Thompson’s golf ball – $49.99 per dozen

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