|
Stacy Lewis (born 1985) is an American professional golfer
on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.
She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011
and the Women's British Open in 2013.
She was ranked number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four weeks
in 2013,
and reclaimed the position in June 2014 with a victory
at the ShopRite LPGA Classic
for another 21 weeks.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Lewis grew up in Texas at The Woodlands outside of Houston,
and graduated from The Woodlands High School in 2003.
Suffering from scoliosis, which was diagnosed at age 11
and treated by a spinal fusion when she was in high school,
Lewis missed her first collegiate golf season recovering from the surgery.
Lewis was a decorated amateur and a four-time All-American
at the University of Arkansas.
She redshirted her first year while recovering from her back surgery.
As a redshirt freshman in 2005,
she won the Southeastern Conference Tournament
and was named SEC Freshman Golfer of the Year.
In 2006, she won the Women's Western Amateur.
In her 2007 season,
though a back injury kept her out of the SEC Tournament,
Lewis won the NCAA Division I Championship
and was selected Golf Digest Amateur of the Year.
She also received the National Golf Coaches Association Dinah Shore Trophy.
Following the college season, she won the 92nd Women's Southern Amateur
and finished second in individual play in leading the U.S. team to a victory
at the Copa de las Americas.
She qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women's Open in North Carolina,
shot 78-73 in the tournament and missed the cut by three strokes
to finish tied for 93rd.
Two months later,
Lewis finished first in the 2007 LPGA NW Arkansas Championship,
a professional LPGA tournament.
Due to rain,
the tournament was shortened to one round
and Lewis's win was declared unofficial.
In her senior season in 2008,
Lewis again won the SEC Tournament
and was selected SEC Golfer of the Year and SEC Golf Scholar Athlete
of the Year. She was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team
for the second time and NGCA All-America for the fourth time.
Lewis graduated from Arkansas in 2008
with a bachelor's degree in Finance and Accounting.
As a member of U.S. Curtis Cup team in 2008,
Lewis became the first player ever to go 5–0 in a single Curtis Cup.
The 2008 edition was held at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland
in late May and early June,
and was her last competition as an amateur.
The U.S. won 13 to 7 for a sixth consecutive victory over Great Britain & Ireland.
Following the Curtis Cup victory,
Lewis turned professional, prior to competing in sectional qualifying
for the U.S. Women's Open.
She won medalist honors in the Garland, Texas,
sectional on June 9 to qualify for her first tournament as a professional.
Lewis was tied for ninth after 36 holes and shot a 67 (−6)
in the third round to lead the field,
but a final round 78 (+5) left her tied for third, five strokes behind winner Inbee Park.
She competed in seven events on the LPGA tour in 2008,
with two top-10 finishes and earned over $247,000.
Before 2009,
Lewis was not a member of the LPGA Tour or any other professional golf tour.
She was eligible to play in the U.S. Women's Open
after successfully competing in the sanctioned qualifying process.
She then tried to earn her LPGA Tour card in 2008
through the use of sponsor's exemptions,
but was not successful.
As a result,
she went to sectional qualifying in September in California
and advanced to the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in Florida
in December,
an event which garnered considerably more press coverage than normal,
due to the presence of Michelle Wie. Lewis finished as the medalist
for the five-round event, three shots ahead of the field and six in front of Wie,
who finished in a tie for 7th place.
Lewis's first official professional victory
came at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a major,
where she led the field for the first two rounds,
and then held off current world number 1 and defending champion Yani Tseng
to win by three strokes.
She made her Solheim Cup debut in 2011,
qualifying second for the U.S. team behind Cristie Kerr.
Lewis's endorsement deals include Mizuno Corp. golf clubs
and Fila Golf apparel.
She signed a sponsorship deal with KPMG in 2012.
In 2012,
Lewis won four tournaments, a
nd became the first American player to win the LPGA Player of the Year award
since Beth Daniel in 1994.
She won three times in 2013, and after her win
at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Arizona on March 17,
Lewis unseated Yani Tseng as the #1 ranked woman golfer in the world.
Inbee Park overtook the number one position four weeks later on April 15.
Lewis won her second major title at Women's British Open in August
at St Andrews with a score of 280 (−8),
two strokes ahead of runners-up Na Yeon Choi and Hee Young Park.
In 2014,
Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout on May 4
for her ninth official victory on tour,
six strokes ahead of runner-up Meena Lee.
Four weeks later,
she won the ShopRite LPGA Classic and reclaimed the top position
in the world rankings.
A week after a runner-up finish at the U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst,
Lewis won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on June 29.
Lewis would go on to win her second LPGA Player of the Year award.
Her second in a three year span.
She would also win her second consecutive Vare Trophy
for the season's lowest scoring average.
In April 2015,
Lewis lost in a sudden death playoff to Brittany Lincicome
at the ANA Inspiration.
Lincicome won with a par on the third extra hole,
having forced the playoff with Lewis after an eagle at the 72nd hole
of regulation play.
LPGA Tour wins (11*)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | Sep 9, 2007 | LPGA NW Arkansas Championship* (as an amateur) | 65 (1 round) | −7 | 1 stroke | Katherine Hull, Teresa Lu, Kristy McPherson | n/a |
1 | Apr 3, 2011 | Kraft Nabisco Championship | 66-69-71-69=275 | −13 | 3 strokes | Yani Tseng | 300,000 |
2 | Apr 29, 2012 | Mobile Bay LPGA Classic | 68-67-67-69=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Lexi Thompson | 187,500 |
3 | Jun 3, 2012 | ShopRite LPGA Classic | 65-65-71=201 | −12 | 4 strokes | Katherine Hull | 225,000 |
4 | Sep 23, 2012 | Navistar LPGA Classic | 66-70-65-69=270 | −18 | 2 strokes | Lexi Thompson | 195,000 |
5 | Nov 4, 2012 | Mizuno Classic1 | 71-70-64=205 | −11 | 1 stroke | Bo-Mee Lee | 180,000 |
6 | Mar 3, 2013 | HSBC Women's Champions | 67-66-69-71=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Na Yeon Choi | 210,000 |
7 | Mar 17, 2013 | RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup | 68-65-68-64=265 | −23 | 3 strokes | Ai Miyazato | 225,000 |
8 | Aug 4, 2013 | Women's British Open | 67-72-69-72=280 | −8 | 2 strokes | Na Yeon Choi Hee Young Park | 402,584 |
9 | May 4, 2014 | North Texas LPGA Shootout | 71-64-69-64=268 | −16 | 6 strokes | Meena Lee | 195,000 |
10 | Jun 1, 2014 | ShopRite LPGA Classic | 67-63-67=197 | −16 | 6 strokes | Christina Kim | 225,000 |
11 | Jun 29, 2014 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | 70-66-65=201 | −12 | 1 stroke | Cristie Kerr, Lydia Ko, Angela Stanford |