Stacy Lewis’s word is not just a mere phrase.
Lewis, who has spent the last two seasons as the captain of the American team in the Solheim Cup competition, has said in the past she is proud of Northwest Arkansas as the home of an LPGA tournament. She honed golf skills in college with the Arkansas Razorbacks Golf Team.
Lewis, who has been dragging a lot after Team Europe won the trophy in Spain last weekend — despite the fact that she is dragging a lot — will be back this week at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship to continue a streak dating back to 2007. It was in that magical week, held in this posh part of Arkansas, that Lewis won her first LPGA title. She did so as an amateur, beating out Katherine Hull and Teresa Lu, as well as Kristin McPherson.
Lewis may still be licking her injuries, but at least it’s in a place she has felt like home for a long time. Lewis grew up and lives in The Woodlands in Texas, near Houston. But maintaining a strong presence here in Arkansas is important to her.
“That’s why I’m here.” I want to support the event and keep the streak going. Lewis said, “I’m running out of energy and haven’t really played much golf so I don’t know what this week is going to be like.” “It’s nice to see everyone in a familiar setting and to try and get my brain and body back to normal.
This week’s theme is “That’s what it really all about.”
Lewis has not prepared much for the event this week, since she led the American team at the Solheim. Lewis hadn’t played golf in four weeks when she took part in this week’s pro-am. She admits that she may be rusty on Friday, when the action begins at Pinnacle Country Club, in Rogers Arkansas.
Lewis remains close to Shauna Taylor of the Arkansas women’s team, who was an Assistant with the Razorbacks when Lewis won the NCAA Individual Title in 2007, marking the first time in school history.
While she is eager to relive distant memories this weekend, she still has to work through the pain of having tied the European team after holding a significant early lead at Solheim. Lewis was still happy with her and her team’s preparation for the event, despite the results.
“I was proud of my self for how much I believed in the process and our plan.” Lewis stated that it’s easy to second guess yourself or to get rushed and make a quick decision. “I trusted the process, our facts and statistics and what we believed to be true. I stuck to my plan. I think I was proudest of myself. You have moments when you wonder if you should go in a different direction. No. We’ve talked about it, we’ve worked hard on it. This is what works. “You need to be consistent.”
Lewis has pondered the absence of a tiebreaker. This rule was in place since 1990 when the event started, but this year marked the very first tie. Lewis initially sided with tradition and history, but has since changed her opinion.
They asked me about it on Sunday after we finished. Then I was a little unsure of what to do. It was only after I gave it more thought that I realized we had put in so much effort, time, and energy into it. To end up with a tie is a horrible finish. Lewis described the finish as “blah”. “I think that there should be a playoff. I’d do it in a team format. I would do a team format.
I think that the event deserves it. It would be cool to end the day on Sunday with something other than a team winning the Cup.
Lewis will play in the first round of the Solheim Cup on Friday, alongside Cheyenne Knight – one of her captain’s choices – and Georgia Hall, a member from the European team that won the competition.