Thank you, Stacy Lewis

The first tee box at Seaview Resort’s Bay Course offers a sweeping downhill view of the golf course, Reeds Bay just east of it, and the South Jersey barrier islands beyond. 

Stacy Lewis took in those sights just before her 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning dew sweeper start June 8, along with fellow Texan Gurleen Kaur in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Lewis had just barely made the cut for the three-round, 54-hole tournament. She hoped to improve on her two-under total from the first two rounds.

Her first tee shot created more unwanted pressure on her prospects for a good round. It bounded into the left rough, with mounds covered by a mix of high fescue, poison ivy and other weeds. Fortunately, her provisional shot finished in the right fairway. 

A diligent search by players, caddies and others failed to find her first ball. Lewis walked over to her provisional ball and hit her fourth shot from 108 yards out, landing 30 feet below the hole. 

A firmly struck putt rolled up and over a ridge, falling into the cup for a surprising bogey save.

Lewis allowed herself a tight little grin as she walked to the second tee for the 420-yard par four. Her second shot into the wind from 193 yards came up well short, forcing a pitch shot to about 6 feet for her third stroke. A far more routine bogey from there brought her total back to even par for the tournament.

As her round continued, Lewis was unable to move off par for more than a hole or two before drifting back. She birdied the par five third hole but let her frustration show when a chip from off the green on the fourth hole stopped well short, leading to yet another bogey.

She followed with a nice, routine par on the fifth hole, then a fine short-putt birdie on the tough sixth hole, only to bogey the seventh hole. Lewis steadied herself with good pars from the eighth through 13th holes but faltered again on the par four 14th. Her second shot finished 40 yards short. The approach from there finished 9 feet from the hole, followed by two putts.

Lewis made two good putts from 50 feet to save par on the uphill par three 15th, and followed that up with equally good pars on the 16th and 17th holes. 

She played her last hole of the day well, placing her second shot onto the green of the par five 18th about 30 feet left of the hole. Lewis made her second putt and final birdie from 2 feet, bringing her total back to par and earning applause from the greenside crowd. She finished the week tied for 63rd, earning $4,179.

Lewis enjoyed far better results at the ShopRite in past years, winning it twice in 2012 and 2014. She did not play the South Jersey tournament in 2009, her first year on tour, but came to play every year after that. 

Lewis missed two cuts, in 2011 and 2024, but cashed ShopRite checks the other 14 years. Her total winnings of $573,450 from this one event are about 4% of Lewis’ $14.7 million in official career earnings.

Her entire career was impressive, especially considering her surgical recovery from childhood scoliosis. The former Arkansas All-American earned two major victories, the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship and the 2013 Ricoh Women’s British Open, in addition to her ShopRite wins and nine other tournament triumphs. Lewis had 118 top 10 finishes, took fourth place in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and competed for and captained the U.S. Solheim Cup teams.

In addition, she played a pivotal role in boosting the LPGA and its tour purses. Lewis used her personal connections with KPMG to convince the company to expand its support significantly. It eventually became the lead sponsor for one of the tour’s five majors.

I first met Lewis while we ate lunch together at the player/media dining room at the ShopRite more than 10 years ago, an opportunity no longer available on the tour. She was a bit guarded at first but warmed up in a few minutes when discussing topics other than her own performances.

Giving birth to her daughter Chesnee in 2018 seemed to help Lewis relax even further about her golf. We met again during the 2019 ShopRite when I interviewed her and other LPGA players enjoying the use of childcare services.

As she said then, “There’s no way I would do this without daycare. The order of your life changes, but this makes it possible to keep playing. It’s great. They send me photos of Chesnee while she’s there, and that helps.”

Last September, Lewis announced her intention to retire from full-time play on the LPGA Tour. She earned deserved plaudits from fellow players, sponsors and the media. 

Lewis also said she expects to play in next year’s Chevron Championship, the successor event for her Kraft Nabisco triumph. 

I think she’ll have a good time. I hope she does.