Stacy Lewis Does It Again!

by Iver Maple on September 24, 2012

Stacy Lewis carded carded a final-round 69 to edge defending champion Lexi Thompson by two shots and complete the “Alabama Slam” with victories this season at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic and now this victory at the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Alabama. The win is significant for Lewis, who plays Mizuno JPX-800 Pro Irons and a JPX-800 driver, because it is her third victory of the year and she now has a 56 point lead in the Rolex Player of the Year race. If she does take home Player of the Year she will become the first American since Beth Daniel in 1994 to claim the honor.

“Winning never gets easier,” Lewis said. “I think it might have looked easy out there but it was hard.  Every shot was stressful, and I know on this golf course with one swing you can make a double pretty easy.

Lewis, who birdied four of her first five holes on Saturday, played the same stretch in even par on Sunday including a bogey at the par-3 second hole. She recovered with four birdies on the day to shoot 3-under-par 69, enough to hold off a final-round charge from Thompson, who began the day five shots back after leading the first 36 holes.

Lewis added, “I was definitely a lot more comfortable coming down the stretch knowing that I could hit the shots and knowing how to handle my nerves and knowing that I'm going to hit a drive probably 300 yards on the last hole, and just knowing how your body reacts to the pressure I think helps you a lot.”

With the win, Lewis regains the No. 2 spot on the Rolex Rankings from Na Yeon Choi and adds $195,000 to her already career-best season money total. She is currently second on the LPGA Official Money List to Inbee Park with $1,598,596.

Keep It Up Stacy!