LPGA mom Lewis wins Ladies Scottish Open
Stacy Lewis went back to the car three times in Toledo, Ohio, to say goodbye to daughter Chesnee. The silver lining of the 166-day break on the LPGA was an unprecedented amount of family time. But that made leaving all the more difficult as Lewis embarked on a two-week trip to Scotland on the LPGA’s charter flight with longtime caddie Travis Wilson. No family or coaches allowed in the bubble.
As Lewis came down the stretch at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, husband Gerrod Chadwell was sitting on the living room floor back home in Houston playing with Chesnee, who turns 2 in October. Chadwell let out a yell when Lewis drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to win for the first time in nearly three years. A startled Chesnee looked up, grabbed her plastic golf club and started hitting the TV. Mom won.
“The only disappointing thing is that she’s not here to take a picture with this,” said Lewis, bringing the trophy in closer while on a Zoom call with reporters, “but I have been trying to get a trophy from the day she was born.”
The family had a FaceTime session shortly after the finish, and Chadwell reminded his bride that she’s now in the field for the first tournament of the year, the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. What will Stacy Lewis do next? Take Chesnee to Disney, of course. Motherhood changed Lewis, as it invariably would. That was on full display throughout Sunday’s round as she did not let the slow play of her playing competitors, Jennifer Song and Azahara Munoz, knock her out of the tournament. She had addressed it with the media after the third round. But she made a decision right there it wouldn’t affect her down the stretch.
Chesnee helped with that too. The toddler’s favorite song to dance to is “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. Those words were on repeat in Lewis’ head as her group was put on the clock on the 11th hole. They remained on the clock for four holes, according to LPGA rules officials, before getting back in position.
Lewis carded a double-bogey immediately after the group was put on the clock, noting that might have rushed the second shot a bit.
“It shouldn’t take that long to play,” said Lewis of a final round that took over five hours to complete. “I knew it was going to; that’s the sad part is you know it’s going to take that long.”
The two-time major winner and former No. 1 closed with an even-par 72 at The Renaissance Club on the Scottish coast to move into a playoff against fellow Texan Cheyenne Knight, Emily Pedersen and Munoz at 5-under 279.
European Tour: Sam Horsfield h captured his second tour title in three weeks by winning the Celtic Classic, completing his bogey-free round of 4under 67 Sunday to finish two strokes clear of Thomas Detry.
– The Associated Press
PGA Tour Champions: Jerry Kelly h seized control at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship with a hole-inone on the 12th hole in Akron, Ohio, sending him to a 1-under 69 and a twoshot victory Sunday over Scott Parel.