On Might 30, 2008, Stacy Lewis rolled as much as the primary tee on the Outdated Course for a second time on the opening day of the thirty fifth Curtis Cup. She’d teed off on the even holes in morning foursomes, so this was her first time teeing off on the enduring gap.
It was downwind that afternoon. Lewis pulled a fairway wooden and felt the nerves pumping as they introduced her identify. The duff that adopted was so dangerous, the divot began and ended earlier than it even reached the tee. The surprised crowd clapped twice slowly, she recalled, not fully positive what to do.
Her second shot was to date again that her native caddie, Fraser Riddler, recommended they lay up. She hit 7-iron down the golf green and had about 40 yards left over the Swilcan burn. She chunked it once more, however the ball one way or the other managed to one-hop the burn, nestling 3 ft from the opening.
“These people who we’re enjoying gave me the 3-footer, and I’m like, did they not simply watch this complete gap?” recalled Lewis with amusing.
Lewis’ mother, Carol, went again over to the tee field after the session was over and took a photograph of the one divot on the tee field. Lewis, after all, went on to grow to be the primary participant in Curtis Cup historical past to go 5-0 that week on the Outdated Course, main Group USA to victory. 5 years later, she grew to become solely the second girl to win the British Open on the hallowed course.
“I completely fell in love with the place,” mentioned Lewis, who performed the Outdated Course 11 occasions throughout Curtis Cup week. “I fell in love with hyperlinks golf.”
Stacy Lewis of the US tees off on the 18th gap throughout the ultimate spherical of the Ricoh Ladies’s British Open on the Outdated Course, St. Andrews on August 4, 2013, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photograph by Warren Little/Getty Photographs)
With the AIG Ladies’s British Open returning to the Outdated Course for a 3rd time this week, Lewis is considerably of a defending champion. Most of the family members who have been along with her in 2008 and 2013 have made the journey to St. Andrews, the place they’ll attempt to recreate a number of the magic. They’ve as soon as once more rented out The Dunvegan Lodge — a nook hangout as soon as owned by Jack and Sheena Willoughby (a Texan and a Scot) — booked their tee occasions and introduced cash for the wishing effectively.
“It’s only a match made in heaven, her profitable there,” mentioned husband Gerrod Chadwell. “That’s her favourite place.”
It was pouring rain the day Group USA first arrived in St. Andrews 16 years in the past for the Curtis Cup’s first enjoying over the Outdated Course. The band of eight placed on their rain gear and went for a stroll, absorbing historical past.
After her first loop across the Outdated Course, Lewis informed her father Dale that she won’t break 90 if the climate stayed this dangerous.
Dad’s recommendation: Ask Fraser for assist.
Lewis went out the subsequent day desperate to study. When Riddler informed her to overlook the golf green on objective and hit it within the excessive weeds, she complied. She took out putter when he recommended and took traces she by no means noticed. He informed her tales and made the place come alive.
Through the trophy presentation, Riddler came to visit along with his spouse and toddler son and mentioned he’d transfer to the U.S. to caddie for Lewis the subsequent yr on the LPGA. Solely Lewis didn’t have standing on the time, and he or she thought it was an excessive amount of to ask him to uproot his household with a lot uncertainty.
Riddler went on to grow to be the caddie supervisor at St. Andrews Hyperlinks Belief earlier than quitting his job to caddie full-time on the LPGA for Jenny Shin.
When Lewis returned to the Outdated Course in 2013, Riddler got here out and walked a observe spherical along with her and longtime caddie Travis Wilson, as did the caddie who labored for Alison Walshe on the Curtis Cup.
In 2008, the Lewis household stayed on the Dunvegan, and for 2013, they booked out the rooms above the bar and the loft throughout the road above the golf store, simply as winner Lorena Ochoa had accomplished in 2007. Sheena draped the banisters with American flags to welcome Lewis, Walshe, Irene Cho and Brittany Lang. They ate dinner each night time on the Dunvegan, and anybody who recommended in any other case was rapidly dismissed. Lewis informed the crew over on the loft that she’d pay for all the pieces if she received that week.
A number of weeks earlier than Lewis went abroad, she labored with teacher Joe Hallett out on the Medalist Golf Membership in Hobe Sound, Florida, on an overcast day in blowing rain. Splendid circumstances to discover ways to hit a managed punch shot they referred to as “the British Open 4-iron.” Her swing thought for the week was to get her left shoulder turned over her proper toe.
Whereas most tour gamers hate bundling up in dangerous climate, Lewis likes to play in rain gear as a result of it retains her swing from getting too lengthy.
Whereas she’s recognized now for her creativity, having received each the Scottish Open and British Open titles, she got here into school with a one-dimensional quick recreation. As she recovered from the backbone surgical procedure that required docs to deflate a lung and transfer organs round with a purpose to insert a metal rod, Lewis couldn’t even sit up on her personal and needed to discover ways to stroll once more. In these early months in Fayetteville, Arkansas, she was restricted in her restoration to work across the greens.
“We’d keep ‘til nearly turning on the headlights of the vehicles, forcing her to hit bump and runs,” mentioned Arkansas coach Shauna Taylor. “It’s actually cool watching her execute these pictures, regardless that she gave me heck for attempting to show her.”
Stacy Lewis of the US putts for birdie on the 18th inexperienced throughout the ultimate spherical of the Ricoh Ladies’s British Open on the Outdated Course, St. Andrews on August 4, 2013, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photograph by Warren Little/Getty Photographs)
Inbee Park hogged the highlight that week in 2013, and rightly in order the winner of the primary three majors that season. Lewis had it in her thoughts that she needed to be the spoiler.
Lewis opened with a 67 that week and was within the prime 10 going into the weekend. On Saturday, play was suspended and scores have been finally scrapped because the wind howled below sunny skies. Lewis, who by no means teed off that day, discovered herself alone on the vary that afternoon.
The subsequent day, the sector performed a steady 36 holes, selecting up lunch on the flip with no time to re-pair.
Lewis started the fourth spherical one stroke behind chief Morgan Pressel however wasn’t positive the place she stood down the stretch, enjoying about an hour forward of the final group with no leaderboards.
When she arrived on the seventeenth Highway Gap for a second time that day, she knew the strategy shot referred to as for the low, flat shot she’d been hitting all week. What Lewis noticed in her head – a well-struck 5-iron that flew low and was knocked down by wind into the slope after which chased up the hill – was executed to perfection.
She rolled within the 4-foot birdie putt and headed to the 18th tied with chief Na Yeon Choi, who was a number of holes behind. Sheena Willoughby started to cry.
After ripping a drive down into the Valley of Sin, she had a mere 40 yards to the opening. Wilson recommended she putt, however Lewis had confidence in a shot she’d practiced from that spot earlier within the week. Her strategy rolled 25 ft previous.
“I truly had that very same putt within the Curtis Cup and I left it quick,” she mentioned. “I knew the learn. I simply had to verify I hit it exhausting sufficient.”
She did.
After ending birdie-birdie to shut out a final-round 72, she waited to see if Na Yeon Choi may match her.
The well-known Dunvegan Lodge and Restaurant, simply up the road from the Outdated Course at St. Andrews.
4 years later, Lewis took Chadwell to the Outdated Course and relived the pictures that made her a serious champion on the Outdated Course. The 5-iron Lewis hit into the Highway Gap sits of their dwelling workplace inside a Solheim Cup captain’s bag alongside a putter she as soon as received a bunch with however now has a little bit of a curve to it.
“I can see why she received,” mentioned Chadwell. “She simply most likely beat lots of people along with her brains and her guts that week.”
Through the 2017 British Open at Kingsbarns, the Lewis household as soon as once more stayed on the Dunvegan. They adopted the identical each day routine like clockwork. Breakfast with Jack within the morning, speaking about sports activities and life. Beer and nachos with Jack within the night. Chadwell and Dale prefer to order a BBQ hen sandwich that’s not on the menu. Lewis will get the fish ‘n’ chips, and everybody has sticky toffee pudding.
In a means, Chadwell says, enjoying on the Outdated Course appears like enjoying the LPGA’s Toledo cease, Lewis’ hometown. Yearly Lewis’ complete prolonged household has a nightly dinner at her aunt’s home, solely there everybody devours a cookie cake quite than sticky toffee pudding.
This week in St. Andrews will likely be one other week of story accumulating. Just like the time a gaggle of Lewis’ crew went out round 11 p.m. one night time and performed down the 18th gap with a putter. Somebody needed to bounce within the burn to retrieve mother’s ball.
Lewis watched from the highway along with her hoodie pulled up.
The 23-year-old who duffed that opening tee shot returns to the Outdated Course as soon as extra as a two-time main champion, a former No. 1, a two-time LPGA Participant of the Yr and a two-time Solheim Cup captain. As she performs her personal recreation in St. Andrews, she’ll be keeping track of a brief listing of American gamers who may probably spherical out her 12-player staff.
Most significantly, she returns to the Outdated Course simply over a decade later as mother to 5-year-old Chesnee.
“Alternatives like this have gotten much less as I grow old,” mentioned Lewis, who is aware of this may possible be the final time she competes on the storied venue.
In 2008, the media gathered on the Highway Gap considering Amanda Blumenherst would submit the profitable level for Group USA. However it was Lewis who quietly closed out her match on the sixteenth to clinch it. Riddler turned to her and mentioned, “You simply received the Curtis Cup, and nobody is watching.”
It appeared considerably becoming then that the gritty underdog who spent a lot of her life hiding a again brace below her garments would go unnoticed.
However these days are lengthy gone.
Stacy Lewis’ identify is included on a “Stroll of Fame” outdoors the Rusacks in St. Andrews. (courtesy Joe Hallett)
As among the best American gamers this century and the tour’s most distinguished voice, Lewis returns to the Dwelling of Golf with a novel duty and perspective in what’s grow to be a youthful recreation.
“All the things she places her palms on,” mentioned Taylor, “she desires to make it nice.”
A pair years in the past, on his first journey to Scotland, Hallett was strolling out of the famed Rusacks Lodge in St. Andrews and appeared down on the bronze plaques on the brand new “stroll of fame.” He was nearly moved to tears when he received to Lewis’ identify.
Hallett took an image and despatched it to Lewis, who’d but to see her identify in stone among the many greats who’ve received a serious at St. Andrews, together with Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
It was a proper recognition of a spot that’s lengthy been etched in her coronary heart.
