ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN

August 16, 2020

Stacy Lewis

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome in winner of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, Stacy Lewis.

Stacy, welcome inside the Media Centre here. Let's just go through that final round. What was going through your mind and take us through the start to what you were feeling as the finish came about.

STACY LEWIS: Well, through about 10 1/2 holes, I was pretty much in control. I had been hitting most of the shots the way I wanted to. Maybe putts hadn't fallen, but I was just very much in control and then hit a bad shot on 11 and it leads to double, and then hit some -- really hit some good shots after that. Made the birdie on 14. 15 was a mess. 16, I should have gotten up and down. 17, I probably should have made that putt.

It was frustrating that I had my chances, but at the same time with all the stuff that went on there in that back nine, I still had a chance to win the golf tournament. So I stayed very positive for me throughout the day, and just proud of the way I hung in there.

THE MODERATOR: What was the mentality or the maybe mental game strategy of being in that final grouping on today's final day. What was it like for you, and what did you and Travis discuss as the strategy for today?

STACY LEWIS: The strategy didn't change much. We really had a good plan for the golf course itself. I told him on the second tee, I said, "I'm not allowed to complain once about the pace of play."

So I didn't allow myself -- I didn't allow it to affect me. I was singing songs in my head, just getting away from everything, just trying to pass the time.

So I'm just really proud of the way I handled that, but strategy-wise, we had a really good plan for the course. Hit it really well off the tee all week, which really opened things up for me.

THE MODERATOR: Going down the home stretch, what was going through your mind? Were you checking leaderboards at all?

STACY LEWIS: I knew it was going to probably come down to our group until Jennifer starts making doubles, Azahara was making bogeys; I was making double. I knew that with all that, we probably had brought some other people back in, but I didn't know until we saw the leaderboard on 17 tee until we truly kind of knew where we stood and what people had posted in the clubhouse and things like that. So it was once we got to 17 tee, I knew that if you could make birdie one of those last two holes, you probably were going to win it.

So it was a little bit hard, there weren't a ton of leaderboards, it was hard to follow, but at the same time, you probably didn't need to as hard as that golf course was playing.

THE MODERATOR: Any nerves going back to 18 tee to start the playoff?

STACY LEWIS: Not really, actually. It was nice we didn't have to take a break there and just kept going right playing again. I felt so comfortable with my golf swing all day that I was ready. I hit a good approach shot into 18 in regulation. Just was a little right, 9-iron. The shot in the playoff I was exactly ten yards further, so it was 8-iron, same shot and fortunately I got it started more left this time and got it on the top shelf.

THE MODERATOR: What were the thoughts staring down the putt to go in? You had seen some other ones that were just short. Emily's long putt --

STACY LEWIS: Great putt.

THE MODERATOR: But just missed the hole by a little bit. What was going through your mind as you lined up that final putt?

STACY LEWIS: I knew the read a little. I knew at the hole it was going to be going right just from regulation. I had a shorter putt but on a similar line, so I knew what the end of the putt did. I don't know what it was.

Travis and I had been reading putts together all day and I had the line there. It was five inches outside left. Just knew I needed to get it there with enough speed and finally, after the whole back nine, I got one to go in and that was all I needed.

THE MODERATOR: What did it mean to you, I know a couple minutes ago, you were able to call your husband and Chesnee, but what does it mean to win as an LPGA Tour mom?

STACY LEWIS: It's amazing. The only disappointing thing is that she's not here to take a picture with this, but I have been trying to get a trophy from the day she was born. That's been my goal. I just called them, got to FaceTime with them. My husband said she was hitting the TV screen with her plastic golf clubs when I made that putt. So it's just pretty cool. I can't wait to get home with them in a week or so and celebrate.

But he reminded me that without Diamond Resorts tournament, we get to take her to Disney World now.

THE MODERATOR: What were some of the things that she said to you on that FaceTime call?

STACY LEWIS: Oh, she didn't say much. But you know, she's just smiling and being a little two-year-old. She loves Mini Mouse and Mickey Mouse, so we're going to Disney World, I guess.

Q. All week we've talked about patience and how you have to be patient on this kind of golf course and conditions. Was that tested today, and how have you overcome any impatience that you might have now as opposed to earlier in your career?

STACY LEWIS: Well, I think having a kid has brought me some more patience, I really do. You can't get worked warm-up her. When she starts crying, if I get worked up, it's going to make it worse. So if anything, Chesnee has taught me a lot of patience, and on this golf course, you're going to hit good shots and they are just not going to end up where you want them to. That's links golf. That's this type of golf.

The patience was tested today. There were moments there on the back nine where I wanted to go at pins but knew I couldn't. So I just -- I really just tried to wait for my opportunity and just kept hanging in there.

Q. So you said you weren't allowed to complain about the pace of play, I think you said after the second hole. Did you complain to yourself internally? Did you have that going on in your mind, or were you true to that?

STACY LEWIS: There were times that it crept in there, but honestly, I think just telling myself that I couldn't verbalise it, I couldn't say it to Travis; that it just -- it made me not think of it. You know, just -- I don't know. I don't know how I managed it today. I stayed more in a rhythm of my game and kind of the way I was thinking about shots. I knew that was going to be the biggest challenge of the day, and overall, I felt like I did a really good job with it.

Q. I think you're probably in the Women's Open now. You're vaulting up the list here. What does it mean to have the opportunity to play in your backyard, the biggest championship?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, so just with restarting play, that's -- that's been a goal. I mean, it's been kind of in the back of my mind. I knew good golf would take care of itself, but to play a U.S. Open in Houston where my family is, where my friends are, on a track, that I wouldn't say I've played a ton but I've played it enough that I know my way around; it's a really big deal.

I think the win should get me in there. I don't really know if it does, but I think it should.

Q. You made the double on 11 just after the group went on the clock. Did that have any impact at that time?

STACY LEWIS: Maybe a little. Maybe rushed that second shot a little bit. I just thought with the lie I had, the ball is going to come off right. Then you're on the clock and you probably -- you're not allowed to give that shot out of the weeds the time it deserves just because you are on the clock.

So I would have to say yes, it's somewhat of a factor, but if I hit a good second shot there, it's not a factor at all. So just unfortunate with the timing of hitting a bad shot when you're on the clock, because you just don't get the time you need to hit a good recovery shot.

Q. The last round today, five hours, 16 minutes, does that take something away from it unfortunately?

STACY LEWIS: It does. It shouldn't take that long to play. I knew it was going to; that's the sad part you is know it's going to take that long. I do think an effort needs to be made across the board to play faster, because obviously I wasn't watching it on TV, but I'm sure it couldn't have been fun to watch on TV. There's just so much the announcers, that they can talk about to fill time.

So I think -- I mean, I've been an advocate for changing our pace of play, getting people to play faster for a long time, and we're still going the other way unfortunately.

Q. Can you just tell us winning for the first time as a mom, just how challenging that really was, how doing it all, how difficult it really is?

STACY LEWIS: That first year was so hard. I look back at when she was six, eight months old, I don't know how I did it. I was so tired. You're not sleeping. If we had our WHOOP bands then, I'm sure my recoveries would have been pretty close to zero.

It's been a process. It's been a process of learning how to help her and how to take care of her and how to take care of myself and spend time with my husband and all that kind of stuff, too. It's been a learning process.

But the time off with COVID was great for me personally. Got to work on my game. Got to spend time with her. You know, it's hard. It's really hard. But I mean, she's everything. I just wish she was here to take a picture with this trophy.

Q. Were they actually at your house in Houston watching?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, so they were at home in Houston watching it together.

Q. And the other thing is, how far would you estimate the winning putt there?

STACY LEWIS: Winning putt, I want to guess, probably just over 20 feet. Let me look at my little grid here. I guess in the 20-foot range, 20, 25 feet, something like that.

Q. That putt, if we say 20-foot, is that fair, or is it nearer 25-foot?

STACY LEWIS: I'd say probably closer to 25. 23, 24.

Q. What would be your recommendation for changing the pace of play policy on Tour? What would you like to see happen?

STACY LEWIS: I think the, so if you're out of position right now, you get a warning. And then if you're still out of position after another hole, you get on the clock. And I think the warning should go away. I think if you're out of position, you should be timed. But I also think there should be spot timing in that an official can, if an official can plainly see who is slow in the group, they should time those people.

I think The European Tour has a more aggressive policy that if any -- any time you go over a minute to take a shot, you can get a penalty. And I would like to see it be penalties instead of fines. I think it needs to be aggressive. I think it needs to change because we're going -- we're going in the wrong direction.

Q. And my second thing, speaking of the next direction, Troon, can you tell us what your timeline is for heading to Troon and the testing and everything about that, if you're clear?

STACY LEWIS: Right. So some people could test this morning. I chose not to. But we're going to go back to the hotel here in Edinburgh tonight and then we'll kind of take our time and drive over in the morning, do a test when we get there, and then we'll be quarantined in our rooms until we get our results over there.

But I didn't -- I wasn't planning on practising tomorrow, anyway. So I'll just plan on taking tomorrow off and resting and enjoying this win a little bit. You know, then Tuesday get back at it.

Q. I wonder what songs you were singing to yourself?

STACY LEWIS: I knew you were going to ask that. So my daughter, she loves Taylor Swift, "Shake It Off." So that's like the one she dances to all the time. So it gets on my own, and we just repeat it over and over again. So that was actually the song that was stuck in my head today.

Q. The other question, you said about the Curtis Cup when you played at St. Andrews, first of all, and learning about links golf from your caddie at that time, you said it was Fraser. Is that was that Fraser Riddler?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, he's now the head caddie master there.

Q. Yes, he is. Just wanted to check that. Thanks very much.

As you think about your career and the accomplishments over the last couple of years as an LPGA Tour professional, how much does this win, knowing you get to bring a trophy home to Chesnee, mean to you?

STACY LEWIS: Since I've had her, it feels like the second part of my career just because everything is so different. The way I play golf is different. The way I go about things is different. The way I think about things is different. So it just kind of feels like the start of the second part of my career.

So to just get that off your shoulders and to take a trophy home, is so cool, and just to do it like that, you know, you always -- when you're practising, you think about making a putt to win a tournament. It's pretty sweet.

THE MODERATOR: We have Royal Troon and the first major of 2020. It's been a weird year for all of us with COVID, but how excited are you to take what you've been able to do here and improve upon that, if you can improve on it, on to Royal Troon.

STACY LEWIS: I'm just excited the way I'm hitting it. Links golf, you've got to be able to control your golf ball in the wind and did a pretty good job of that for four days. So excited that we get to keep playing and just so thankful for all of our sponsors that are allowing us to play over here, the Scottish government, thank you so much forgetting women's golf going again and helping us be able to play and help the local charities.

There's so many people to thank behind the scenes. We have got all these ladies running around our hotel that are testing us and doing different things, and there's just so many people behind the scenes that made us be able to play this week, and those are the people that really need to be thanked.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone for joining us.