TRUST GOLF WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

August 11, 2021

Stacy Lewis

Dumbarnie Links

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome to the Trust Golf Women's Scottish Open, Stacy Lewis, defending champion.

Take me back to last year, the third event in the COVID restart of the 2020 LPGA season, to come away with your first win as an LPGA mom, your first win since 2017. Take me back to that week in Scotland.

STACY LEWIS: Well, one, I love being here. You know, I think that's what a lot of my success over here, is just of love of being here.

I remember I came off of Toledo last year, played really well there and finished really good on Sunday, and just came over with a lot of confidence. The golf course played really hard last year. A lot of wind every day. It just played to my strengths, I feel like.

You know, as the week went on, I felt like little things were starting to go my way. I was getting good bounces and didn't really hole a lot of putts at all in the entire week but obviously made -- just things start going your way and you start getting the good bounces and you know, kind of just felt lucky to be in the playoff and finally made a putt.

THE MODERATOR: That 23-foot birdie putt on that playoff hole, what was going through your mind?

STACY LEWIS: Well, I had hit a really good shot. That 18th hole, getting it up on that shelf was a pretty big deal, so I hit a really good shot there, and the putt, I saw the read. There's a couple putts I've made throughout my career that I've kind of called my caddie off and said I got it, and that was just one of them. I saw the line and the break, and I think the hardest part over here is getting it to the hole and I did that.

THE MODERATOR: Being able to walk away, your first win as an LPGA mom, what did it meaning able to see your daughter again holding the trophy?

STACY LEWIS: I couldn't watch when Cheyenne was putting. I couldn't watch it. Just it was more the after of when I went back and kind of the response of it, and some of the other girls that have kids, just how cool that they thought it was and how proud they were of me. They know how hard it is and how hard it is to come back and to continue to play with kind of all the extra demands that go on in life now.

So it was really cool. You know, Chesnee still doesn't really understand exactly what I do, but she will one day.

THE MODERATOR: I remember you going home and having that banner across your front doorstep. What was that like when you went home and saw your family after your win?

STACY LEWIS: It was cool. My husband did that sign for me. I had some neighbors come over and congratulate me which was cool, because I don't think they knew who lived next door to them because we were gone so much. Just the reach of it; you don't realise how many people are paying attention, and to be able to go home and celebrate with my husband and daughter, and just know all the sacrifices and all the hard work, that it pays off.

THE MODERATOR: And you talk about how much you love coming back here to Scotland. What is it about Scotland that not only you love but you play very well here?

STACY LEWIS: Just the creativity of the golf itself. The golf course is going to play different every day you see it. You know, I love the creative side. I love that I can play it off of this ridge or I can hit this chip shot and it's going to bounce left and get on the green and go right. I love how much more creative you can be here.

And I think just my toughness, you have to be tough here. You're going to play in the elements at some point and you have to love it. I think there's a lot of people that are taken out of the tournaments because they don't necessarily love playing in the rain and playing in the wind. So just kind of all suits me in and my personality, I guess.

THE MODERATOR: Before I open it up, Dumbarnie Links, what do you think of this new course?

STACY LEWIS: It's amazing. I'd say anybody that's coming over for a trip, you need to come play here. It's a newer design obviously but it still has the old links feel to it. It's a pretty good hike. It's a pretty good walk.

But other than that, you know, you hit a lot of different shot and you've got to hit some long ones and short one, as well. There's some really good short holes on this golf course. We haven't had much wind the last couple days but it's coming. Looking forward to see how it's going to play in that.

Q. One of the features of this golf course is the four-shot par 4s. Is that something you like to see?

STACY LEWIS: I do. I don't think the hole has to be 450 yards for it to be a great hole. You look at, what is it, I think it's 11 out there with all the bunkering, that's a hard little golf hole. It's 310, 320. It's a really short hole, but you can get into a lot of trouble.

I love it. I think it gives you -- kind of lives you a little bit of a break. You're not feeling like you're slugging four irons and five irons into holes all day. I just like the creativity side of it because you're going to see, some people might hit irons off the tee and some people might hit a fairway wood or driver off the right. Just shows there's a lot of different ways to do it.

Q. Last year conditions were tough and the golf course contributed to slow play. How have things been in the 12 months, any better?

STACY LEWIS: No, probably not. I think obviously it got a lot of attention last week. This golf course is a really long walk, so I think rounds are going to be pretty slow again.

But people are paying attention. Our officials have gotten on to people a little bit more. I know there's been more fines and more penalties have been given out over the last year. Maybe it's gotten a little bit better.

But this golf course probably isn't going to help us this week (chuckling).

Q. Did you get any comeback from that from other players?

STACY LEWIS: I did, actually. You know, I was worried that a lot of times when you say things like that, people are going to say you're complaining and this and that.

So I was a little bit worried talking about it, but the response was actually great. People are like, "I'm so happy you talked about it. I'm so glad you put it out there that things need to get better?"

Aza actually came up to me and talked to me and asked how she could get better; "How do you and Travis come up with kind of the shot you're going to hit so quickly," just kind of asked how she could kind of speed herself up, which I thought that was pretty cool, kind of taking ownership of it and probably realising she is going to play better if she does play faster.

Q. What would you have said to the girl coming up --

STACY LEWIS: I think for Aza, it was just making a decision. I think the hardest part about links golf is you can be in a spot and hit four or five different shots. It's really just picking the first -- I really see shots and so I'm going to pick the first shot I see. A lot of times, you second-guess it, and you try to pick -- you end up picking something else that's the wrong thing. Your first instincts are usually right, and that's what I kind of told her is trust your instinct, trust your first instinct and try not to over-complicate it.

Q. My question was going to be about the toughness you acknowledge you have. Does that date back to your health history?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, wearing a hard brace around your tore toe for 18 hours a day, it originally was supposed to be for two years and ended up being 6 1/2, and so for basically four and a half years we would go to the doctor every three months and I was hoping that, okay, will this be the appointment I get to stop wearing my brace. That went on for four years. If you don't have enough toughness you're never going to get through that.

I think my mom instilled a lot of that. She's just very matter of fact, this is what we are going to do. Doctor says we need to keep wearing it, we're going to keep wearing it. I think a lot of that shaped me into the person that I am.

Q. More on the slow play. Do you think it's the discipline; would you like to see more?

STACY LEWIS: What I would like to see is more kind of spot-timing. They have implemented a policy this year where you can be timed when you're not out of position if an official happens to be there, and if you're over, it's just a fine right now.

But I would like to see if an official is there and you take too long, you should get shots. I mean, I would honestly like to see that.

Because I think as a tour, we need to make this game more enjoyable, make it more fun to watch. You know, it's just I think with COVID and all that, we could potentially be losing people coming to tournaments, losing eyeballs watching us, and I would like to see us be on the forefront of making the game faster and making it more fun.

The guys I played with today, one is a member at Crail, and he said their time limit is three hours. I mean, granted, tee-to-green is really close, it's a short walk. But that's how the game should be played. It's enjoyable, you can take three or four hours out of your day and you can go do whatever else you need to do where now, you're literally spending half of your day at the golf course, and not a lot of people have time for that.

Q. Yeah, I almost want to keep on the slow play topic but I guess there are other topics. My first one is when we look at Nelly Korda's success, winning the Olympic gold, and you were the last American to be No. 1 in the world and have success, if she were to say, "Hey, Stacy, let's go to lunch," what advice would you give her?

STACY LEWIS: I guess be very diligent and picking about your time. Do the things you need to keep playing good golf. So do the things you need to do to play good golf and if there's time for extra stuff outside of that, do it, because the Tour needs you to do it.

Most important, I would tell her is that you keep playing good golf. You know, but she needs to do the media. She needs to do a little bit of extra stuff because we need her to do that as a tour. That's what I would tell her.

Q. Going back to the Olympics, it was a fantastic, exciting finish, but if you were czar, would you change the format, and if so, how?

STACY LEWIS: I would like to see some sort of team element to it. You look at in swimming, they added the combined relays. I don't know how would you do it with the guys playing the week ahead of us, but I would like to see some team element with the guys.

But to do that, you have to be playing at the same time. I don't know how you would do that right now. I do think a stroke-play event you're going to get the best player is going to win and that's what we want out of the Olympics is you want your best player to win. It would be like an additional medal -- you've got to keep the stroke play, but I would like to see an additional, like, team element to it.

Q. One more on the slow play. Was it Carlota Ciganda, did she have a penalty this year?

STACY LEWIS: She got one at the Match Play. She had a loss of hole and it lost the match.

Q. That's quite a high profile, does more of that need to happen to get the message through?

STACY LEWIS: I think it does. I mean, it's was harsh. Everyone initially was, wow. I think hers was even in that format, I don't know if she were out of position or not, but it is harsh, and it looks harsh to the media and everybody on the outside.

But I do think we need that. Because you start playing with shots that affects where you are on the leaderboard, affects how much money you're making, it affects your status at the end of the year. That affect things a lot more than $1,000 fine does ultimately. I'm okay with it and I'd like to see more of it.

THE MODERATOR: I just want to go back real quick to your play into this event here, 12th, 9th, 12th; last year you brought that momentum from Toledo.

Are you feeling the same momentum this week.

STACY LEWIS: A little bit, maybe not quite as much. I took the last three weeks off. Just had a busy summer, so I just needed some time off. Maybe not quite the momentum I had last year but definitely just the confidence of seeing putts go in and shots starting to go where you want them to go.

So yeah, I've been trending in the right direction this summer and really looking for Solheim in the next month, that's really kind of been on the back of my mind for a long time. So that's really kind of what I'm playing for.

Obviously want to be in contention, want to have a chance to win but Solheim is in the back of mine, too.

THE MODERATOR: Last question from me. I know we've talked about it a couple times since we've come back here to Scotland, but how much is it on your mind knowing the qualification period is approaching?

STACY LEWIS: I've been paying attention to it these last couple weeks I haven't been playing. You know, what I really want to play in Toledo, I really do. With the way things went in Scotland for me, and being with Marathon now for a few years and in Toledo where I was born, where I have a ton of family; it would really mean a lot to be on that team.

Q. I couldn't resist asking a slow play question. How has it evolved since you came out on Tour?

STACY LEWIS: When I came out on Tour, there were -- I would say there were a handful of slow players and now there's a handful of fast players. I think that's the best way to put it.

Q. And what do you attribute that to?

STACY LEWIS: I think it's just the realisation of it. I think you start one player you play with is kind of slow and then there's a lot of players their pace of play depends who they play with. If they play with someone who is slow, they take their time; you walk slow, you don't do a whole lot fast. I wouldn't say it's a courtesy thing. I just think it's kind of just the way we've been trending.

Gosh, I remember first time on Tour, I played slow. You just could never keep up with them. It's little things. If you are first to hit, you need to walk faster and go get to your ball and if you're last to hit, you'd better be pulling a club out when the person is hitting.

Q. Who were the fastest veteran players?

STACY LEWIS: All of them. I mean, honestly, you think back, I think of some of the older players I've played with, they were all fast. I mean, a lot of your slower players are players that are younger than me that have come out after me.

But there has not been a whole lot of push last five or six years to get people to play faster. So if there's no penalties for it -- and I don't think our timing policy is still where it needs to be where you know people still kind of know how to work the system and get away with it.

I just think it need to be a courtesy thing because we need to realise as a tour, we're going to lose people watching us and we're going to lose fans because we are taking so long to play and I think that's what really needs to be hammered home to people is we need to do it more from that side than anything.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much.