PORTLAND CLASSIC

July 31, 2024

Stacy Lewis

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome Stacy Lewis here to the Portland Classic media center. Obviously an event that we all love here. You've won before. Just tell me how happy you are to be back in Portland.

STACY LEWIS: I love being here. Just tons of ties to the area going back to amateur golf. I had a good run at Pumpkin Ridge and winning here a few years ago. It's probably my favorite golf course we play now. It's always in great shape.

You kind of start to know your way around the area, so I love coming here. It's not as hot as it is in Texas right now so good place to be.

Q. Just a few weeks ago Dana, CP; really good run of play, especially at Dana where you were also champion.

STACY LEWIS: No. I've never won it. Hometown event.

Q. That's right. That's right.

STACY LEWIS: Yes.

Q. So just good stretch of play. How are you feeling with your game and coming back to a place you like?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, Toledo was a big relief off my shoulders. This year has been a struggle on the golf course with my golf swing and trying to get things in a better place.

Just to put four good days together and be in one of those last few groups and to do that again, it's just nice to know that it's still there.

Actually played pretty well in Canada last week. It was just that was -- I mean, it probably played harder than Sahalee did. That golf course was set up very, very difficult last week. Felt like I played a lot better than the score.

So excited to come to a place I've had success. I know this place like the back of my hand. I don't need a yardage book.

It's nice to come here and hopefully make another run.

Q. Obviously on top of your tour schedule you're a very busy lady, especially with Solheim. Big story for us this week. Obviously lots of Americans out here who are right there on the edge. How much watching are you going to being doing out here while also watching?

STACY LEWIS: Lots of the leaderboard watching. It's nice to be paired with Andrea this week to see how she's playing. Obviously she had that good run. (Indiscernible)played well at the Women's Open and she has had success here, and so I expect her to play well here.

And then you got others on the bubble that I've had conversations with. That's a lot of the reason they're here playing, is that they need to kind of play better, need to go get some points and work their way in themselves.

That's been the message: Go make it on your own. Don't wait on a captain's pick. You see that in Kupcho, Angel, Danielle, a lot of these ones that are close here trying to get some points.

Q. Are you surprised at some of the possible turnover we're looking at on this roster given the last Solheim was only a year ago?

STACY LEWIS: I am actually. I was expecting the team to be very similar, maybe one person kind of switching out. But to have Lauren go on the run she's gone on, and you've had some other people going the wrong way, so, yeah, it's surprising.

At the same time I'm excited. You've some people playing really good golf. Ally is playing some of the best golf of her career right now, so I'm excited for them to have this opportunity to play in the United States.

You know, we've to gone over tons of scenarios. We changed the points structure this year where they're getting points for top 40 finishes, and I think that's been a factor in it. There is more room for movement. The players that are playing better are the ones moving in on the points which is what you want.

So I think that's been a success so far as well.

Q. That seventh seed is such a tight race right now. What's that like to have conversations with players sitting on the bubble right there?

STACY LEWIS: Some of them like Rose, she is so high on Rolex there is no way she's not on that team. So that's a pretty easy conversations. Same can be said for Allisen as well, high enough on Rolex.

I've always thought Rolex is not the best indicator of who is playing the best golf. It takes too long to move. It's too delayed in moving up and then once somebody is very high in the rankings it takes a long time to move down.

So that's kind of the position that Rose and Allisen are in right now. They're high enough I don't see them going anywhere. Some of them it's reassuring them to keep playing good golf but you're fine.

Other ones it's, hey, I need to see some better finishes out of you. They get that. They see where they are on the list so they get it too.

Q. What are you feeling about the team overall a month before it gets finalized?

STACY LEWIS: Feeling good about it. I like the way we're trending and how some of our players are playing. Lexi with the run this summer was a big relief off my shoulders. Makes things a little bit easier to for me just one, to her there, but have her playing good golf.

I don't just want her there, I want her playing good golf. That's what I've told everybody that wants to can make the team: You got to go play good golf and that's what's going to get you there.

Q. I was talking to Allisen and Lauren earlier this morning and said they were going to get out Robert Trent Jones next week. Was that on your direction?

STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I've encouraged them all as much as possible if they could to go play RTJ. We didn't do any kind of like set team visit just because the Olympics and all the majors and everybody's schedules being so crazy.

We've had a few -- I played it with Lexi. Kupcho has gone. We've got Sarah, Allisen, Lauren, and Ally all going next week. I just encouraged it because the week is so busy for them. So to go see the golf course, get the lay of the land, and do it without all the hoopla and people around.

And also helps them prepare in that week. We have a week off where they can prepare and say, hey, I need to work on this part of my game too.

Q. You've seen the course. Played it a couple weeks ago. Are you giving them individual advice on how the course might suit players -- without revealing anything to Team Europe obviously?

STACY LEWIS: I'm trying to get more information from them, clubs they're hitting off tees, what they're hitting into holes. That helps with our stats and helps create pairings and how the golf course is going to play helps me a lot.

I saw how Lexi played it, but it's nice to get the others. They may get it on different weather day, different wind day. So just trying to get more feedback from them more than anything.

Q. How many players potentially on the team have seen the course so far?

STACY LEWIS: Well, at least half of them, which I think is good. I know Lauren took her caddie out there and he was out there with her and he gave me some good information, too.

Have about half that I think are there, and then week of they can kind of spread the knowledge to the other ones. So I'm not too worried about it. It's a golf course that it is right there in front of you, but they're going to have to go hit some golf shots.

There's not going to be a ton of wedges in their hands, which I think -- which I want. It want it to play into our favor.