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P&G BEAUTY NW ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY JOHN Q. HAMMONSJuly 2, 2008Stacy LewisROGERS, ARKANSAS ASHLEY CUSHMAN: Stacy, thanks for coming. Tied for third place at the U. S. Women's Open that you're coming off of. Quite an incredible amateur career, too, including the 2007 NCAA Individual Women's Golf Medalist Honor, and you were the 18-hole leader of this tournament last year before it was rained short, so welcome back to your home course. If you can just kind of talk to us about playing here this week. STACY LEWIS: I'm really excited about this week, kind of excited I guess. Get to play in front of the hometown crowd, and I know, I mean this week's been crazy already, so I'm really excited, and I just want the tournament to get started. Q. And I know you had a couple of special announcements that you wanted to make, so I'll turn it over to you and then we'll have questions from the media. STACY LEWIS: Well, I found out yesterday from Jim Felechner and the people at Kapalua I'm playing in the Kapalua event in October. They've sponsored me into that. And then also I'm signing with Mizuno to play their clubs. ASHLEY CUSHMAN: All right. Questions. Q. Stacy, we were kind of joking about how crazy this week's been already, but two days in, how much distraction has there been for you? Has it been hard to concentrate on golf, and how have your preparations been going? STACY LEWIS: It has been crazy, but I think today and tomorrow I should have some good days to prepare, which is kind of good because I needed some days to relax and not think about golf. These last couple days have been really busy, and I knew this week was going to be busy before I even played in the Open, and then just playing well there has kind of added to it, but I'm glad it happened, though. I mean I wouldn't change it. But this golf course is looking great, and I played yesterday and I'm real excited about it. Q. And how much have you interviewed go over the few days? STACY LEWIS: I've done a lot of interviews the last couple days and the last week, but it's fun. You gotta enjoy it. If you're not enjoying it, it's just -- it could be torture, but -- Q. Have you played Mizuno clubs before or how did that kind of come about? STACY LEWIS: I have. I've played Mizuno clubs, irons since I've been in college, so I didn't want to switch my irons. I just like them a lot, so much, so we've been talking to them really the last month or so. Q. You hear people talk when they enter the pros. Was there a moment for you last week that kind of made you really think what stage you were on and this is your environment now? STACY LEWIS: Probably just Saturday I was actually leaving the media room there, and I saw the final leaderboard, because when I got done, not everybody was finished and I saw the final leaderboard that I was leading, so I guess that was kind of the moment that I realized that I was actually in the lead and I was playing out here for real, and it was kind of mind-blowing, and I called my coaches and I'm like, "I'm leading the U.S. Open." It doesn't even seem real, but it was so much fun. Q. Just kind of talking on a different line, but how important is fitness to you and when did you kind of start getting serious about that? And then also, I noticed there's like a big fitness truck on Tour, a lot of the players utilize a lot of those as the year goes on. STACY LEWIS: I think for me it was after my back surgery because I did do a lot of rehab and things like that. So for me it was my back. Fitness is key. I have to stay stretched out. I mean I love to work out. I love to go run a little bit and things like that. As far as here out on Tour, I'm not going to actually do the tent. I don't even know what I'm allowed to do and what I'm not allowed to do. I don't even know what I'm doing now. But I mean I'm sure in time I'll probably do it, yeah. Q. What does your daily routine look like? STACY LEWIS: I usually get up in the morning and go work out. I try to go before every round, just to get loosened up, so once you're out on the range, you're ready to go, and then from there just go on and play. Q. How much have you played this golf course when you got here in Arkansas and what is it about this course that you feel like your game kind of goes with it more? STACY LEWIS: Well, I've played -- I mean I came here five years ago, and this was our home course until we had the blessings, and so we would come up here and play here. I've played so many rounds on here, it's kind of like one more practice round isn't going to really help me a whole lot. But I think this golf course is a lot like the golf course we just got off of at the U.S. Open, not as long, but rough and tree-lined. I think the greens here can be tricky, so I think that the rounds I've gotten to play here will definitely help me. Q. Has anybody come up to you and asked for advice on the course? STACY LEWIS: No, not yet. They asked me last week what was this course like and things, but not this week. Q. Just sort of talk about the American woman golfer, her place on the LPGA Tour right now. What do you think the state of the American woman golfer is and what do you think has to happen for Americans to get back on top of the LPGA Tour? STACY LEWIS: We have a lot of young players that are up and coming, and the difference is I think a lot of the overseas players are turning pro at a younger age, and you're starting to see that more with the Americans as well, but there's a lot of good young Americans that are just playing in college, so hopefully with me playing well it'll kind of get more people behind me to come out and play, but I think it's in a really good place and I think -- I mean from what I've seen in college, there's a lot of good players coming. Q. You played with Laura Davies last week. How familiar were you with her beforehand? And just talk about playing a couple rounds with her. STACY LEWIS: I never met Laura or Helen before, and it was such -- I mean it was amazing just to watch them play, and I mean Laura hits it so far, it was amazing. I mean she'll never use a tee, and I mean she just bombs it right out there, and this one par-4 everybody kind of hit out to the right and then you hit a long iron in, and she just bombed it right over the bunkers. And then I had to get up and hit afterwards and I mean I hit the drive down there like 270, but she's like 50 yards past me. But I mean like especially from Helen, I learned a lot from watching her play, she just played really smart. They've been out on Tour so much, and they talked about first time they met was like in '82, which is before I was even born, so it was really cool to be playing with them. Q. Did you follow them at all growing up or were you familiar with their accomplishments? STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I knew how much both of them had won and played, and there's a lot of media attention on Laura for getting in the Hall of Fame and all of that, so I kind of knew going into it that it would be a little hectic out there. Q. Are you intrigued to see what kind of golf game John Pelphrey and Bobby Petrino have? STACY LEWIS: Well, I've seen Coach Pelphrey hit balls. I mean he looks like a pretty good player, and I've heard good things about Coach Petrino, so I'm excited about it. It should be a great day. Q. When do they find out about pairings, like who you're playing with on Friday? STACY LEWIS: We'll find out later this afternoon. Q. Do you have any preference on who you're playing with or does that really matter to you who you end up with, that dynamic? STACY LEWIS: Not really. You know you're going to be going early one day, late the other day, and it's kind of luck of the draw, but I don't know. We'll see. Q. I remember reading a quote from one of the tournaments last year that you really helped her, that how you're kind of familiar with a lot of the pros out here. What kind of support have you gotten from pros after turning pro and doing so well at the Open and returning here this week? STACY LEWIS: They've been really supportive. I think from playing in tournaments previously, they weren't surprised by the way I played, and they were telling me, "great round" and things like that, so they've all been really supportive of it, and I hope I can make enough money in these next couple of tournaments to be out here full time. Q. Do you have any friends who you would consider yourself friends with, just familiarity with? STACY LEWIS: I have met so many people that I mean it's kind of hard to say, but everybody's just been so great and welcoming, and it's been perfect so far. Q. A lot of times it takes people a while in their careers to get to where you were in your first week in the pros. What does that do for your confidence in helping you come out and doing well? STACY LEWIS: Well, I think playing in sponsors and playing a couple years ago definitely helped me deal with the situation and things like that, and you know, definitely probably -- I mean I knew going into it that I could compete out here, and that just kind of assured what I already knew. And I played in three major championships in 2005, so I think it's a pretty good thing to have. Q. And just a little bit on the Mizuno club contract, is it just for irons or? STACY LEWIS: Well, right now I just have irons, and I'm going to kind of work on things and hope by next year I'll be in a 9-club, and then eventually maybe work into more over time. Q. How did you get that club contract and what surrounded that? STACY LEWIS: Right. I'm really excited because one thing I didn't want to have to change a lot of my clubs going into the year and I wanted to keep things the same, and I mean I hit a lot of greens, and I love my irons. That was like the one thing I didn't want to change, so I'm just excited to be working with Mizuno and that they're giving me this opportunity. Q. Your entry into pro golf was kind of whirlwind. Is it still a huge jump in just responsibility that you're not playing the college circuit? Just talk about what that's been like and how your life has gotten any crazier. STACY LEWIS: I mean it's not even that much busier, I think, because with college, I mean college you go work out, you go to class, you go to practice. You go home, do homework and then it's bedtime. You didn't have any free time. Now at least I have time to relax. I have time to go see my friends and my family. It's been really nice just to have some time to relax a little bit. Q. How does it work out as far as the money? Do you get like a check right then or how does that work? STACY LEWIS: Yeah. They mail it to you, so I haven't gotten a check yet, so it's just -- I don't think it's really hit home that I made that much money last week, but maybe in a couple weeks. Q. So just talk about what do you think the fan response will be this week. They all know who you are. They know you shot 65 here yesterday. They know you're a Razorback and they know how well you did last week. Do you have any feeling what that's going to be like? STACY LEWIS: I think so. I mean I knew last year, last year was crazy enough, and then I knew this year was going to be even crazier, and then I played well at the Open. And I tried to warn my parents, my family that are coming, I'm like, "you guys have no idea what you're in for this week." But I mean I'm looking forward to it. I've signed so many autographs and things like that and gotten congratulations over and over again, so it's been great. Q. What advice are you going to have for Lucy for what she's going to be taking into this weekend? STACY LEWIS: Yeah. She's going to be really nervous on that first tee. So at least hopefully she gets off the first tee, and other than that, I think she'll be all right. Q. Did you try to help her out a lot in your practice round yesterday? STACY LEWIS: I mean not really. She knows the course about as well as I do, so I definitely think having her on the bag last year will definitely help her deal with this kind of situation. So I think as long as she gets off that first tee, she'll be all right. Q. Stacy, how much stronger are you this year than last year? You talk about going to the gym and working out. Also, you know, it's reasonable to expect you could have won a lot of money in the last 12 months. What does this last year do for you? STACY LEWIS: Well, as far as how much I've been working out and things like that, I don't know, like how much I've gained or anything like that. I mean I know I'm getting farther, but I don't know like percentage or whatever. But as far as this last year, I think it's been key for me, especially as much as I've won. I just want to keep on winning, and I think the more you win, I mean you learn how -- you have to learn how to win and you learn how to win in different ways, so I think that was key for me, and I played a lot more consistent this year, which is definitely going to help me out here. MODERATOR: Any more questions? All right. Stacy, thanks for your time today. Good luck this week. We look forward to talking to you some more in here. STACY LEWIS: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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