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KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP

March 31, 2011

Stacy Lewis

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Stacy Lewis into the interview room. First off, congratulations on your first round 6-under. First off, can you just tell us a little bit about your round today and how things went out there?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, it was playing really hard, so I knew I just needed to hit some good golf shots and get some putts to fall.
That's what happened. I just judged the numbers really well going into the green and just kind of hung in there and made par when I needed to.
THE MODERATOR: One thing I wanted to bring up, we all know about your battle with scoliosis and a couple of weeks ago you got to visit with young girls who have gone through the same surgery that you've gone through. Talk a little bit about your battle with scoliosis and what it was like meeting those girls and talking to them.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah. It was in Phoenix and I played for the Scoliosis Research Society. So it was cool just meeting kids. I get emails and letters and things all the time from the kids and from the parents. So any time I can be a positive role model to kids, I try to.
THE MODERATOR: Any questions?

Q. Can you just take us through the three straight birdies? I think that came after your only bogey. It was almost like a fighting response to that bogey.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I made bogey on 12, but I actually made about a six, seven-footer for bogey, so it kind of kept me in there a little bit.
And hit a good shot into 13, hit it to about four feet. And then 14, hit it to 10 feet and made it. And then 15 hit it to 16 and made it. So it was just controlling the distances really well and making putts.

Q. How was the heat out there?
STACY LEWIS: It was very hot. They came around, we were on the -- we were on our back side, halfway through the back side and they told the caddies they could take their suits off. Once it gets over 100 you can take your suits off.
It was hot and the golf course is burned out and it's just going to get harder as the week goes on.

Q. Two things. You played here in a qualifier in September of '08.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah.

Q. And it was, I think, hotter that week. And you had success on the golf course. Obviously from the area that you're from, is heat as big an issue for you maybe as somebody from Minnesota?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I really don't mind the heat at all. I'd rather have hot and humid heat than dry heat, but I grew up in Texas in the summers, so I'm used to playing golf when it's over 100 degrees. I say bring it because the ball goes a mile, so I like it.

Q. And you mentioned the greens or the course is a little baked out out there right now. I think the players who played this morning might have thought they had the easier half of the draw because it was cooler and the greens hadn't gotten -- and yet the afternoon flights seem to be scoring as low if not a little better.
STACY LEWIS: Well, the fairways started to roll out, so I think we had probably some shorter irons into the greens. Usually you play in the morning and you have an advantage, so I don't know if maybe there was some wind this morning. It was pretty calm out there this afternoon. It was actually pretty scorable, I thought.

Q. Yeah, that was my question. Karrie Webb said the wind came up 10, 11, 12. You didn't have any breeze out there at all?
STACY LEWIS: I mean we had a little bit, but it was kind of moving all over the place and not really enough -- I don't think I took more or less club on any shot for the wind, so it wasn't really a factor at all.

Q. Do you have to do anything for your back, special exercises or do you pay attention to certain things because of it?
STACY LEWIS: I mean I just -- I always like to work out and my back feels better when I work out. I just try to keep it strong and loose, and I don't know, just try to take care of it as best I can.

Q. Does it ever bother you, are there certain conditions where it hurts more?
STACY LEWIS: When it's cold out, it's tougher, obviously, just to kind of get moving a little bit, but knock on wood, I haven't had any troubles in a long time.

Q. Since the surgery basically?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah.

Q. Are you hitting it a little longer in this season?
STACY LEWIS: I am. I am hitting it a lot further right now.

Q. Can you give us some numbers and tell us how you got extra yardage?
STACY LEWIS: I think off the tee I'm probably 20, 25 yards longer, and I picked up probably half a club with my irons.
And it's kind of been over the last three or four months, but I've been working with my coach on trying to make my swing a little bit more efficient. And in the process my swing gets better and I've picked up distance, and I'm also a lot stronger.
It wasn't something we were trying to do. It just kind of happened.

Q. Do you have a new fitness person or different routine in the gym?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I started working with a guy down in Florida January of last year. So did it all last year and kind of -- I started to see a little bit in the middle of the year, but definitely towards the end of the year I kind of started to see the benefits of it.

Q. Did you see this round coming today? Did you feel this week that you were going to score this well?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I had my coach out last week, so we worked on some things last week to get ready for this week, and I've been playing well for, I mean, a couple months.
It's just been kind of waiting on putting a round together where the putts fall. So I've kind of been expecting it for the last couple weeks, but I'm glad it came today.

Q. What did you work on last week with your coach for this tournament?
STACY LEWIS: Just a few little things, trying to hit the ball flight a little bit higher because we knew the greens were going to be firm, and just kind of -- just doing little things just to get ready for the long rough and things like that.
THE MODERATOR: Any more questions? Thank you very much, Stacy. Good luck the rest of the week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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