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SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ACERJune 1, 2014Stacy LewisGALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY THE MODERATOR: All right. Well, it is my pleasure to welcome in the 2014 ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer champion Stacy Lewis. Stacy, congratulations. Your tenth career LPGA Tour victory. Crazy. You said this is very, very special. You said all week you came here in 2012, took over the top spot as the American in the Rolex Rankings. This week you'll move to No. 1 in the world. Talk about what you're feeling now. You got a little choked up out there on the green. STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I don't know what it is about this place. It's just really special to me. I've played some really good golf here, and it's just mind boggling really to think I have ten wins out here. It's so hard to win. There's so many good players, and it's so hard to win, so you never take them for granted. You enjoy them, that's for sure. I've learned that you enjoy them because they're so hard. And it feels great to, you know, just go out there with everything that was on the line today and just play some really good steady golf and do what I needed to do. THE MODERATOR: Had you did you feel coming into today, only a one‑shot lead, and on this course anything can change very, very quickly. Did you feel comfortable? You looked very comfortable out there, but what was the feeling coming into today? STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I mean I felt as the week was coming on, I felt like I was hitting‑‑ getting more comfortable with the way I was hitting the ball, and I started out, you know, actually hit some good shots early, and that really kind of got me settled in. And I knew it was going to be hard. You know, I liked the fact that the wind was blowing today. That kind of leveled out the field a little bit. I think it didn't allow someone to shoot 8 or 9‑under like we had the first two days. So that kind of made things a little bit easier, but the golf course is still hard. You just have to take one shot for what it is and that's what I was able to do. THE MODERATOR: You said you wanted your game to do the talking. I have to bring up a rankings question. You're going to be No. 1. How does that feel? I know you said it's a very big deal for you just to get the wins and have it happen, but now that it has happened, how does it feel? STACY LEWIS: It feels great. I mean I feel like I've played a lot of good, consistent golf over the last really year in that I felt like I deserve to be here. I didn't feel like I stumbled into it. You know, I just really felt like I worked hard and I earned my spot here, and so you know, that's what I'm proud of. You know, last time it was taken away from me in an off‑week when we weren't even playing, so I'm definitely just going to not take it for granted and really enjoy it this time. Now I know all the extra things that come along with it, but I'm ready for it this time. THE MODERATOR: You're prepped. Questions for Stacy? Q. Was there any point in your round today, Stacy, where you felt like you had to hold things together? I'm thinking about that up‑and‑down at No. 6. That wasn't the easiest spot to get up‑and‑down from. STACY LEWIS: Yeah. I mean early on, you know, those holes‑‑ really, those holes we play out to the water, like 2 and 6 and 7, they're some hard holes, so I really actually was kind of doing what I had planned out. You know, I made a couple birdies early, and then‑‑ and the up‑and‑down on 6, I mean I didn't feel like that was a huge momentum change if I didn't make that putt. But the goal there, 6, 7 was just to make par and get out of there. So I felt like up until really until 9 I was doing what I had kind of planned out in my head. And I was‑‑ you know, after 9 I was a little frustrated because I mean I had 5‑iron into that green and to come away with par was not very good. So I was a little frustrated there, but then making those putts on 10 and 11 kind of freed things up, but then that Back 9 was just so back and forth. It was just kind of wild swings of emotion, from me, from Christina. You know, we'd hit good shots and we would hit terrible shots. And I don't know, it was a little bit up‑and‑down. It was kind of exhausting actually coming in. Q. Stacy, you gotta talk a little bit about the place. I mean you've played so well here. What is it about this place and what about the fans who have actually kind of adopted you and made kind of a fan favorite here? Just talk a little bit about that and why you play well here and the crowd's reaction to you? STACY LEWIS:  Well, I think this golf course is a ball striker's course because the greens, the type of greens, poa annua, they're never going to run super smooth, and you know that coming into the week. So you know a ball striker is going to win here. I think you look at a lot of the past winners, they're good strikers, so that's really what I like about it. You have to shape shots. The par‑5s you can take advantage of. Length is always an advantage. I don't know. It really suits my game, and if I make some putts, that's when things kind of get going. And the fans, I mean the fans are just‑‑ it's unbelievable, the amount of people we get out at this tournament. You finish there at 18 and you're just absolutely mobbed all the way through there. There's really no escape. So it's just cool to see all the people that come out, and to me it feels like it's growing every year, too. Q. And you're a winner now. This tournament's been here 26 years; you're the fourth multiple winner. The other three are Sorenstam, King and Inkster. What does it mean to join that group of players there? STACY LEWIS: That's a pretty good list of people there. That's not too bad. Wow, that's really cool. I love walking through this clubhouse and seeing all the list of the names of the winners that are up on the wall and just to do it twice and I mean as you said, I don't even know what to say. I mean that list of past winners, they're all Hall‑of‑Famers, so who knows what's in store for me, but it's just a really cool list to be on. Q. Stacy, obviously No. 1 earlier for a short time. What did you learn from those few weeks, if anything. And you said you want to not joy it more. How can you enjoy it more because still people are going to be asking you about it even though you've made No. 1 now. STACY LEWIS: Oh, yeah, the scenarios are still going to be there. I know, but you know, last time the timing of it was just right before Kraft, and all the media hype, all that, it just went crazy, and I ran from place to place to place instead of saying I can't do that. I need to get some sleep tonight. So I've really gotten better over the last year at managing my schedule. And you know, knowing what I physically what I can do and I now know better what helps me play my best golf. So I think managing the schedule is going to be key. At the same time, you know, I can't put too much pressure on myself. You know, my goal, I know people get tired of me saying it, but my goal is to win the tournaments, and so whatever happens after that is fine. So you know, I'm going to play at Manulife next week and I'm going to tee it up on Thursday going there to win. And it doesn't matter if I'm 1 or 100 in the world, I'm going there giving myself a chance to win. Q. And you also mentioned more opportunities being No. 1. Good opportunities, like what are some of those specifically? STACY LEWIS: Oh, I don't know. There's always‑‑ there's just a lot of requests. You know, I think‑‑ look at what I did this week and how busy I was, and I was still able to play some good golf. So that just gives me a lot of confidence. And it's just a lot of people pulling you in different directions is really what it is. You know, I'm fortunate I have a good team of people around me, and I think we'll all handle it a little better this time. Q. Stacy, you didn't play well here last year. You had an opening round 67? STACY LEWIS: Yep. Q. And then you shot 80. STACY LEWIS: Yep. Q. And you shot 74? STACY LEWIS: Thank you for bringing that up (laughs). Q. Do you have a short memory? STACY LEWIS: Yes, because I didn't even remember that. (Laughs). I knew I didn't play well here, but I didn't know that. Q. And not that you have any control about this, but we've talked in the past about the cover of Golf Digest. Do you think you deserve that cover? STACY LEWIS: I don't know. You know, that's not my decision to make, but you know, the editors certainly heard my stance on it last time, and no, we'll see what happens. It would be a good time, a good story line to lead into the U.S. Open. But you know, it's not my decision. But I think they're really kind of‑‑ they're getting the message and hopefully eventually one of us will be there. Q. What is your favorite hole on this golf course? STACY LEWIS: Favorite hole. Favorite hole, I probably, I actually like No. 3, the par‑5. It's always reachable. You can make some birdies and hit some good shots in there close. But I like all the par‑5s because you have eagle chances. Q. Congratulations. And what is your favorite golf course to play? STACY LEWIS: I guess‑‑ do I have to say this one while we're here? Yeah. I don't know. Actually, as cool as that is, I went to Pinehurst on Monday and Tuesday, which is the same designer, Donald Ross did that golf course, too. So you know, I liked being at Pinehurst, and it was good practice for this one. So who knows what'll happen. Q. Congratulations. And how long have you been playing golf for, and why do you like it? STACY LEWIS: Thank you. And I started playing when I was about seven or eight. How old are you guys? Nine? They're on their way, then. But you know, I love‑‑ I love the competition. I love getting inside the ropes and walking up 18 with a chance to win and feeling the nerves, feeling the pressure. You know, that's what I live for, and I love‑‑ and besides that, I just love to practice. I love to learn new shots and just go out there and hit an 8 or a 7 iron out of a bunker and see what you can do, just try to be creative, and you can always learn new things. Q. What is your favorite club? STACY LEWIS: Favorite golf club? Probably my driver, just because I like to get out there and hit it far. THE MODERATOR: Grip it and rip it. STACY LEWIS:  Exactly. THE MODERATOR: All right. Last question for me. You said this would be great timing to come in here and get a win going into the stretch of the rest of the season. How do you hopefully try to ride this momentum out? STACY LEWIS: Well, it's just keep doing what I'm doing. You know, coming off of‑‑ I won in Texas a few weeks ago, and we had an off‑week and I think I got a little complacent and didn't play the way I would have liked at Kingsmill and even last week. So if I learned anything from that, it's that to not be complacent and just go back out there and work hard and keep doing what's got me to this point because it's working. So that's what I'm going to keep doing. I'm excited. We've got majors coming up this summer, International Crown. We have so much coming up here these next few months really, but I'm just excited that I'm playing good golf and taking home another trophy. THE MODERATOR: All right. Any other questions? All right. Thank you for coming in, and congratulations again. STACY LEWIS: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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