PORTLAND, Ore. (Univ. of Ark.) –Stacy Lewis played out a nail-biting finish snapping a three-year winless streak with a one-shot victory at the Cambia Portland Classic Presented by JTBC on Sunday.
Lewis, a The Woodlands, Texas, native and current Houston resident, picked up a $195,000 paycheck which she will donate to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Her title sponsor, KMPG, will match that donation.
Lewis entered the day with a solid lead but In Gee Chun put a lot of pressure on the former Razorback in the final round. Lewis finished shooting 70–64–65–69—268 (-20).
“I knew it was gonna be hard,” Lewis said. “When I said that (about donating her winnings), I had the goal of winning the tournament but you have to have a lot of things to go right. It is great to think we are going to make a difference – help people rebuild their homes. It’s amazing.”
The win is Lewis’ first in 83 starts and her first since her 2014 win at the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G. Lewis had 33 top-10 and 12 runner-up finishes in that stretch.
The victory was not without drama and Lewis left some shots out on the course with three missed birdie putts. Chun, meanwhile, played six-under in the final round pushing Lewis in the final nine holes.
Chun birdied the 16th hole and cut Lewis’ lead to one with two holes to play. As they moved to the 17th hole, Lewis hit her tee shot to 151 yards but her second shot bounced on the hard, fast green rolling just off the putting surface.
Chun left herself a 15-foot putt for birdie but pushed it right by 18 inches as both players managed to par the hole.
The final pairing moved to the 18th hole, the toughest playing hole for the round. Lewis dropped her tee shot into the middle of the bunker on the right side of the fairway while Chun was in the first cut of the ruff near the bunker.
Chun flew her second shot to the middle of the green but the firm surface bounced her attempt over into the ruff as she narrowly avoided the back bunker.
Lewis had 135 yards to the hole and had a good lie in the sand. She hit the ball cleanly and watched it roll to the back of the green.
Lewis would have to make par and Chun needed a birdie to force a playoff. Lewis two-putted for par to win the tournament. The emotional win was tabbed as one of the best stories on the Tour this year by the Golf Channel talent.
IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE with STACY LEWIS (from LPGA.com)
Cambia Portland Classic presented by JTBC
Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Oregon
Sept. 3, 2017
Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas/Houston, Texas
Birthdate: February 16, 1985– currently 32 years, 6 months, and 18 days
Qualified for LPGA Tour: Earned medalist honors at the 2008 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament
Turned Professional: June 2008
VICTORIES
LPGA: 12th career victory
PREVIOUS LPGA WINS: 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship, 2012 Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, 2012 ShopRite LPGA Classic, 2012 Navistar LPGA Classic, 2012 Mizuno Classic, 2013 HSBC Women’s Champions, 2012 RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, 2013 RICOH Women’s British Open, 2014 North Texas LPGA Shootout, 2014 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, 2014 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
RACE TO CME GLOBE
With her win, Lewis earns 500 points and is projected to move from 16th to fifth in the Race to CME Globe with 1,993 points
MONEY
With her win, Lewis earns $195,500; she has earned $913,321 this season and $12,321,596 in her career
PREVIOUS FIVE CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC FINISHES
2016 - 2
2015 - T27
2013 - 2
2012 - T61
2011 - T8
2017 IN A NUTSHELL ON THE LPGA
20 events, 20 cuts made, $913,321, one victory, six additional top-10 finishes
OF NOTE
Lewis is donating her entire $195,000 winner’s check to Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts
This is Lewis’ first LPGA Tour win since the 2014 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
She has had 12 runner-up finishes in that time span including the 2016 Cambia Portland Classic
This is start No. 83 for Lewis since her last victory in 2014
Lewis is the fifth American to win in 2017 joining: Brittany Lincicome (Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic), Cristie Kerr (LOTTE Championship), Lexi Thompson (Kingsmill Championship) and Danielle Kang (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
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