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Lewis Soars at British Open as Park Comes Back to Earth Lewis Soars at British Open as Park Comes Back to Earth
(35 minutes later)
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Stacy Lewis forecast the Women’s British Open better than the meteorologists. It’s not her fault that few people were paying attention. With the spotlight burning on South Korea’s Inbee Park and her singular quest, Lewis allowed at the week’s start, “I think you want to be that person that kind of spoils history a little bit.” ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Stacy Lewis forecast the Women’s British Open better than the meteorologists. It’s not her fault that few people were paying attention.
Lewis, 28, started the year with the pressure that comes with being the reigning Player of the Year. After she supplanted Yani Tseng as the world No. 1 in March, the expectations became burdensome for Lewis, especially at the majors. While Park strung together major titles like pearls, Lewis finished tied for 32nd at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, which she won in 2011; tied for 28th at the L.P.G.A. Championship; and tied for 42nd at the United States Women’s Open. With the spotlight burning on South Korea’s Inbee Park and her singular quest, Lewis said at the week’s start, “I think you want to be that person that kind of spoils history a little bit.”
With the attention focused elsewhere, Lewis was free to play as if it were 2012 once more. Weathering a delay that kept her from playing a single hole Saturday due to 40-mile-an-hour winds that nobody saw coming, Lewis went out Sunday and posted rounds of three under 69 and 72 for a 72-hole total of 280. Her score was good for a two-stroke victory over Park’s compatriots Na Yeon Choi (75-73) and Hee Young Park (70-73). Lewis’s fellow American, Morgan Pressel, who led by one after 54 holes, closed with a 76 and tied for fourth with Suzann Pettersen (74) at five-under 283. Lewis, 28, started the year with the pressure that comes with being the reigning player of the year. After she supplanted Taiwan’s Yani Tseng as the world No. 1 in March, the expectations became burdensome. While Park strung together major titles like pearls, Lewis finished tied for 32nd at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, which she won in 2011; tied for 28th at the L.P.G.A. Championship; and tied for 42nd at the United States Women’s Open.
Lewis became the second American, after Sherri Steinhauer in 2006, to win the event since it became a women’s major in 2001. Park, who was trying to become the first professional player, male or female, to win four majors in the same year, ended up tied for 42nd. After covering her opening 10 holes Thursday in 6 under, Park played the last 62 holes of the tournament in 12 over to finish at 6 over 294. With the attention on the Old Course focused elsewhere, Lewis was freed to play as if it were 2012 once more. Weathering a delay that prevented her from executing a shot Saturday due to 40-mile-an-hour winds that were not in the forecast, Lewis on Sunday posted rounds of three-under-par 69 and 72 for an eight-under 280. She finished two strokes ahead of Na Yeon Choi (75-73) and Hee Young Park (70-73). Lewis’s fellow American Morgan Pressel, who led by one after 54 holes, closed with a 76 and tied for fourth with Suzann Pettersen (74) at five-under 283.
After her closing 78, she spent over 30 minutes being interviewed, which, Park said, “felt a little bit weird.“ Lewis broke a streak of 10 major champions won by Asian players. She also became the second American, after Sherri Steinhauer in 2006, to win the event since it became a women’s major in 2001. She pulled out the victory in stirring fashion, with birdies on the last two holes. On No. 17, she set up her birdie with an approach that she hit exactly as she had pictured it in her head. On 18, she drained a 25-footer for birdie.
“I get to do interview even if I shot a six over,” she said. “It’s just crazy,” Lewis said. “I was hanging in there all day, and then, you know, 17 and 18 just happened so fast.” She added, “It was so hard, you had to stay focused on the next shot, you couldn’t even really think about the end.”
She added, “I really enjoyed this week, every moment that I was here, but it is tough to be in the center of everything for a week and I feel exhausted a little bit.” Pressel’s consolation prize was an automatic berth on the United States team that will compete against Europe in the Solheim Cup outside Denver from Aug. 16 to 18. Also qualifying was Lizette Salas, who finished sixth at three under. The American captain, Meg Mallon, named Gerina Piller and Michelle Wie as her discretionary picks. Her European counterpart, Liselotte Neumann, named Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Caroline Headwall, Giula Sergas and Charley Hull as her wild-card picks.
In her bid to make history, Park, 25, got no help from Mother Nature. She played her second round in the afternoon in the worst of conditions and her first four holes of the third round in the 40 mph gusts that eventually led to play being suspended. Park, who was trying to become the first professional player, male or female, to win four majors in the same year, ended up tied for 42nd. After covering her opening 10 holes Thursday in 6 under, Park played the last 62 holes in 12-over to finish at 6-over 294. Park’s consolation prize is two weeks off.
“I really enjoyed this week, every moment that I was here,” Park said, “but it is tough to be in the center of everything for a week and I feel exhausted a little bit.”
In her bid to make history, Park, 25, received no help from Mother Nature. She played her second round in the afternoon in the worst of conditions and her first four holes of the third round in the wind gusts that eventually cause play to be suspended.
“I enjoyed it, but 32 holes in the final round under the pressure was tough,” Park said.“I enjoyed it, but 32 holes in the final round under the pressure was tough,” Park said.
How much of a factor where the different conditions? There were nine golfers who completed their third rounds Saturday before the round was stopped; their average score was a 78.2. On Sunday, those nine players completed their fourth rounds in an average of 73.9 strokes. The top nine on the leader board played all 18 holes of their third round in the same conditions as the first nine did their final 18 and averaged 73.9. How much of a factor were the different conditions? Lewis said that on the first hole of her third round Sunday, she used a gap wedge for her approach, while Paula Creamer, who hit her approach at No. 1 shortly before play was called on Saturday, used a 5-wood.
Should play on Saturday have been stopped earlier? Should it have been resumed later in the day, when the winds died down, rather than suspended until Sunday? Park, whose ball Saturday was oscillating on the fourth green, a contributing factor in the stoppage of play, said in hindsight that she would have liked a chance to carry on. “Obviously it was unplayable,” Lewis said, “and I think once I got out there and saw some of the hole locations, the hole locations weren’t set up for a bunch of wind.” She added, “For me and the leaders, we were all glad we didn’t get out there.”
“I think I could have been better than this, maybe,” Park said. Nine golfers completed their third rounds Saturday and their average score was a 78.2. On Sunday, those nine players completed their fourth rounds in an average of 73.9 strokes. The top nine on the leader board played all 18 holes of their third round in the same conditions the first nine did their final 18 and averaged 73.9.
She added: “I really wanted to play yesterday. I was ready to play in the wind. I played four holes in really windy conditions and, you know, I was handling myself really good out there and felt really good about my game. We really didn’t get to play anymore golf after that, so, yeah, too bad.” “I really wanted to play yesterday,” Park said. “I was ready to play in the wind. I played four holes in really windy conditions and, you know, I was handling myself really good out there and felt really good about my game.”
After a white-hot summer, Park’s putter finally cooled down. On the first hole of her fourth round, she four-putted, which was the number of putts she had after four holes of her first round. Park took 40 putts in her final round, 11 more than on Thursday. She added, “I think I could have been better than this maybe.”
Park’s putter, which has been hotter than Death Valley, finally cooled down. On the first hole of her fourth round, she four-putted. She finished with 40 putts, 11 more than on Thursday when she one-putted the first four greens.
One South Korean journalist summed up Park’s week thusly: “She failed.”One South Korean journalist summed up Park’s week thusly: “She failed.”
Park, the top-ranked women’s player, chose to look at the bigger picture. She can still become the first professional player to win four majors in the same year because the L.P.G.A. has elevated the Evian Championship in September to a fifth major. In 2000, Tiger Woods won the final three after tying for fifth at the Masters. Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam all won the first two majors in the same year but none won three in a row. Park, the top-ranked women’s player, took the longer view. She can still become the first professional player to win four majors in the same year because the L.P.G.A. this year elevated the Evian Championship in September to a fifth major.
No matter how Park fares the rest of the year, her six victories are more than the men’s world No. 1, Tiger Woods, has compiled. He was going for his fifth victory of 2013 on Sunday at the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. “I’ve done something amazing this season, winning three in a row,” she said. “I don’t know if I can do that again. That’s going to be really tough.”
“I’ve done something amazing this season, winning three in a row,” she said. “I don’t know if I can do that again. That’s going to be really tough. It might take a long time to beat that record.” Lewis had the best view on the course of Park’s mastery at the United States Women’s Open. Paired with her in the first two rounds, she was outscored by Park, 135 to 147.
Before the tournament started, Lewis talked about how it was going to be really tough to win this week because it had been a long time since Park had played like a mere mortal. Lewis had the best view on the course of Park’s mastery at the United States Women’s Open.
Paired with her in the first two rounds, she was outscored by Park, 135 to 147.
“She is making putts off the edge of the green, ones that you wouldn’t expect her to make,” Lewis said then. “It’s definitely frustrating for us watching.”“She is making putts off the edge of the green, ones that you wouldn’t expect her to make,” Lewis said then. “It’s definitely frustrating for us watching.”
In that tournament, Park finished 20 strokes ahead of Lewis, the player she had supplanted as the world No. 1. On Sunday, Lewis finished 14 strokes ahead of Park, proving that in golf as in life, what goes around comes around. At the United States Women’s Open, Park finished 20 strokes ahead of Lewis, the player she supplanted as the world No. 1. On Sunday, Lewis finished 14 strokes ahead of Park.
“That’s golf,” she said, adding: “It’s just kind of the way it is. Inbee’s dealt with a lot, so I’m sure she’s exhausted.”
Lewis, meantime, has her second wind in her pursuit of the No. 1 ranking.
“If I get back there, I just want to enjoy it more,” she said. “When I got there in March, I was overwhelmed and busy and never really got to enjoy it. So I want to get back there so I can enjoy it a little more.”