Stacy Lewis Conquers St. Andrews

Tom Ferrell

Professional golf returns from its three-week sojourn to the game’s home turf this week. Each of the three R&A championships—American Stacy Lewis swiped the third and final, the Ricoh Women’s British Open Championship—produced compelling and memorable storylines. Phil Mickelson’s final-round 66 to win at Muirfield shines the brightest, admittedly, but what Stacy Lewis accomplished yesterday encapsulated the timeless and sublime nature of The Old Course at Saint Andrews, golf’s most venerable grounds in a way that everyone who loves the game should relish.

Working through a long and difficult day, Lewis came to the penultimate hole—the famed Road Hole—in desperate need of a charge, and with seemingly no time to stage one. Standing in the fairway, staring down one of golf’s most terrifying and interesting approach shots, she plucked a 5-iron.

The R&A had provided a glimmer of hope in the form of a middle pin, but that largesse does nothing to mitigate the danger of the Road Bunker to the left or the road itself, which rolls across the right side of the green. Lewis made her swing and struck the perfect shot, a slight draw that bounded up the narrowest of openings and settled three feet below the hole. Birdie.

On to the much beleaguered home hole. For the men, the 18^th on the Old Course has become a mere formality, hardly more than a lengthy one-shotter. Advances in technology and conditioning have essentially filled in the famed Valley of Sin, the deep swale that fronts the final green.

For centuries, the Valley struck fear into the hearts of players. Try to pitch over it, and run the risk of finding out of bounds long. Bump and run? Putt? The questions reverberated, and the hands shook. So for me it was a joy to see these skilled women take on the Valley of Sin.

Catriona Mathew had already demonstrated that the challenge could be met when she jarred her second with a beautiful pitch over the Valley. Lewis chose a different route. From 40 yards short, she putted, and her heart no doubt sank as her effort rolled some 20 feet past the hole.

With nothing to lose, however, Lewis feared no evil and drained the comeback putt, and suddenly the title was hers.

There are so many superlatives to write about Stacy Lewis and her courageous battle against scoliosis. She is now a two-time major champion, ranked second in the world. She is also an Old Course legend, having gone 5-0 in Curtis Cup competition before her rousing victory Sunday. And all of us should note that she is perhaps the finest master of the Old Course—as it originally was envisioned—in the modern era.

Lewis is headed to Colorado today, along with the rest of the 2013 Solheim Cup team. Colorado Golf Club is another course where options abound and where sheer overpowering rarely is a winning strategy.

Let’s hope she and her teammates bring along something of the Spirit of Saint Andrews. 

 

For full online coverage of the 2013 Solheim Cup, check out the links below:

• Full Schedule of Events
• What You Should Know Before Attending the 2013 Solheim Cup
• Solheim Style: The Outfits at this Year's Cup.
• Meet Team U.S.
• Meet Team Europe
• Catch the Rising Stars at the Junior Solheim Cup

 

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.