By Keely Levins
It took a while for Stacy Lewis to grab LPGA career win No. 13. Nearly three years to be precise. A lot has happened to the 35-year-old former World No. 1 between her victory at the 2017 Cambia Portland Classic and her triumph Sunday at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. Most notably, she and her husband, University of Houston women’s golf coach Gerrod Chadwell, welcomed their first child, Chesnee, in 2018.

“It’s amazing,” Lewis said of winning for the first time as a mom. “The only disappointing thing is that she’s not here to take a picture with this [the trophy], but I have been trying to get a trophy from the day she was born. That’s been my goal. I just called them, got to FaceTime with them. My husband said she was hitting the TV screen with her plastic golf clubs when I made that putt. So it’s just pretty cool. I can’t wait to get home with them in a week or so and celebrate.”

Lewis shot a one-over 72 in the final round for a five-under 279 total at Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. She then made 23-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to claim the title over Azahara Munoz, Cheyenne Knight and Emily Pedersen, who all made pars. The win came with its own milestone: The $225,000 first-place prize puts Lewis’ career earnings over $13 million, making her just the eighth player in LPGA history to reach the mark.

Heading into Sunday, Lewis was nervous about what lay ahead. Pace of play from her group on Saturday, which included Munoz and Jennifer Song, was troublesome for Lewis, who was worried that it would mess with her rhythm. And yet she was paired with both again on Sunday.

“Honestly,” Lewis said after her third round, sitting one shot back of Munoz in second place, “my biggest challenge is to figure out with that pace of play how I can get into a good rhythm and how to keep myself in a rhythm of playing golf and not feeling like you’re waiting so long in between holes and shots and different things.”

Lewis’ worries proved warranted as pace of play was an issue again in the fourth round (it took the group five hours and 16 minutes to complete 18 holes). They were put on the clock on the 11th hole, where Lewis made double bogey, her only double of the tournament, that erased a lead created by two early birdies in the round.

However, Lewis focused on what she could control and was able to regain her rhythm, playing the last seven holes even par.

To deal with the situation, she made a promise with herself to not bring it up with her caddie. By not talking about it, she hoped she wouldn’t think about it as much.

“I stayed more in a rhythm of my game and kind of the way I was thinking about shots,” Lewis said. “I knew that was going to be the biggest challenge of the day, and overall, I felt like I did a really good job with it.”

Mark Runnacles
After nearly three years since her last LPGA title, Lewis had plenty to smile about on Sunday.

While excited about her victory (her first in a playoff after going 0-3 previously), Lewis is thinking about more than her own game when she verbalizes her concerns about slow play. She’s trying to help the tour overall. “I do think an effort needs to be made across the board to play faster, because obviously I wasn’t watching it on TV, but I’m sure it couldn’t have been fun to watch on TV,” Lewis said.

It was fun, however, for Lewis to be a winner again. Since returning to the tour in 2019 after having Chesnee, Lewis has struggled to find the game that helped her claim two major titles. She played 19 times last season, coming away with three top-10 finishes but missing eight cuts and falling to No. 96 in the Rolex Rankings.

But what she showed in Scotland hints that there’s more left in Lewis, who no doubt hopes career win No. 14 will come a tad bit quicker than No. 13.

The post Stacy Lewis grabs first title in nearly three years, winning four-woman playoff at the Ladies Scottish Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Major champion and Solheim Cup star Georgia Hall is the first marque name unveiled for ground-breaking Saudi Ladies International.

The 23-year-old Englishwoman, a two-time European No.1, will be joined by another member of last year’s triumphant Solheim Cup team at Gleneagles, Spaniard Azahara Muñoz, at the $1 million event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club from March 19-22.

Fellow former Ladies European Tour (LET) No.1 Beth Allen (USA), decorated South African Lee-Anne Pace, Wales’ Amy Boulden, Swede Camilla Lennarth and rising Thai star Atthaya Thitikul are other familiar names confirmed for the inaugural championship in King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah.

Hall became the first Englishwoman in 14 years to capture the Women’s British Open in 2018 and won four out of four points in Europe’s 14½-13½ upset at Gleneagles – the first time Team USA had been beaten in six years.

The Bournemouth-born player cannot wait to be part of history in what will be the first female professional event in the Kingdom.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the first Saudi Ladies International and make golfing history in the country,” said Hall who captured the LET Order of Merit and ‘Player of the Year’ honours in both 2017 and 2018.    

“From what I’ve seen of the golf course it looks a stunning set-up on the Red Sea and a pretty challenging test – it’s a brilliant chance for us to showcase our game to newcomers to golf.”

Muñoz contributed 2.5 of a possible five points to the European cause at the last Solheim Cup. Together with Thitikul, a two-time winner on the LET at just 17 years of age, and the experienced Pace, who has 12 worldwide victories to her name, the 32-year-old Spaniard is sure to be among those to push Hall hardest at KAEC.

The Saudi Ladies Championship is part of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation’s inclusion and equality remit and under the Kingdom’s ‘Vision 2030’ socio-economic revitalisation project. It comes after Royal Greens hosted the second Saudi International earlier this month where former major champion Graeme McDowell captured his first European Tour title since 2014 and pushed his world ranking from 104 to 47.

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in KAEC.

“Hosting another prestigious championship in Saudi Arabia adds to an exciting golf calendar for fans in the region and with top female golfers from around the world coming to compete it is sure to excite in what is the first time we are seeing elite female golfers compete in the country,” said His Excellency Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, looking ahead to next month’s first-ever tournament.

“The championship is open for everybody to attend throughout the four days and I’d encourage everybody to go along, watch world-class sport and enjoy the sport and entertainment on offer.”

For more information on the Saudi Ladies International, click here.

They Said it…
Amy Boulden
“Our game continues to break new ground and coming to new places like Saudi Arabia for the first time shows the ambition of Golf Saudi and the Tour.  I want to play well in a big event that can give me some momentum for the season.”

Camilla Lennarth
“Playing golf in front of new fans is the best way to grow the game and hopefully we inspire more girls to pick up a golf club and get involved in our great sport so I hope to see many people at the Championship next month.”

The post Georgia Hall confirmed for $1 million Saudi International appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Keely Levins
When Azahara Munoz finished second to Brooke Henderson on Saturday at the Lotte Championship in Honolulu, it was her best LPGA finish since 2014. From afar, it appeared as if the 30-year-old Spaniard, a former NCAA champion and LPGA rookie of the year, had simply found her swing again, figuring something out in the offseason (she hasn’t missed a cut in six previous starts in 2018) that explains everything. In truth, her story was much more grim.

“I haven’t said anything, but I been going through quite a few health issues,” Munoz revealed after her final round at Ko Olina Golf Club in Honolulu on Saturday.

Munoz’s medical issues began when she had hand surgery in 2015. But during her recovery, a different problem surfaced.

“I was just feeling like I have no energy, but I thought that was me. I’ve always been low on energy,” Munoz said. “I was getting a lot of anxiety, and I started losing a lot of hair, and that’s when I thought something was really wrong with me.”

Eventually, Munoz learned she had a thyroid problem.

It was a difficult blow for the competitor who won the 2008 NCAA individual title as a junior in college at Arizona State and who helped the Sun Devils win the NCAA team title in 2009. She turned pro after graduating that spring, made it to the LPGA via Q School and played her first season on tour in 2010, when she won the rookie-of-the-year points race. She also won four times during her career on the Ladies European Tour.

While grateful to have identifiedwhat was going on, getting has required more time. “It’s taken quite a long time to get the medication up. I had to take quite a lot, and they had to increase it slowly,” Munoz said. “I’m feeling better. I have a lot of energy. Before I was just so rundown I could barely do anything. I think finally I’m feeling how I used to feel, and I’m really excited about that.”

Munoz’s recent play reflects this. She shot the lowest round of anyone in the field in Hawaii during the final round. While losing to Henderson by four strokes, she finished one shot better than some the the LPGA Tour’s best in Shanshan Feng, Inbee Park and Ariya Jutanugarn. Feng is the current World No. 1, while both Park and Jutanugarn are former World No. 1s.

Munoz’s driving average for the week was 270 yards, a full 20 yards further than her 2017 driving average. She missed just one fairway in each of the final two rounds of the tournament.

The goal, of course, would be to return to her former self. Munoz won once on the LPGA Tour in 2012 and had eight other top-10 finishes that season. She finished 2014 ranked 14th in the world, but then her game started trending in the wrong direction. Her world ranking fell to 29th in 2015, 48th in 2016, and then she finished the 2017 season ranked No. 72 in the world.

“I’m healthy. I have my energy back, so I was quite excited about this year,” Munoz said. “I’m playing really well, so I’m excited to see what I can do.”

The post Spain’s Azahara Munoz, former LPGA rookie of the year, reveals health struggles appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.