Post by breenda on Sept 5, 2013 2:30:24 GMT
Stacy Lewis won the Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama, beating defending champion Lexi Thompson by two strokes.
Lewis scored a final round three-under 69, finishing at 18-under, to take her taylormade r11 irons of the year. Thompson posted a closing 66.
Lewis' victory at the US$1.3 million event helped her regain the number two spot in the world rankings, lifting her back above Na Yeon Choi. It also widened her lead over world number one Yani Tseng of Taiwan in the race for the LPGA Player of the Year award.
"Player of the Year is the ultimate goal," explained Lewis. "This helps a lot."
Both players had stumbled through the early stages of the course, Thompson opening with a bogey and Lewis suffering the same result at the second hole. Thompson then birdied at the third, sixth, eighth and tenth holes, closing the gap, but Lewis tightened up and maintained her lead, dropping a tee shot 10 feet from the cup at the 16th and parring at the last two holes to seal the discount golf clubs win.
"I knew making that putt was key," said Lewis. "It was downhill and it was so fast."
"You have to hit it good here and hit some tricky putts," said the 27-year-old Lewis. "It's stressful, this course. Somebody can get on a good run and make a lot of birdies. And 16, 17 and 18 are tough finishing holes."
Haeji Kang and M.J. Hur, both from South Korea, shared third place with American Angela Stanford.
This was the second time Lewis had prevailed over the 17-year-old Thompson. She beat her by one stroke at the Mobile Bay Classic in April. Lewis' only other victory in a major was in last year's LPGA Kraft Nabisco.
"She's a great player," Thompson said of Lewis. "Very consistent. Amazing golf irons for sale."