Lewis in Good Shape for Historic First

EDINA, Minn., June 28 -- Stacy Lewis decided to turn professional earlier this month in Garland, Tex., the same day as sectional qualifying for the 63rd U.S. Women's Open. She won that event by four shots and now has a chance to make more history at Interlachen Country Club, already famous in golf lore as the site of Bobby Jones's triumph in the 1930 men's U.S. Open on his way to the Grand Slam.

Lewis, the 2007 NCAA individual champion from the University of Arkansas, came out of the pack Saturday with a bogey-free 67, finishing her memorable third round with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole. It left the 23-year-old Texan at 9-under-par 210 and provided a one-shot lead over fellow American Paula Creamer (69 -- 211) going into the final round on Sunday.

No player, male or female, has won a major championship in his or her first tournament as a pro and Lewis knows full well she still has a long way to go, with many far more seasoned players standing in her way. Creamer, two years younger than Lewis at 21, has won six times on the LPGA Tour and will be aiming for her first major title.

Helen Alfredsson briefly held a one-shot lead early on the back nine and ended with a 71, leaving her tied with South Korea's Inbee Park (71) at 7-under 212, two shots off Lewis's stunning score.

"Truthfully, I'm not that surprised," Lewis said of her lofty position. "I felt I could play at this level and compete at this level. . . . It was kind of my goal to put myself into contention to win going into the last day. That's kind of what I try to do in every tournament. . . . I'm just trying to smile and have fun and it seems to be keeping the nerves away so far."

Growing up, Lewis did not have all that much to smile about. Doctors diagnosed scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, at age 11, and for the next seven years she wore a back brace 18 hours a day. She took it off long enough to get very good at golf, but then needed major surgery after her senior year of high school that involved inserting a rod and five screws in her vertebrae.

"When I found out I had to have surgery, I thought I was done," she said. "I thought I'd never play college golf. I couldn't play for six months after [the surgery]. I couldn't bend or twist or lift anything over five pounds. It was very serious. You could be paralyzed. It was hard."

Still, Arkansas honored its scholarship commitment, and after redshirting her freshman year, Lewis became one of the nation's most decorated college players. She capped off her amateur career with some brilliant play in leading the U.S. team to victory over Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup four weeks ago at St. Andrews.

Lewis said she was so nervous in her first match, she duck-hooked her first tee shot 100 yards down the first fairway at St. Andrews and then started to giggle. She managed to recover quite nicely, becoming the first player since the competition began in 1952 to post a 5-0 record in the match-play event.

"The Curtis Cup gave me more confidence knowing that I could hit shots under pressure," she said. "That's probably the most pressure I've ever played under."

On a breezy day with occasional late-afternoon showers, Lewis began with two birdies on her first four holes, then closed with three more in her final five on the longest course in Open history (6,789 yards). Though she hit only 11 greens in regulation, she needed a mere 23 putts on a day when she also sank two putts from the fringe. And now she honestly thinks she can win the Open.

"I want to win probably more than anybody here," said Lewis, who missed the cut in last year's Open at Pine Needles in North Carolina. "I only play in golf tournaments to win. I'm not here to make the cut or finish top 10. People might see that as arrogant, but I think if you're not here to win, you're never going to be successful."