Stacy Lewis to donate $195,000 to Houston relief fund after first win since 2014
Monday 4 September 2017 00:44, UK
Stacy Lewis scored one of the most popular victories of the year as she held off a strong challenge from In Gee Chun to clinch the Cambia Portland Classic title in Oregon.
Lewis stated at the start of the week that she would donate her entire prize money from the tournament to the relief fund for victims of the devastating floods in Houston, where her husband Gerrod Chadwell is women's golf coach at the University of Houston.
The Solheim Cup star picked an opportune time to land her first LPGA Tour title since 2014 as she closed with a three-under 69 to earn a one-shot victory over Chun, with the first prize of $195,000 soon to be heading to the disaster relief fund in Texas.
And there was further good news for the flood victims when Lewis' sponsors, accountancy firm KPMG, announced that they would be matching her donation to the fund.
Lewis led by three shots overnight, and she made the perfect start with birdies at the first two holes before responding to a bogey at the fourth with further gains at six and seven which hoisted her to 20 under par.
Chun was also three under for the day at the turn and, while Lewis was content to grind out the pars, the South Korean kept the pressure on with birdies at the 10th, 12th and 16th to trim the deficit to just a single stroke.
But Chun was unable to find the birdie she needed over the final two holes to force a play-off, and Lewis held her composure to complete an emotional win with her 11th consecutive par.
Lewis had not won in 82 starts since the 2014 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and endured several near-misses over the last three seasons with no fewer than 12 runner-up finishes, including a second place in Portland last season.
But the 32-year-old finally got over the line to lift the 12th LPGA title of her stellar career, and she is projected to jump to fifth place in the Race to CME Globe standings.
Chun's flawless 66 was plenty enough to earn her outright second place, with Brittany Altomare (69) a distant third on 14 under along with Moriya Jutanugarn, who began the final round as Lewis' closest challenger but stumbled to a disappointing 72.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff led the British challenge as she recovered from a bogey at the first with five birdies in a 68 which saw her finish in a tie for 13th on 11 under, while Mel Reid stayed at six under after an erratic 72.
