‘It can’t be fun to watch on TV’: Lewis shakes off slow play drama for LPGA win No 13
Stacy Lewis didn’t hold back when criticising her fellow pros at the Ladies Scottish Open, while Sam Horsfield made a strange piece of European Tour history. Alex Perry wraps up the tour action
Stacy Lewis ended a three-year wait for a LPGA title by winning the Ladies Scottish Open – and she has Taylor Swift to thank.
Former World No 1 Lewis has never been one to shy away from criticising her fellow players for slow play – who can forget last year’s Evian Championship when she took to Twitter to call out near six-hour rounds? – and it was no different at Renaissance.
“The pace of play is dreadfully slow, and that doesn’t play into my favour,” she said after Saturday’s third round. “People I’m playing with are pretty slow.”
It was Azahara Munoz and Jennifer Song, if you’re interested.
Lewis added: “I had to stop watching at some points and just go into [my] own world and think about something else, sing a song or do something. You really get out of rhythm and it’s hard to keep things going.”
The song of choice? Swift’s mega-hit Shake It Off. It’s the favourite song of her one-year-old daughter, Chesnee.
Lewis finished the week on 5-under alongside overnight leader Munoz, Cheyenne Knight, and Emily Kristine Pedersen. A birdie at the first play-off hole was enough for LPGA win number 13 and her first since giving birth.
But she felt it shouldn’t have reached extra holes after she carded a double bogey immediately after her group was put on the clock.
“It shouldn’t take that long to play,” Lewis said following a final round that just tipped over the five hour mark. “I knew it was going to. That’s the sad part, you know it’s going to take that long.
“An effort needs to be made across the board to play faster, because I’m sure it couldn’t have been fun to watch on TV. There’s just so much the announcers can talk about to fill time.”
So what’s her solution?
“If you’re out of position, you should be timed,” she explained. “But I also think there should be spot timing in that if an official can plainly see who is slow in the group they should time those people.
“It needs to change because we’re going in the wrong direction.”
Even European Tour pro Eddie Pepperell was getting involved, sending this reply to the parody account Club Pro Guy…
The LPGA – and LET, of course – will now move from Scotland’s east coast to west coast for the first major of the year, the newly-named AIG Women’s Open, at Royal Troon.
- Related: LPGA schedule
- Related: LET schedule
Horsfield wastes no time doubling European Tour tally
Just two weeks after his first European Tour win, Sam Horsfield has his second after he shrugged off a two-hour delay on Sunday to cling on for glory in the inaugural Celtic Classic in Wales.
Horsfield becomes the first player in European Tour history to go win-missed cut-win in three consecutive starts.
Horsfield’s bogey-free 67 around the Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten course took him to 18-under for the championship and that was enough to see off Thomas Detry, just as he did at the Forest of Arden three weeks ago.
Thomas Pieters, Andrew Johnston and Connor Syme were tied 3rd.
“After I missed the cut last week I was never concerned,” Horsfield said. “I felt like after the first win and everything that was going on I felt a little mentally drained and I probably should have decided to take the week off. I just wasn’t all there but I knew my game was in good shape so I basically just forgot about last week.”
Play was suspended for the threat of lightning at around 4.30pm with the leading group on the 9th hole, and when play restarted there was just enough time to finish.
“It was pretty dark coming down 18,” Horsfield added. “That putt on 18 I couldn’t really see much of what was going on but I was set on finishing that round. I didn’t want to get up at whatever time and finish on Monday morning.”
The European Tour stays at the Celtic Manor as the Wales Open returns to the calendar for the first time since 2014, when Joost Luiten triumphed by a single shot over Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.
- Related: What’s in Horsfield’s bag?
- Related: European Tour 2020 schedule
Herman edges out Horschel for Wyndham glory
Meanwhile across the pond Jim Herman held off the challenge of Billy Horschel to win his second PGA Tour title in 18 months and third overall.
Herman carded weekend rounds of 61 and 63 at the Wyndham Championship to finish on 21-under and beat Horschel by one.
Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Doc Redman and Si Woo Kim – who almost had two holes-in-one on Saturday – were tied 3rd at 18.
Next up it’s FedEx Cup Play-offs time as the top 125 move onto the Northern Trust at TPC Boston.
- Related: PGA Tour schedule
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Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
