Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill – Senator Course
Prattville, Alabama
Tuesday Pre-Tournament Notes
September 16, 2014
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Stacy Lewis
Rolex Rankings No. 8 Lexi Thompson
When Stacy Lewis and Lexi Thompson looked down at the 2014 schedule, they knew where they’d be the third week of September, returning to Prattville after a year removed from the schedule. In 2012, Lewis held off Thompson for a two-shot win a year after Thompson won here, and this tournament is a must on their schedule.
“I was excited when this tournament came back on the schedule. It’s a place that I’ve played a lot over the last five years, and I love playing here,” Lewis said. “It’s a great golf course for both of us. We both hit it far enough that you can kind of take it over some corners and make a bunch of birdies, so that will be fun this week.”
Thompson’s win in 2011 enabled her to become the youngest winner in LPGA history at the age of 16. That title only lasted a year with Lydia Ko breaking her record a year later at the age of 15, but nonetheless, Alabama’s like a home away from home for Thompson.
“This is where I got my first win so it brings back a lot of great memories,” Thompson said. “But just the hospitality and the golf course is always in great shape for us, so we always look forward to coming back and definitely looking forward to playing the golf course this week.”
CHAMPIONS FOR THE KIDS
Hundreds of children gathered around the driving range Tuesday to watch past champions Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Katherine Kirk, and Maria McBride face off in the Champions Challenge. The challenge was to hit the most targets between all four players. Lexi Thompson won the Champions Challenge by hitting four of the nine targets.
Alabama Power provided giveaways and t-shirts for the school kids attending the Champion Challenge and Junior Clinic Tuesday. The players were able to interact with the kids as they chanted and cheered for their favorite players.
“It’s great to have them out here screaming for us when we’re trying to do this tire challenge,” Thompson said. “It’s an amazing experience and that is what the LPGA does great is interacting with kids like that.”
Giving back to the community and children remained the focus of Tuesday’s events as Yokohama announced their charity for this year’s Yokohama LPGA Classic would be KaBOOM. Yokohama will donate a playground for every year they remain a sponsor.
“Kids are the priority of not just our fan base but just in general in life it’s all about the kids,” Thompson said. “To see that this tournament’s going to be giving back to the kids is very important.”
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
Former champion Lexi Thompson doesn’t take her breakfast lightly. Thompson has kept a routine when visiting Prattville, and taking a trip to the same Waffle House is in that routine.
“I still will this week. There’s a woman there that cooks and sings while she cooks. Her name’s Valerie. I’m friends with her on Facebook and everything, and we keep in touch,” Thompson said. “It is so awesome to go back in there and just be relaxed.”
Thompson had her first LPGA Tour victory in Alabama back in September 2011. Ever since she started playing in Prattville’s tournament, she visits the same Waffle House for breakfast every morning. Thompson is a fan favorite when coming to Alabama and this week is no different while she is in town.
“Obviously great breakfast,” Thompson said. “But it is just so cool to drive by every morning and see “Lexi” on the sign”.
NO. 1 DILEMMA
As the No. 1 player in the world, Stacy Lewis embraces the moniker, appreciates the pressure, and wants to hold onto the title. But to do so, there’s only one way in her mind.
“You know, being No. 1 is great, but I’m here to win golf tournaments ultimately, but I want to stay No. 1 as long as I can,” Lewis said.
With Inbee Park as close to Lewis in the rankings as she’s been since Lewis took over initially, she’s aware of how close Park is but knows it’s out of her control.
“I just try to stick to what got me to that point and take care of myself and let the rest just happen,” she said.
What she’s also tried to do is better manage her schedule and the expectations and pressures that come with No. 1. The previous four-week stretch at No. 1 prepared her for this and she feels she’s done a better job of managing it with each week that’s passed since she took over No. 1 at the end of May.
“It’s just really different playing with that pressure, you know. The more people recognize you, the fans recognize you being No. 1 more than I do myself. I don’t feel any different, but it’s like they expect you to win every single week,” Lewis said. “I know it’s not going to happen, but it’s hard because you put the extra pressure on yourself. Just learning how to play with that side of it is pretty tough, but I feel like I’ve had two years now to kind of adjust to it and I’m doing a good job of it.”
READY FOR BIRDIES
Stacy Lewis has had her share of grinding out pars and is hoping that’ll change this week. In 2012, Lewis won with an 18-under-par four-day total and Thompson took the title at 17-under in 2011. The birdies are out there, but it’s not easy on the Capitol Hill Golf Club’s Senator Course.
“It’s really a course over the years it’s in better shape every year we’ve come back. It’s definitely more open, but you still have to hit shots to be really specific on the greens and where you’re going to hit your shots,” Lewis said. “It’s just a course you can make a lot of birdies on, which I think is fun for us. We don’t want to be grinding out pars every week.”
Added Thompson: “We did that last week!”
“I think we’re all ready to relax a little bit and make some birdies this week,” Lewis said.
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Stacy Lewis & Rolex Rankings No. 8 Lexi Thompson
Q. All right. Home of the 2012 battle between you two, you won here in '11, you won here in '12. Excited to go at it again here in Prattville?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I was excited when this tournament came back on the schedule. It's a place that I've played a lot over the last five years and I love playing here. So it's a great golf course for both of us. We both hit it far enough that you can kind of take it over some corners and make a bunch of birdies, so that will be fun this week.
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely, like Stacy said, this is where I got my first win so it brings back a lot of great memories. But just the hospitality and the golf course is always in great shape for us, so we always look forward to coming back and definitely looking forward to playing the golf course this week.
Q. Can you talk about working with the kids and also about the tire event?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, that was a great experience. It's all about the kids anymore. I mean, so many of the kids are our fans out here and they support us so much, so it's great to have them out here screaming for us when we're trying to do this Big Break Tire Challenge. So it's an amazing experience and that's what the LPGA does great is interacting with kids like that.
Q. How does this course compare to some of the others that you guys have played?
STACY LEWIS: You know, it's really, it's a course over the years it's in better shape every year we've come back. It's definitely more open, but you still have to hit shots to be really specific on the greens and where you're going to hit your shots. It's just a course you can make a ton of birdies on, which I think is fun for us. You know, we don't want to be grinding out pars every week.
LEXI THOMPSON: We did that last week.
STACY LEWIS: We did it last week and I think we're all ready to relax a little bit and make some birdies this week.
Q. Is this a difficult course for the par 5s, getting to par 5s in two? Several of you have a shot at it but not everybody. Would you like to have them move the tee box back every now and then?
STACY LEWIS: I think long hitters, we want --
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, keep them longer.
STACY LEWIS: We want us to have an advantage there. I mean, the par 5s, you know, you've got to kind of really play smart here.
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, 10 and 17. I mean, 10 you can go for if you hit a good drive, but the fairway's kind of sloped so it's hard to keep it in the fairway. But 17's just a risk‑reward if you want to go for that one. I don't think many people do.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah.
Q. Mike's done a tremendous job this year adding events to the schedule. This week after you've been in France and fly back over here you've got to be going, wow, we've got a lot of events on the schedule. Is it one of those things, is it kind of a balance where you're saying, boy, it sure would be nice to take a little bit of a break or are you just happy to be playing?
STACY LEWIS: I mean, it's definitely strange when you say I'm going to go from Evian, France, to Prattville, Alabama. That's crazy when you say it, but for us it's what we do. We're kind of, I hate to say that we're used to doing it but we are. And for me, now we have more events on the schedule so you can pick your schedule, you can pick golf courses you like and places you like going and that's what I think you're going to see more of. You know, the field this week isn't probably what I think a lot of people would like, but I mean Lexi and I are here, there's a lot of good players, a lot of young players that, you know, this is the last full field event for a lot of people. There's a lot on the line this week, so it should be good golf and it should be fun.
Q. Last year, when you won here before, that was when you were on your rise and being No. 1. What has that been like getting to that level and then trying to stay at that level?
STACY LEWIS: Well, it's hard to believe it's been two years, it feels like forever ago that I won here. That 2012 year really kind of, I mean, it was somewhat out of the blue. I didn't really expect that rise to No. 1, being Player of the Year, that whole deal, but it's just been really cool to ride the last two years, just playing some great golf. You know, being No. 1 is great, you know, but I'm here to win golf tournaments ultimately but I want to stay No. 1 as long as I can.
Q. Is that something obviously that you aspire to, Lexi?
LEXI THOMPSON: To be No. 1? Well, of course it's one of my goals, but I mean it's such a process. You have to take each step and every tournament's a learning experience, so you have to try your best in every tournament and just see where it goes. I'm obviously going to every tournament wanting to win but it's hard out here with the top players in the world but all you can do is try your best.
Q. After you won here, that was when you first had your -- got your Tour membership. What have been some of the adjustments that you've had, and just because obviously with all the junior golf, the travel, but what's been the LPGA Tour like?
LEXI THOMPSON: Well, when I first turned pro I didn't play in that many events because I wasn't of age and so I was just playing on sponsor exemptions, but once I got the full exemption to play on the tour I was playing a lot more, but I think it was just a lot more travel. Junior and amateur golf, I never went out of the States. The LPGA has definitely -- I've definitely been out of the States now. I absolutely love it. I've gotten to see parts of the world that golf has brought me to, so I absolutely love it.
Q. What are some of the adjustments, living out of a suitcase, going from here to there?
STACY LEWIS: Learning golf courses, I think that's the --
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, learning new golf courses. I mean obviously new players, but I mean junior and amateur golf I was used to living out of hotels, flying and everything, but like Stacy said, all new golf courses. Each and every year it's new golf courses. We added three events this year, so three new tournaments to get used to.
STACY LEWIS: Extra things to do probably, sponsor obligations.
LEXI THOMPSON: Media, everything.
STACY LEWIS: It's hard I think for young ones coming out. I don't think they quite realize. They see the golf stuff, I don't think they quite see everything that goes on behind the scenes. You know, Lexi, she's adjusted well to it and she probably needs to say no every now and then, but she's learning.
LEXI THOMPSON: I'm getting there.
STACY LEWIS: She's getting there.
Q. Lexi, coming in, you see the "Lexi" on The Waffle House here.
LEXI THOMPSON: I saw it last night, I was like, "Yes!"
Q. How did that start and tell me about that.
LEXI THOMPSON: Ever since I started coming here we would always go to Waffle House every morning. I still will this week. There's a woman there that cooks and sings while she cooks, her name's Valerie. I'm friends with her on Facebook and everything, we keep in touch. It's so awesome to go back in there and just be relaxed. I mean, they're such great fans in there, too. Obviously great breakfast, but it's so cool to drive by every morning and see "Lexi" on the sign.
Q. Do you order the same thing every time?
LEXI THOMPSON: I pretty much do. I don't even get waffles. I'm not going to get a waffle before I play but I will get there.
Q. Yokohama just announced for their charity they're going to donate a playground for every year that they're here. So what are your thoughts on that?
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I just heard that KaBOOM was the main charity for the event and I think that's great. As you can see, kids are the priority of not just our fan base but just in general in life it's all about the kids, and to see that this tournament's going to be giving back to kids is very important. I'm sure it means a lot to them.
Q. Seems like this community really embraces you two. Do y'all feel more support here than maybe at another event?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean I think a lot of events in the U.S. we obviously feel more support but this one, I mean both of us winning here and we played well here over the years so the fans know us. Part of that I think is we love coming here.
LEXI THOMPSON: Yeah.
STACY LEWIS: It's hard to not like coming here, so I think that that’s part of it, too.
Q. So have you thought about going to the Waffle House, too?
STACY LEWIS: I have not visited the Waffle House, no, because I think the food in this clubhouse is pretty good. I look forward to the breakfasts every morning here at this clubhouse. I lost weight last week in France but I’ll put it all back on this week so it’s perfect.
Q. Stacy, Inbee’s trailing you, it’s getting closer and closer each week. Is that something you think about at all? I know you said No. 1 was a goal, obviously keeping it’s a goal.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I look at it but it ultimately is not the goal because being
No. 1, there’s so many things you can’t control. I can’t control how Inbee or Lydia, I can’t control what they do, all I can control is what I do. I feel like my game is coming around. I haven’t played as well as I would have liked but I’ve still been able to keep that No. 1, which is that’s the good thing out of it, that my bad golf is still keeping me up there. So I just try to stick to what got me to that point and take care of myself and let the rest just happen.
Q. You talked about how it was a process learning what it took to be No. 1, all the obligations. Has it gotten easier as you've gone each week?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I think we've done better managing my time and my schedule. It's just really different playing with that pressure, you know. The more people recognize you, the fans recognize you being No. 1 more than I do myself. I don't feel any different but it's like they expect you to win every single week and I know it's not going to happen but it's hard because you put the extra pressure on yourself. So just learning how to play with that, with that side of it is pretty tough, but I feel like I've had two years now to kind of adjust to it and I'm doing a good job of it.
Q. Both of you coming to this tournament, you know the course obviously. Is there something specific that either of you are working on at this tournament that you're hoping to make progress on to help get you to that winner's circle?
LEXI THOMPSON: I mean I don't think there's anything really specific. I mean last week's greens were very tough so I think it will be a little bit easier this week and a little bit slower. But I think it's mainly just focusing on one shot at a time. I think a lot of the tee shots we can take a little bit more aggressive lines out here, so just picking small targets and committing to the lines I think on a few of these tee shots.
STACY LEWIS: I think distance control on the greens. You know, the greens, they're big but you have to hit it to the right section, so distance control. And then when you've got to make birdies, you've got to make putts, so always working on putting, that's always there.
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