A bench. That’s what made Stacy Lewis go misty-eyed when talking about her memories of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club. Lewis made the beloved leap into Poppie’s Pond in 2011, a moment that she will forever associate with a simple locker-room bench.
“I had done my press conference and went in the locker room. I was still wet, trying to find clothes to change into,” said Lewis, her voice cracking as she looked out at the 18th green. “I sat on that bench and called my college coaches, and it was like it all hit me there. We don't get to do that. I'm getting emotional about it, but this place is so special to us as a tour. I'm just going to miss the whole week.”
2022 marks the final playing of The Chevron Championship at Mission Hills, with an impending move to Lewis’ hometown of Houston in 2023. Ever a student of the game, Lewis sees the value of history, celebrating what Dinah Shore and David Foster started in 1972. But she also welcomes the bright future that Chevron brings to this championship.
“When you ask someone about the LPGA they know this place, they know the jump in the pond. That's what everybody knows. We're at a point now where purses are getting bigger, and this is where it started. Colgate came on board and started that movement,” said Lewis. “And so it is, it's a sad week personally for me that we're leaving, but I think Chevron is going to take this thing to the next level and we're going to take traditions with us and do it right.”
Lewis will begin her quest to capture her second Chevron title on Thursday at 8:11 a.m., playing alongside 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso. This is Lewis’ 15th appearance in The Chevron Championship, and she has never missed the cut, with six top-10 finishes.
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