American major winner Stacy Lewis captured the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open with a textbook birdie on the first hole of a thrilling four-way play-off, after compatriot Cheyenne Knight, overnight leader Azahara Muñoz and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen tied in regulation at 5-under-par.
The victory is the first non-major LET win of her career and her 13th worldwide, having last lifted a trophy in 2017.
Her first win as a mother, Lewis admitted to singing her daughter Chesnee’s favourite song throughout the day, with her very own rendition of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it off’ proving to be one of her most important thoughts before calmly holing from 24ft for victory on the first play-off hole.
“I hit a good approach shot into 18 in regulation and the shot in the play-off was exactly ten yards further, so it was 8-iron, same shot and fortunately I got it started more left this time and I got it on the top shelf.”
She continued, “Travis and I had been reading putts together all day and I had the line there. It was five inches outside left. I knew I needed to get it there with enough speed and finally, after the whole back nine, I got one to go in and that was all I needed.”
In a true links battle, the lead changed hands on multiple occasions throughout an exciting day at the Renaissance Golf Club with as many as five players leading at some stage during the round.
Lewis assumed an advantage early with birdies on the 2nd and 3rd only for Jennifer Song to take the initiative by heading out in 34 strokes. Muñoz meanwhile, fell away with a bogey at the 1st and double-bogey at the 6th before re-igniting her challenge on the back-nine with a gutsy display which included a few sublime bunker shots and slick putts to post a back-nine of 33 to force her way in the play-off.
Despite her obvious disappointment, Munoz was still smiling at the end, commenting, “I’m proud of myself. Obviously it was a tough day and I didn’t have a good start. I got pretty unlucky on No. 6. I got a plugged lie in the bunker, so I had to take an unplayable. But I fought really hard and I made some really nice putts coming in and sometimes that’s all you can do.”
Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, who moves to the top of the Race to Costa Del Sol, the official LET rankings with her second place finish, has been consistent all week and of the four players to make the playoff, returned the lowest round, a three-under par 68. Paired with Danielle Kang, Pedersen had the unusual experience of having her boyfriend inside the ropes, but not with her, since he caddies for the LPGA star.
Speaking about the day, the one-time LET winner said, “It was a little weird because normally when he’s there and we play, we chat a lot, and I don’t think we said anything to each other today. But they make a good team and I respect the work. At the end of the day, this is my job and it’s his job and we are both professionals. We just learn to deal with it. I think the first time is always a little odd.”
Missing out on the playoff by a single stroke, Nanna Koerstz Madsen finished the tournament in style with a ‘round of the week’ 65 (-6). She was joined in T5 by American Danielle Kang, who narrowly missed out on the chance for a three-peat after a final round 69 (-2).
Scotland’s Kylie Henry capped a memorable week with a T12 finish, posting a final round 68 (-3) to take her to under-par for the tournament.
“I’m really happy with my game and how I played. I felt like my game’s been really strong for a while, and I was gutted when coronavirus kicked in because it started in Australia with a couple of Top 10s and I was trending well. It was pretty tough, actually, for golf to be completely taken away but we’re just so fortunate that we’ve got great people like Paul Lawrie and Martin Gilbert doing so much for the Scottish game for all these years.”
