For Stacy Lewis, it ended as it began. The former No. 1 announced her retirement earlier this week at the NW Arkansas Championship, where she’s played every year of the tournament’s existence. Lewis, in fact, won the first edition in 2007 as an amateur, though weather shortened it to one round and it was deemed unofficial.
Weather once again plagued this week’s NW Arkansas Championship, though this time Mother Nature denied Lewis the chance to give the local community one last Sunday sendoff. She opened with a 3-under 68 on Friday alongside Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin and made it through only one hole on Saturday before play was suspended.
Tournament officials said Pinnacle Country Club received 3.25 inches of rain Saturday night, leaving the course unplayable. With more bad weather coming in Monday and Tuesday, it was unlikely that they’d be able to get in the 36 holes needed to make it official.
Interestingly, the 2007 NW Arkansas event marked the last time the tour had to deem an event unofficial.
A 13-time winner on the LPGA, including two majors, a two-time Rolex Player of the Year and a two-time Vare Trophy winner, Lewis carried an Arkansas bag in Rogers this week, throwing it back to where it all began. She won the NW Arkansas Championship officially in 2014.
‘The only place to do it’
Lewis met with the media on the eve of the first round and said that when she spoke at a sponsor dinner on Wednesday night, she “totally lost it.” The emotions came pouring out.
“It’s been really cool the last kind of 24 hours I would say,” said Lewis of the time immediately following her retirement announcement, “all the messages I got from friends, fans, people that I don’t even really know just telling little stories about where they met me and when they met me.
“You know, just really kind of puts things in perspective of you’re out here trying to win tournaments, but you’re also able to impact a lot of people. That’s really what I’ve been kind of reflecting on over the last 24 hours.
“I’m excited for the golf to start because that’s what is more normal and what’s easier right now. But I’m excited to get to do this one more time here. This was to me the only place to announce this. This was where my career started, so really was the only place to do it.”
What it meant to be a Razorback
Lewis put Arkansas’ golf program on the map, though she wasn’t thinking big when she signed a letter of intent. She simply wanted to play college golf and get an education.
“When I made the commitment to come to Arkansas I was out of my back brace,” said Lewis of her childhood scoliosis. “I assumed I was done with all the back stuff and wasn’t going to be a problem. After I committed, I found out I was going to have to have surgery, which then the goals really shifted. The goals became I just want to swing a golf club again.
“But I came on a visit here and fell in love with it. I fell in love with the people. The town felt like the right size for me, the school felt like the right size. I just remember flying home from the visit and I told my mom – we had gone on two other visits prior – and I said, this is where I need to be. That was the extent of the conversation.”
Playing in front of a home crowd
Having an LPGA stop in Arkansas has given tremendous opportunity to young Razorback players. Lewis took time to mentor the next generation and worked with coaches to create a blueprint for them to follow.
For Lewis, each year marked a special homecoming. Some years ago, Lewis became the first former female student-athlete to donate $100,000 or more to Arkansas athletics.
“This tournament has always been so special to me. Because no other players have had this,” said Lewis. “No other players have this hometown, have the crowd like that much on their side.
“You know, I was telling Craig Kessler, our new commissioner, about the first few years of this tournament. Before Gaby (Lopez) came out, I was the only Arkansas Razorback, and the players joke that they could find me anywhere on the golf course based off all the Hog calls. So no one else has had this, so to start and finish it here is just really fitting.”
Why she’s retiring now
There wasn’t really one moment. She’d been thinking about it for some years. Six years ago, Lewis suffered a rib cage injury that forced her to withdraw from the Solheim Cup. Since then, she’s had significant trouble with her right side.
“I’ve got a part of my back to doesn’t move and doesn’t twist and doesn’t rotate,” said Lewis. “It’s just the compensation over the years.
“To go back to how I felt coming out of surgery here my freshman year and not bending or twisting and not being able to swing a golf club, to think that 20 plus years later I would still be swinging a golf club at this level is really pretty remarkable and I am just really grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had.”
Captaining the Solheim Cup in 2023 and 2024 extended her career in some ways, and over the offseason, she found a way to feel better on the golf course and decided to give it one more push.
“I just really wanted to see if there was still any good golf left in me,” said Lewis. “I was able to put together some good rounds earlier this year and just really put me at peace.
“Just physically haven’t been able to practice the way I want to the last call it probably two or three years. The amount of time and energy you got to put into competing at this level and play good golf, I physically can’t do it anymore.”
What’s next for Lewis?
Lewis will next play Lotte Championship in Hawaii in October, and that might be it for 2025, unless something special happens and she qualifies for one of the last two events of the season in Florida.
Her last event will be the 2026 Chevron Championship, where she’s a past champion, in her hometown of The Woodlands, Texas.
“I hope to continue to make an impact on this tour,” said Lewis. “I did it while I was playing and I was able to bring sponsors and bring fans in and do it that way, but I want to continue to find ways to give back. I don’t know exactly what that looks like. I don’t have a job lined up for sure. But I want to find ways to help because I love this tour. I love these girls.”
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