THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you for your patience through the technical difficulties. Wifi, you know, sometimes it goes in, it goes out.
But we are here in the virtual media center here at the Marathon Classic Presented by Dana. If you have any questions for Stacy Lewis, please make sure the utilize the chat function to let me know that you have one. When we open it up for questions, I'll be sure to call on you in the order of asking.
With that, I'm so happy to be joined now by Stacy Lewis, major champion and Toledo native. Stacy, how are you doing today?
STACY LEWIS: I'm doing great. Quick Pro-Am this morning and good weather, so you can't complain.
THE MODERATOR: What has it been like? This so unique. We haven't had this happen before in the time we've had the LPGA Tour.
But what has it been like preparing for not only last week's Drive On Championship, but this week at Marathon.
STACY LEWIS: Talking to the Pro-Am guys today we just said everything is strange. The format is strange. You can't go shake anybody's hands or shake their hands when they're done. You're trying to take apart. Everything is strange about it right now.
Once you're inside the ropes it feel like golf again. It's in the back of your mind, but you never really get that close to the people you're playing with anyway.
It's more thinking about stuff off the golf course. Once you're playing golf, it feels pretty normal.
THE MODERATOR: I know you had quite a bit of time at home. What were some of the things that you were up to, and how did you stay sharp competitively?
STACY LEWIS: I actually never really stopped playing. I'd take days off here and there, but we didn't have anything else to do.
So we are fortunate with our setup at the golf course that I could go and take Chesnee and practice and be away from everybody else.
So our routine was we would get up in the morning and kind of play a little bit, have lunch, let her sleep, and then go out to the golf course until the afternoon.
I would practice and she would watch Mickey Mouse, and that's what we did for three months. As we got closer to this time I started to practice a little bit more, but we stayed busy.
There wasn't a day that I sat around and had nothing to do. There was laundry, dishes, something that had to be done. So for me, that whole I guess five months went by pretty quickly.
THE MODERATOR: With Chesnee it's a little different preparing I would assume for any sort of tournament. Is it any different now with the new protocols and thinking about the events you're going to be playing in?
STACY LEWIS: I mean, I'm just thinking about her and everything I'm doing. I'm kind of going about my day as saying that everyone around me has is. So I'm going to wear my mask, stay away from people, and that's how I've been doing things. I don't want her to get sick. That's my No. 1 priority, is to make sure I don't bring to home.
You get a little worried taking her on an airplane that she can't wear a mask, but my concern every day is keeping her safe.
THE MODERATOR: And I know you have Chesnee with you this week. How important and how nice is it for you to still have the Smuckers LPGA Child Development Center here?
STACY LEWIS: It's incredible. I don't know if there was talk of it going away, but just that we're still able to do it during these times, and they have their protocols as well to keep the kids safe. Even last year. I mean, there was not one time that Chesnee got a cold being in daycare. Their protocols were already where they need to be, and they just added a few on top of it.
So it's so nice to have. Bardene (ph) and the ladies back. Chesnee has been having a lot fun playing with the big kids and going down some slides and all kinds of stuff this week.
THE MODERATOR: Now I know one of the things you did do in your off time is have a little bit of competition. I know you were in the Texas Women's Open.
What was it like being able to prepare for that kind of event, and how much do you think it helped you prepare for these LPGA Tour events?
STACY LEWIS: Well, it was nice to just have to put a score to a scorecard and to be able to test out I think a little bit of what you're working on. You don't truly know until you have to hit a shot under the gun.
So just to kind of test things out, be competitive. I used a push cart, did my own thing, didn't have a caddie. So helped me stay in shape. I tried to walk and use a push cart. My husband and I tried to play once a week when we were home just to keep your legs under you and stay in shape.
So just being competitive was nice. Good barometer of where things are.
THE MODERATOR: I know this event and Marathon in general are very special to you. This community is special to you. How special is it that you get to return and resume the LPGA Tour season in the Toledo area?
STACY LEWIS: I was excited. You know, I know Judd really wanted to have this tournament for this community more than anything. There are so many charities that rely on this event. I know he really wanted for us to be here this week.
I can see all the crew and the family even though they're not at tournament. We're hanging out outside and doing our best social distancing, but you still want to go see family.
So I get to do all that kind of stuff, too.
THE MODERATOR: Questions. I know Bethan has a few.
Q. Stacy, how many friends and family do you usually have at this event, and what are you doing instead?
STACY LEWIS: Gosh, well, it's grown. My cousins have had kids now, so the crew a growing. I would say we're probably in the 20 to 25 range. But it's my dad's whole side of the family, so they're all immediate family, all cousins.
They have gotten married and had kids of their own. Just getting together for dinners and hanging out. That's really all we can do. Let Chesnee go play with them and play with their dogs and things like that.
Q. How would you assess how the tour is doing so far with COVID these first two weeks?
STACY LEWIS: I feel like we're doing pretty good. I feel like you look at number of tests, we're still relatively low I feel like for the amount that we're doing. I feel like we're doing a good job. I feel like I do see some people without masks on outside the ropes, so I think we can do better.
I think we need to keep doing all this stuff right so we can keep playing golf tournaments.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Bethan. If you have any questions, please make sure to let me know in the chat.
I have one. What has that been like, especially with these new protocols, and are you going to be going over to Scotland?
STACY LEWIS: I am going to Scotland. Once we did the charter, that was my -- it made any decision for me. I was just very hesitate to go fly through multiple airports and things like that. The charters really made my decision to go.
For me, I always feel like I need reps, tournaments under my belt. You know, I didn't play great last week, but I didn't go into it expecting to light it up either. I've always been the type of player I just need some reps. That's what this is about: play some rounds and play some tournaments.
I feel like with the uncertainty of all the events at the end the year still, I feel like we have tournaments we need to play right now. Just if we're going to have one, I'm going to be there.
So I know there is probably lot of announcements coming out today with not a lot of fans at our next few tournaments. Just so appreciative of the Marathon and Dana and sponsors like this that are allowing our tournaments to happen even though they're not allowing people on site.
Those are the people that should be applauded you right now that we get to play golf right now.
THE MODERATOR: I know a major is just around the corner for us as well. How are you kind of thinking of that as you take on Marathon this week? Are you thinking of that as you take on Marathon?
STACY LEWIS: A little bit. You know, I was working with my coach and we were talking about some different types of shots you'll use over at the British Open and hitting lower shots, hitting running shots.
But it's Troon and it's a place that as a tour we've never played and women historically have had a hard time even playing there in general, so it's something that I want to be a part of. I wanted to play the golf course more than anything.
And the fact that it's a major is just a bonus.
Q. So I know you've played amateur golf, college gold, and there aren't a lot of spectators, but you have been playing professional golf for a long time now. How weird was it to have no fans?
STACY LEWIS: It was very quiet last week. I noticed it more actually this morning. You know, normally in the Pro-Am there is a lot of people around the first tee, guests of the people you're playing with, other sponsors.
And you could hear the birds chirping this morning. It's so quiet. It's so strange. But you get used to it. You know, I remember amateur golf where it was just my parents were the only people out there with us. So, I mean, that's going to be more of the normal going forward.
But you get used to it. I'm just really glad we're playing golf, to be honest.
Q. You get one person, right, to come out and watch you?
STACY LEWIS: Two.
Q. Oh, you get two? So both your parents going to come out and watch?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, both my parents will come out and watch. You have to register that person's name so we couldn't pass the pass around to all my cousins.
Q. Bummer.
STACY LEWIS: It was going to be hard to pick one or two anyway, so...
Q. Will you check scores on your phone?
STACY LEWIS: I think maybe if you're in contention or something I would have my caddie check it. I would never look at it myself. I never looked last week. I mean, the golf course was so hard there wasn't a need to.
But I think if you're in contention and you need to know, then you would. Otherwise, I don't look at it.
Q. Do you think no fans impacts at all the result of the tournament in this terms of adrenaline or just overall feeling that you have as a player?
STACY LEWIS: Potentially it could. I think you think some players, they kind of rely on the crowds and feel and that momentum and things like that.
I think some people rely on it to get them going and get that adrenaline going, where other people don't need that. It could affect some players some ways and others not.
I don't need crowds to get me fired up or not, so me personally, no, it wouldn't affect.
THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you Bethan. I think just one more that I have as we start to wrap it up here. I know we talked about the events you're going to be playing. At Marathon this week. We are officially back on tour.
How exciting is it to know that the LPGA Tour is back and competing right now?
STACY LEWIS: I think just to beat some of the bigger sports back, you know, we're able to come back a little bit quicker than NBA and baseball, and we're doing it right so far. So far we've had a minimal number of positive tests and maybe they're even false positives.
So I feel like we're doing a good job and showing that golf can be played and sports can be played. It's just our lives are just in a new normal. I mean, kind of compared to pre 9/11. The way you get on an airplane is different now and it's just a new normal.
It's just going to be this way for a while. We're going to be using hand sanitizer, washing our hands, staying apart for a while. Just got to go with the flow.
THE MODERATOR: We have one more question.
Q. I saw Joe out there yesterday with you working on your game and checking on things. How much were you able to work with him during the time off, and is this the first time you've actually seen him in person?
STACY LEWIS: Well, we worked on video. We would send some videos back and forth. I did have him come to Houston, when it was, June sometime. I had him come once. But it was really good to just be able to work in person.
Video is hard. It's one swing. Can't really see what's going on. We got a lot done yesterday. I'm excited about things are making more sense in my head and feeling more comfortable.
My husband found a -- we were looking up -- trying to find my year that I won in Arkansas, find highlights. He found this old swing of mine from 2012 on YouTube and noticed my posture was a lot taller than what it has been over the last two or three years.
It kind of all -- everything started making sense. Talking to Joe of why my side and I had the rib issues over the last couple years, hadn't been healthy, hadn't been hitting it very good.
So we kind of been working on posture has been the main things we been working on the last four, five months.
Q. Back to fundamentals?
STACY LEWIS: Yes.
Q. That's great. I saw you swing yesterday. Looked pretty good.
STACY LEWIS: All right. Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: All right, with that, I think we are all wrapped up here. Thank you again, Stacy, for joining us, and thank you all for joining us as well.
STACY LEWIS: Thank you.
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