THE MODERATOR: Here with Stacy Lewis, past Chevron Championship winner, making her 15th start here at Chevron. Welcome back to the desert. Welcome back to Rancho Mirage. We've got fans, we've got heat, got the whole nine yards. How does it feel to be back here for the celebration year?
STACY LEWIS: It feels much more normal. Feels what it should be. This place, I guess the best compliment you can give it is it's the same every time you come here. Golf course is always in great shape. You kind of know what to expect when you're coming.
Just excited to have one more opportunity to try to win here.
Q. You made the jump before back in 2011. A lot has changed in your life since then. How is the Stacy Lewis that made that jump different than the Stacy Lewis now?
STACY LEWIS: Gosh, when I was in the booth last week they showed some highlights and I was little baby-faced kid. Life is way, way, way different. Gosh, everything about it is different. The way I think off the golf course, the way I think on the golf course. My responsibilities are a lot different now.
So life has changed, but the best part is inside the ropes golf is still golf. I probably love it more now than I did then. Just it's kind of becomes my little escape where I can turn my phone off and not worry about anything else and just enjoy playing.
Q. And you are playing well. Bunch of good top finishes, top 20 finishes this year. How are you feeling as you come in here this week to the season's first major?
STACY LEWIS: I'm excited. Got a really good start in Florida. Much better than I was even expecting. Haven't hit it as well. Didn't hit it very good in Asia and struggled a little bit last week, but I feel like I'm going in the right direction.
Saw a lot good positives of what we're doing, and just doing some little things to get back on track, but I'm excited.
Q. Bringing it here, you say it's always beautiful out there. I know our tournament director every year saying every year I say it's the best, but it really is better than usual this year. Your flaying your 15th time here; never miss the cut.
STACY LEWIS: Yeah.
Q. Good strong finishes, too. What is it about this course that seems to suit your game?
STACY LEWIS: Obviously I think a lot of knowledge of the golf course helps. I think that's the biggest thing.
And just obviously I love it. I had such a good experience when I played as an amateur. I think just kind of helps you fall in love with the place and the golf course itself.
I think that's a lot of it. The golf course is actually -- I feel like it's changed a lot, especially the last -- I would go back probably five years. It's gotten a lot softer and ball is not rolling quite as much off the tees, which doesn't necessarily help me out. It helps the bombers a little bit more, which is what you're seeing in the winners over the last couple years.
So it looks great. I would like it to be a little bit firmer, but other than that it's all good.
Q. How has that changed your approach to the golf course, to the way you attack?
STACY LEWIS: It's definitely different. I've got to hit as many fairways as I can. You're going to have some longer shots -- I'm going to have some longer shots into holes, and you just got to pick the opportunities where you can be aggressive.
Short game has to be really good; wedges and putting has to be really good for me to contend here.
Q. Some big news with Lorena and the Founders. Can you just talk about what you think of the rule change and letting all the Founders in?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, I was obviously very happy to see that I kind of did a little bit of work behind the scenes to get that meeting going. I just think it was something that needed to happen, especially the Founders to me.
You know, since Shirley is getting older, we needed to do it before we lose all of our Founders. They should be in the LPGA Hall of Fame. Without them we wouldn't be where we are.
And then Lorena getting in, I mean, so well deserved. She did so much for this game when she played. When she retired we had three events in Mexico; we still have players from Mexico on this tour.
But that just shows what an impact she had on the tour, but sponsors and just getting people in general to pay attention. It's great to see her here. She hasn't changed a bit. I think it's just great for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Q. What will you miss the most about this place?
STACY LEWIS: It's just the whole week. I was in the locker room and I still remember this one bench I went and sat on after I won. I had done my press conference and went in the locker room. I was still wet, trying to find clothes to change into.
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. (Smiling.) Sorry, I got everybody going.
Q. About Yuka Saso.
STACY LEWIS: Yes.
Q. KPMG is her sponsor. She mentioned about you in yesterday's press conference. She respect you and then she's happy to be a KPMG family with you.
STACY LEWIS: Yep.
Q. Do you have any thought about it?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, you know, I've been fortunate, I played with Yuka quite a bit. She hasn't been on tour and I played with her quite a bit. Just a huge fan. She's got such a great personality for the game, and obviously what she does on the golf course is impressive, too.
Just more her personality. She has fun with it. I don't know, you just don't see that in the young ones coming out. She just seems to enjoy it a little bit more than anybody else.
I love playing with her and I think she's going to be around for a long time.
Q. She got your autograph last year, right?
STACY LEWIS: She did. That's happened to me quite a bit lately. Just a sign that I'm getting older, I think. (Smiling.)
Q. The younger generation respect you.
STACY LEWIS: It is. You think back, these girls that are coming out that are, gosh, 20, 21 years old, they were 10, 11, 12 probably just starting game when I was No. 1 in the world and playing some really good golf.
So I try to put it in perspective that way. Also makes you feel a little bit old at times. I remember we played at Dow at the team event last summer and Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel was out there and I went over and said Hi, and she was asking who that was. I said, you need to go say high to them.
She gets it. She's learning about the game and the history of the game. You know, good for the game going forward.
Q. I just think in sports the words historic and iconic get overused, but a place like this, a tournament like this I feel is the epitome of historic and iconic. Do you feel the same way?
STACY LEWIS: It is. This tournament is our tour. It's the LPGA. 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.
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.
Q. Had a lot of players have really good short stints, not kind of like Lorena-esqe, and Jin Young is in the midst of a really impressive stint. What do you see from her in terms of staying power and what impresses you the most?
STACY LEWIS: Impresses me the most? The ball striking obviously is so good. I mean, just on all different types of golf courses. It's not just one type of golf course that she's successful on.
I think one of the things that impresses me the most is her ability to come -- she'll take two or three weeks off and come right back out like she just finished on Sunday the week before.
I think that is one of the most impressive things. For her, I know she had some injuries, things with her wrist. That's probably going to be the one thing that holds her back is whether she can continue to play as much.
If you get hurt you can't play as much, it's a little bit different. But I mean, mentally she's really good. There is not a whole lot of bad things you could say.
Q. Anyone you would compare her to?
STACY LEWIS: Not really. I mean, I think -- she's so technically -- like golf swings are so technically sound. Lorena's probably a little bit funkier move but was a great putter.
Yani had the power but she also had the short game and the putter.
Inbee is a putting wizard.
So I don't know. I guess we haven't really seen the true ball-striker like that. But golf courses in general are getting softer across the board, so good ball-strikers are going to stay around for a while.
Q. And expanding on that to the staying power, being No. 1, I know you've talked about you can see what it's like inside No. 1, but outside the ropes and inside the head of being No. 1, what's that challenge of holding that emotionally?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, it's tough. You know, I do think it's different. Being an American is probably different than being from South Korea. I know they have their pressures at home, but as an American you're pulled in a lot of directions and asked to do a lot of different things.
You kind of have to get in your own zone and do what you need to do to be successful. And it's hard. It's hard to stay there. That's why I think like Beth Ann said, you have stints of people being No. 1 in the world. It is, it's really hard to stay there because of all the extra stuff that it requires.
THE MODERATOR: My last question. I'm going to change gears and ask you about Solheim Cup. Had the announcement last week of Morgan joining your team as assistant captain. I know you're focused on playing this week, but how do you balance when you're out here looking and seeing American faces out there, scouting the Europeans a little bit, how are you balancing that out, the playing duties and the captain duties?
STACY LEWIS: It's been good. I have to pay attention a little bit more to leaderboards. Probably look at the leaderboard a little more closely than I would in the past.
But it's been great. Just trying to get to know the younger players and the girls I don't know as well. Just trying to talk to people more and making sure they feel involved in the process of what we're working on.
We're not really doing a whole lot now behind the scenes. Still getting assistants in place and rolling from there.
But, I mean, so far it's been great. All the girls were excited about Morgan coming on board last week, so we just need more American flags on the leaderboard. Love to see some of the girls in contention this week.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports