Stacy Lewis Tweets Sour Grapes

Stacy Lewis isn’t at all happy about Shanshan Feng‘s lucky 2nd shot on the 18th hole at the Reignwood LPGA Classic Sunday afternoon.  It was one of those amazing shots that didn’t start off exactly like Shanshan intended, but it certainly ended up in the right place.  After it took a lucky bounce, veered left, and hit the flagstick, it plopped onto the green no more than 2 feet from the cup.  Lewis, who elected a safe 2nd shot on the par 5 finishing hole, was still standing on the fairway, lying 2, with a one stroke lead at the tourney.  Feng was now lying 2 with a putt that wasn’t much more than a tap-in.  Lewis was going to have to get up and down to force Feng to a playoff.  She didn’t do it, couldn’t do it.  Feng was in the cup for an eagle and a victory.  That’s the basic background for what came next.

In her post-round interview Lewis didn’t mince any words describing her bitter disappointment.  “I feel like [the tournament] was just taken from me,” she pouted.  Hardly a gracious loser, Lewis went on to diminish Feng’s winning shot. “You’d like to win on a good shot, but, obviously, it wasn’t a good shot.”

Whether it was a good shot or a bad shot seems beside the obvious: it was the winning shot!  Lewis seems to have forgotten that in golf, it’s not technical excellence alone that wins the game.  There are a host of unquantifiable components in the winning equation, and luck is one of them.

Lewis didn’t stop, however, with diminishing Feng’s winning shot.  “It’s very frustrating. It was a frustrating day just with the crowds and dealing with all that. It was hard to play today.”

Lewis and every other golfer who played at the Reignwood knew, going in, that the local fans were going to be supporting Shanshan Feng.  And they knew, as well, that because pro golf is new to China, Chinese fans are new to pro golf.  They are not yet fully engaged in the spectator etiquette that envelops European and American galleries.  Why start blaming the gallery for missed putts.  That’s rather like blaming the clouds floating overhead for casting shadows on the greens.

Lewis still wasn’t finished complaining.  She turned on her Twitter account this morning and let loose.  Her first tweet foreshadowed what would come next:

"Congrats to Shan Shan on the win, crazy shot at 18. Very disappointed in the fans in China this week.Stacy Lewis, October 6, 6:37am"

Three minutes later she elaborated, and added the distraction of the cameras.

"Between all the cameras and cheering when I missed putts. it was just really hard to have fun out there.  One to the next . . .Stacy Lewis, October 6, 6:40am"

Then she took an hour break, maybe to have breakfast?  But she thought about the situation and gave it one more tweet:

"btw, wait ’til you see the shot on 18 that won it! Let’s just say it involved a rock and the flag stickStacy Lewis, October 6, 7:47am"

Any number of words describe this situation: immature, disappointing, unworthy are all good for a start.  Stacy, next time think before you tweet, and take the time to talk over your feelings of disappointment privately rather than airing your sour grapes publicly.  This was very poor form.