Superstition Mountain – Syndication Server

Stacy Lewis notches top 10 at LPGA Drive On, says being playing captain is possible but still far off

Lewis closed with a 5-under 67 at Superstition Mountain to vault into a share of seventh.

Stacy Lewis’s fine play at the LPGA Drive On Championship isn’t enough yet, she said, to start a serious conversation about being a playing captain at the Solheim Cup in Spain.

Lewis closed with a 5-under 67 at Superstition Mountain to vault into a share of seventh. Her only wish was that the tour was headed next to Mission Hills Country Club, a favorite stop and site of her first major victory. But with the Chevron Championship headed to Texas next month, Lewis and the tour will move on to Palos Verdes Golf Club for the DIO Implant LA Open, where the 13-time winner hopes her good momentum continues.

“I wouldn’t say it’s not possible,” she said of playing and captaining at the Solheim Cup in Spain. “I think it’s possible, but I hope there are 12 playing better than me, and our team is going to be in a really good spot if that’s the case.”

Lewis started feeling better about her putting toward the end of last season. After the Asian swing, she took advantage of a couple weeks off to put new shafts in her irons and is pleased with her ball-striking.

“The combination of getting some new irons, longer irons getting up in the air, easier to hit, and things working on with my golf swing starting to come together,” she said of what’s clicking.

Stacy Lewis holds the trophy the closing ceremony of 2015 Solheim Cup in Germany. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Lewis wears multiple hats every week she’s on tour, trying to get to know the rookies who might be on her team in September as well as she can.

“Just the time you can be around them,” she said, “seeing them in player dining, talking to them warming up, just that a little bit of interaction goes a long way with them feeling more comfortable for that week so everything is not so new, right?

“Solheim Cup is a crazy week, and if you throw a brand new face in front of them telling them what to do, that’s really hard. So just trying to be around them as much as I can and be there when they have questions and just making sure they’re always thinking about it.”

Potential Solheim Cup rookie Lilia Vu, already a winner this season, finished T-7 and hasn’t placed outside the top 15 this season.

Lucy Li, another player Lewis has her eye one, made her debut as a LPGA member this week and struggled mightily, shooting 76-76 to miss the cut.

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LPGA Drive On: Lucy Li, Alexa Pano have plenty of LPGA experience, but it’s a week of firsts for most of tour’s rookies

There are more than 20 rookies in the filed at Superstition Mountain in Arizona.

Lucy Li and Alexa Pano have competed in a combined 22 LPGA events before teeing it up this week for the first time as LPGA members at the 2023 Drive On Championship. Sandwiched in between them at a pre-tournament presser sat Ellinor Sudow, a Swedish player who didn’t even seriously consider the LPGA until she got to college. This week marks her first LPGA start.

Of the 31 LPGA rookies this season, 23 are in the field this week for the first full-field domestic tournament. Li, who earned her card by finishing in the top 10 on the Epson Tour last season, hasn’t teed it up in an LPGA event since last October. Both Sudow and Pano qualified through Q-Series.

In between practice, Li, 20, got cranking on her schoolwork at the University of Pennsylvania. She will soon declare a double major in data analytics and psychology. Both 18-year-old Pano and Li turned professional out of high school.

“I’m taking one course now and pretty much just started my junior year in college,” said Li, “so I got a lot of good work done.”

Pano, who gained fame when she appeared in the Netflix documentary “The Short Game,” tied for 32nd at the LET’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International in February and then recently played two events on the Epson Tour. Pano made her first start on the LPGA in 2018 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. She’s made the cut once in eight starts.

“It kind of feels like I’ve been working towards this for a really long time,” said Pano, “so been a very long time coming.”

While Pano and Li made headlines as pre-teens, Sudow took up golf rather late in life and never qualified for the Swedish National Team. After playing collegiately at UNC Charlotte and later Arizona for graduate work, Sudow signed up for qualifying school hoping to get Epson Tour status and wound up with an LPGA card.

“I was super stoked to be here yesterday,” said Sudow, “just coming down the range for the first time, see all the players and having Nelly (Korda) behind me and all that cool stuff.”

When asked about goals for the season, Pano talked about having an open mind and learning. Li echoed similar thoughts and talked about focusing on her process.

Sudow, however, didn’t hold back.

“I think we’re stupid if we don’t say we want to be Rookie of the Year and win a tournament,” said Sudow. “That’s why we’re here. We’re here to compete. That would be really cool to me. I usually set really lofty goals.

“I don’t know if they’re realistic, but that’s the dream and what we’re aiming for.”

Here are several LPGA rookies making their tour debut this week:

Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club: A hidden gem in suburban Phoenix

Best known for beautiful weather and majestic mountains, the Valley of the Sun is a thriving golf mecca. It’s almost an embarrassment of riches with so many terrific private, resort and daily-fee courses. Located 40 minutes east of downtown Phoenix at the foothills of Tonto National Forest is an outpost worth exploring—Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club.

Nestled in the shadows of the eponymous mountains, Superstition Mountain is a guard-gated luxury community stretched across 930 acres. Its heartbeat is the Golf & Country Club, which features two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses, Prospector and Lost Gold. Both tracks are challenging yet playable for all skill levels (the Prospector course has hosted its share of LPGA Tour and Champions Tour events) and offer stunning scenery. Two years ago, the club completed a $2 million bunker renovation project (all 175 sand traps on both courses were upgraded). Since then, the overall golf experience has been better than ever. Don’t have time for 18 holes? Members can play the delightful par-3 course within the Prospector course, or the sporty executive course within Lost Gold. Having play options beyond the obvious is one innovative way the private club caters to members’ needs.

The practice facilities are first-class as well. Several pros, in fact, use the driving range or short-game area when not competing on Tour. Want to raise your level of play? The club’s longtime Director of Instruction, Mike Malaska, is one of the country’s top teachers.

There’s much more to this upscale retreat than just great golf. Members can indulge in both casual and fine dining in an idyllic setting, the Tuscan-style 50,000-square-foot clubhouse. And, in a nod to ever-changing lifestyles, denim is permitted in the main dining room at all times to accommodate those who might be coming from work or an informal club event (such as the Bocce league). Another out-of-the-box idea: There’s no Food & Beverage minimum. However, the “Culinary Club” is an optional program where members pay an annual fee to receive 50-percent discounts on regular food purchases in the restaurant and bar.

At Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club, members enjoy a relaxed, fun-filled lifestyle. Annual events include the Santa Brunch, Toy Drive and Pancake Breakfast, Holiday Party, Canines & Wine, and Cars & Cocktails. Plus, additional activities abound: Cooking classes, dance lessons, off-site excursions to the theatre and ball games, comedy shows, Food Truck events, aforementioned weekly Bocce, and more. And, lest we forget the Sports Club, with resort-style pool, jacuzzi, fitness center (members can log on remotely for workouts and to track fitness levels), tennis courts, basketball court, and pickleball courts.

Interested in this desert oasis? The Superstition Mountain community has 600-plus homes, which includes custom designs and neighborhoods with pre-planned single-family dwellings. The Golf membership, which is open to non-property owners, provides full privileges at the clubhouse, Sports Club, and events. Other packages are available as well. Young adults in their 30s, for instance, can join as Associate members. For a complete listing of membership offerings or to learn more about the upscale country club and community, click HERE.

Better yet, go experience the place for yourself.