PHOENIX – Stacy Lewis put all kinds of pressure on Hyo Joo Kim on the back nine Sunday at the JTBC Founders Cup, but Kim wouldn’t crack.
That’s three consecutive Sundays now that Lewis has given herself a chance to win but come up maddeningly short.
She finished solo second to Kim Sunday. She finished third at the HSBC Champions in Singapore in her previous start. She was second in the start before that at the Honda LPGA Thailand, where she had the lead before a stumble at the 15th hole.
After a sluggish front nine Sunday at the Founders Cup, Lewis mounted a charge with four birdies over six-hole stretch to get within a shot of Kim with two holes to go.
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“I fought like crazy,” Lewis said. “That back nine was pretty cool, the way we made birdies back and forth and on top of each other.
“Really, the way I played on the front nine, to think I could still be within a shot coming up those last few holes was pretty amazing. I’m proud of the way I hung in there. I was in three divots today in the fairway, so that didn’t really help things, and I was in a divot there on 18, as well.”
A shot down at the 18th tee, Lewis hit her drive into a deep divot. From 150 yards out, she hit an impressive approach to a difficult pin, giving herself a 30-foot birdie chance. She ended up three putting for bogey while Kim birdied.
“It’s fun,” Lewis said of the back-nine duel. “That’s what you play for. It’s where you want to be. I just needed a couple more holes.”
