PORTLAND, OR – SEPTEMBER 03: Stacy Lewis (USA) wins the 2017 LPGA Portland Classic on September 3, 2017, at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, OR. Lewis won after announcing before the tournament started that she was going to donate her winnings in Portland to the Hurricane Harvey relief effort. (Photo by Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

By Alex Myers
Stacy Lewis is a two-time major champ and a former World No. 1, but the most meaningful — and inspiring — victory of her decorated career came last week at the LPGA’s Cambia Portland Classic. Just days after pledging her tournament earnings to help people recover from Hurricane Harvey, the Houston-area native went out and made it a winner’s check.

“Just what we’re going to be able to do, we’re going to be able to help me rebuild houses and get their homes back,” Lewis said of her $195,000 donation that was made much larger by sponsors and others who have joined the cause. “That’s more important than anything.”

The win was also important to Lewis’ psyche because it ended a surprising three-year winless stretch that included a remarkable 12 runner-ups. In playing for an entire city, though, Lewis found a new focus that helped her block out recent frustration and finish the tournament with two difficult par saves to hold off In Gee Chun by a shot.

After getting a couple days to reflect on authoring one of the year’s coolest sports stories, Lewis joined the Golf Digest Podcast to discuss her emotional week, her husband’s Houston heroics, and her new mindset on the golf course. Please have a listen:

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