63 — Olympic Record: Married Life Gives Stacy Lewis A Boost In Rio

Stacy Lewis has been frustrated for more than a year.

No wins, a bunch of runner-ups, falling in the rankings, you know the deal.

Her life took a major turn two weekends ago when she said “I do” with University of Houston golf coach Gerrod (don’t call me Mr. Lewis) Chadwell.

She came to the Rio Olympics a married woman. Enjoyed her honeymoon with Gerry, they hung out in Charleston then made their way to Rio.

On Thursday, she put her name in the record books, shot an eight-under par 63 and put her name in the running for a Gold Medal for the United States.

She’s but a shot back of Inbee Park, who has been plagued by golf’s most famous sore left thumb.

“I was excited from the get-go,” said Lewis of this Olympic pursuit. “Nobody gave me a good reason why I shouldn’t come.”

She showed up, showed up big-time on Thursday after tip-toeing around the course with a 70 on Wednesday.

“The swing just wasn’t where it needed to be,” she said of her first day’s efforts. “Then again this morning,” said recounted on Thursday after she dazzled with the 63. “I left the range a little bit mad, the swing not really there, not where it needed to be.”

Then something happened that every golfer hopes for. The putts started falling.

“I think the putts going in definitely helped,” she said.  “I honestly think the putts going in just completely freed things up.”

She was freed up enough to shoot four-under par on the front nine and she accomplished that with a bogey on her card.

The incoming nine was even more interesting for Lewis.

She added two more birdies and was six-under coming to the par three 14th, Lewis then explained what happened.

“Fourteen was just not a very good four-iron off the tee. Got in the bunkers, a decent lie but it was a huge upslope. Caught it heavy. Was feeling pretty confident with the putter, decided to ram the putt by then the four-footer lipped out.”

Lewis walked off with a double-bogey five and fell back to four under.

“If anything that kind of got me focused. ‘All right, let’s hit putts the right speed,'” she told herself.

And did she ever hit them the right speed coming in.

She rolled in a 12-footer at 15, a four-footer at the 16th, made it from 15-feet at the par three 17th then made an incredible birdie at 18 after she found trouble with her tee shot and couldn’t advance her second very far. “After all that mess off the tee, I had 199, I hit a hybrid to four feet,” she added. That putt fell for 63 and the women’s record. Last week Aussie Marcus Fraser and American Matt Kuchar shot 63s to set the men’s mark.

The putter was Lewis’ best friend on the course Thursday. If it stays hot, she just might have picked the right four days to get back to her winning ways.

In the meantime, hubby Gerry might already be her Gold Medal.

“I’ve got someone in my life,” she said, “who’s more important than any golf tournament I’ll ever play in or any golf tournament I’ll ever win.”