Lewis named SEC Golfer of the Week Tuesday

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas senior Stacy Lewis earned Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Week honors the league office announced Tuesday.

The honor is the second of the season for Lewis and the sixth of her career at Arkansas.

“What can you say about Stacy,” said Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor. “We’re coming off a week of golf playing under some really tough conditions. Stacy was quite a ways back going into the final round at Texas– four or five strokes with one round to play is a lot in this game. We talked and I told her she was still in the running and she elevated her game. The way Stacy handled herself and executed golf shorts in 30-40 mile-per-hour winds is just a testament to her golf game.

“Conditions were tough at Georgia as well,” Estes-Taylor continued, “and Stacy just adjusted. The greens were hard and the course is a challenge. Stacy is very deserving of the honor. One of her goals is to be in contention to win every tournament she plays in and she gives herself a chance every time she tees it up.”

Lewis is coming off her fourth win of the season and the 10th of her career picking up the victory at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic last week. Lewis also won the Betsy Rawls as a freshman in 2005 and was the runner-up at this event last year. Lewis continues to lead Arkansas with a 69.70 stroke average through eight events. She has seven top 10 finishes and has posted her low round of the year – a 68 – twice.

Lewis’ numbers are impressive. The Woodlands, Texas, native played the four-tournament fall at four-under par shooting even par in two events and two-under in a pair of contests.

She opened the spring with an eight-under 208, one stroke shy of the school record, winning the Lady Puerto Rico Classic and earning conference golfer of the week honors for the first time this year. Lewis then finished two over at the UCF Invitational before winning the Betsy Rawls. She added her seventh top 10 finish of the year Sunday at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic against one of the toughest fields in collegiate golf.

As a team, the Lady Razorbacks are coming off back-to-back fourth place team finishes after a busy spring break. Arkansas opened the week at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic finishing fourth overall.

Arkansas remained on the road traveling to the SEC-heavy field at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic again posting a fourth-place finish. The finish is the seventh top five showing in eight events for the Lady Razorbacks this year. Arkansas’ busy month continues as the Lady Razorbacks travel east making the program’s first appearance at the Bryan National Collegiate in Brown Summit, N.C., March 28-30.