Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis Bio

Stacy Lewis, born February 16, 1985, is an American professional golfer who has spent the bulk of her career on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. A two-time major champion, she lifted the Kraft Nabisco Championship trophy in 2011 and added the Women’s British Open title in 2013. Over the course of her professional career, Lewis captured 13 official LPGA Tour victories, claimed the top spot in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, and emerged as one of the most respected American players of her generation.

Early Life and Background

Lewis was born in Toledo, Ohio, on February 16, 1985, and was raised in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands, Texas. She attended The Woodlands High School, from which she graduated in 2003. Her childhood in Texas placed her near a strong junior-golf culture, and the warm climate gave her year-round access to courses, which helped shape her early development as a competitive golfer.

At the age of 11, Lewis was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition that would test her resolve well before she reached the professional ranks. While she was still in high school, she underwent a spinal fusion to correct the curvature of her back. The surgery was serious enough that she missed her entire first collegiate season while recovering, a setback that she later credited with sharpening her patience and focus on the course.

Path to Professional Golf

Lewis accepted a scholarship to the University of Arkansas, where she became a four-time All-American and one of the most decorated amateurs in the program’s history. As a redshirt freshman in 2005, she won the Southeastern Conference Tournament and was named SEC Freshman Golfer of the Year. A year later, in 2006, she captured the Women’s Western Amateur, signaling that she was ready to compete against the top amateurs in the country.

Her biggest amateur breakthrough came in 2007, when she won the NCAA Division I Championship despite a back injury that kept her out of the SEC Tournament. That same year she was honored as Golf Digest Amateur of the Year and received the National Golf Coaches Association Dinah Shore Trophy. She closed her amateur career in style at the 2008 Curtis Cup at the Old Course at St Andrews, becoming the first player ever to go 5-0 in a single Curtis Cup as the United States won the team competition for the sixth consecutive time.

Stacy Lewis Career

Early Career (2008-2010)

Lewis turned professional in June 2008, the same month she graduated from Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting. She earned medalist honors at a U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Garland, Texas, and went on to finish tied for third at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open, five strokes behind winner Inbee Park. Because she had joined the tour through sponsor’s exemptions, she had to return to qualifying school, and in December 2008 she won the LPGA Qualifying Tournament by three shots, finishing six strokes clear of Michelle Wie.

In 2009 and 2010, Lewis settled into the rhythm of full-time tour play, collecting steady checks and learning how to manage the grind of weekly professional competition. The work paid off in 2011, when she broke through with her first official victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, a major championship played at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. She led the field for the first two rounds and held off world number one Yani Tseng by three strokes, announcing her arrival on the biggest stages in women’s golf.

Major Championships and World Number One (2011-2014)

Lewis’s breakthrough major win in 2011 was followed by a dominant 2012 season in which she captured four tournament titles. Those results made her the first American player to win the LPGA Player of the Year award since Beth Daniel in 1994, a milestone that underscored how few compatriots had matched her consistency that decade. She also signed a sponsorship deal with KPMG in 2012, adding to endorsement partnerships with Mizuno Corp. golf clubs and Fila Golf apparel.

In 2013, Lewis won three times, including her second major at the Women’s British Open at St Andrews, where she closed with a 280 total, eight under par, to win by two strokes. A win earlier in the year at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Arizona moved her to the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings, where she held the number-one position for four weeks. She added the LPGA Vare Trophy in 2013 for the season’s lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour.

The 2014 season was arguably her best. She won the North Texas LPGA Shootout, the ShopRite LPGA Classic, and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, reclaiming the world number-one ranking in June. She earned her second LPGA Player of the Year award and her second consecutive Vare Trophy, and she finished the year as the LPGA Tour’s leading money winner. Her runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst that summer was a reminder of how close she came to a third major title.

Later Career and Captaincy (2015-2025)

Lewis remained a fixture near the top of the LPGA Tour throughout the mid-2010s. In April 2015, she reached a playoff at the ANA Inspiration, the renamed Kraft Nabisco Championship, and lost to Brittany Lincicome in sudden death. In September 2017, she ended a three-year victory drought with a win at the Cambia Portland Classic, choosing to donate her entire winner’s check, matched by sponsor KPMG, to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, totaling $390,000.

She added a Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned title at the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Lewis also took on leadership roles for the United States, captaining the U.S. Solheim Cup team in both 2023 and 2024. In 2025, she was honored with The Founders Award from the LPGA in recognition of her contributions to the tour and the game, and she retired from full-time professional play following the 2025 season.

Notable Events and Milestones

Lewis’s signature moments include her 2011 major breakthrough at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, her 2013 Women’s British Open win at St Andrews, and her 2017 charity-driven victory at the Cambia Portland Classic. She was the first American in nearly two decades to capture the LPGA Player of the Year award when she won it in 2012, and she remains the only player to go 5-0 in a single Curtis Cup. In 2025, she was recognized with The Founders Award for her lasting impact on the LPGA Tour.

Stacy Lewis Career Wins

Lewis recorded 13 official LPGA Tour victories during her professional career, with additional wins on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. Her two major titles, the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship and the 2013 Women’s British Open, are the cornerstones of her résumé.

LPGA Tour Highlights

Her first official LPGA Tour victory came at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship, and she added three more wins in 2012 before collecting her second major in 2013. Her most prolific season was 2014, when she won three times and finished the year as the tour’s leading money winner. Her most recent LPGA Tour victory, the Cambia Portland Classic in September 2017, came with a pledge to donate her earnings to Hurricane Harvey relief.

Other Wins and Performances

Lewis claimed a co-sanctioned Ladies European Tour title at the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open in East Lothian, Scotland. She also captured an unofficial LPGA Tour win at the 2007 LPGA NW Arkansas Championship, an event shortened to one round due to rain while she was still an amateur. Her amateur résumé featured the 2007 NCAA Division I Championship, the 2006 Women’s Western Amateur, and a 5-0 record at the 2008 Curtis Cup.

Stacy Lewis Family

Family Background and Personal Life

Lewis is married to Gerrod Chadwell, who has served as the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies women’s golf team since 2021. The couple has one child. Lewis grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, the child of parents whose names are not publicly confirmed in available sources, and she has spoken often about how the discipline required to manage her scoliosis diagnosis shaped the resilient approach she brought to her career.

Personal Life

Outside of competitive golf, Lewis has been active in charitable work, most notably through her pledge of her 2017 Cambia Portland Classic winnings to Hurricane Harvey relief, a donation that was matched by KPMG. She resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is recognized as one of the leading American voices in the women’s game, having represented the United States in multiple Solheim Cup appearances and captaining the U.S. team in 2023 and 2024.

2025 Season Performance

The 2025 campaign marked the final chapter of Lewis’s competitive career. She played a reduced schedule as she prepared to step away from full-time play, and her contributions to the LPGA Tour were recognized in 2025 with The Founders Award, an honor given for lasting impact on the women’s game.

Her on-course results were secondary to the broader role she played in 2025 as a mentor, a leader of the U.S. Solheim Cup program, and an ambassador for the tour. Lewis closed her career as a two-time major champion, a 13-time LPGA Tour winner, and a two-time LPGA Player of the Year, capping a long and consistent run that began in Arkansas in the mid-2000s.

Lewis announced that she would retire from professional golf following the 2025 season, ending a career that bridged the Beth Daniel era and the current generation of American stars. Her legacy includes major titles, world-number-one rankings, leadership of the U.S. Solheim Cup team, and ongoing advocacy for women’s golf.