Amelia Lewis has boosted her confidence on Epson Tour, showed promising signs in LPGA team event
Amelia Lewis hasn't taken her time on the Epson Tour this season for granted.
Instead, the Jacksonville native and Bolles graduate recognizes the strength of the LPGA's developmental circuit and is using it to slowly regain her confidence in her 13th professional season, and following wrist surgery last year.
That led to a pairing with longtime friend Paula Reto last week to tie for 15th in the LPGA's Dow Great Lakes Invitational in Midland, Mich., a team event with alternate shot in the first and third rounds and best ball in the second and fourth.
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Lewis and Reto thrived in the best-ball format, with rounds of 63 both days. Their 72-hole total of 15-under 265 earned them $17,114 each but that was a bigger deal for Lewis, who cashed her first LPGA check since the 2018 Kingsmill Championship, where she tied for 36th.
It was Lewis's best finish since a tie for ninth in the 2016 Meijer LPGA Classic.
"We're best friends so we knew we were going to have a good time," Lewis said in an interview after the opening round.
Lewis has made her last six cuts on the Epson Tour, with a tie for 13th at Mission Inn and a tie for 15th at the Garden City Charity Classic. She is 76th and rising on the money list.
"There are really, really good players on the Epson Tour," Lewis said. "You can't walk out there and play average golf. You have to go out and compete. I'm trying to find my game again and I'm happy to have the opportunity to be back here."
Oosthuizen in major drought
Louis Oosthuizen has a dubious distinction this season: the only player to compete in all four major championships, and miss the cut in all four.
That came a year after he led the British Open through 54 holes, was tied for the U.S. Open lead through 54 holes and finished second to Jon Rahm, and finished second to Phil Mickelson in the PGA.
The flip side was Rory McIlroy, who was the only player to finish among the top-10 in all four majors, and one of 10 players to make the cut in all four. Also playing the weekend in all four tournaments were Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Tony Finau, Patrick Reed and Tyrrell Hatton.
Rahm now has the longest active streak of making cuts in the majors at 13. Harris English of St. Simons Island, Ga., had 15 in a row before missing the cut at St. Andrews.
Andrade gets ‘very special’ honor
PGA Tour Champions member Billy Andrade is this year’s winner of the Payne Stewart Award, named for the World Golf Hall of Fame member who died in a 1999 plane crash.
The PGA Tour presents the award each year to a pro who displays character and sportsmanship and devotes time to charity.
“It’s very special,” Andrade said. “Payne was unbelievable to me and I got to know him very well. I’m speechless really, to think that now I’m part of this elite group of past recipients who have all done it the right way,” Andrade said.
Andrade and Brad Faxon created the Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children Inc. for southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It has generated more than $30 million through its various efforts, which include the CVS Health Charity Classic.
Each May at East Lake Golf Club, which hosts the Tour Championship, Andrade and fellow Atlanta resident Stewart Cink host the East Lake Invitational, a charity pro-am that benefits neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Andrade will be honored Aug. 23, the Tuesday night before the Tour Championship.
Young man’s game?
For the first time since the Masters began in 1934, the four professional majors were all won by players all in their 20s — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler (25), PGA champion Justin Thomas (29), U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick (27) and British Open champion Cameron Smith (28) of Ponte Vedra Beach.
PGA TOUR
Event: 3M Open, Thursday-Sunday, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
At stake: $7.5 million purse ($1.35 million and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Defending champion: Cameron Champ.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.). CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Jonas Blixt, Jonathan Byrd, Matt Every, Patton Kizzire, David Lingmerth, J.T. Poston, Doc Redman, Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Jared Wolfe.
Notable: Champ shot 66-67 on the weekend and beat Louis Oosthuzen, Charl Schwartzel and Jhonnatan Vegas by two shots. ... The field is led by three players who made the cut at the Open Championship last week, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im, along with Rickie Fowler. ... There are only three more events to make the top-125 on the FedEx Cup points list and qualify for the playoffs.
LPGA TOUR
Event: Amundi Evian Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Evian Resort, Evian-les-Bains, France.
At stake: $6.5 million purse ($1 million to the winner).
Defending champion: Minjee Lee.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 5-7 a.m.; 9:30-11:30 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 5:30-9 a.m.; CNBC (Saturday-Sunday, 9-11 a.m.).
Area players entered: Chella Choi, Mel Reid.
Notable: Lee rallied from seven shots behind with a closing 64, then beat Jeongeun Lee6 on the first playoff hole. ... The purse has been bumped by $2 million by the title sponsor. ... The Tour will play two weeks in Scotland to complete its European swing.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Event: Senior British Open, Thursday-Sunday, Gleneagles Hotel Kings Course, Gleneagles, Scotland.
At stake: $2.5 million purse ($275,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Stephen Dodd.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 7-9:30 a.m.; 11:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon); NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 12-2 p.m.).
Area players entered: David Duval, Len Mattiace, Brad Rollinson, Vijay Singh.
Notable: Dodd shot 62 in the third round at Sunningdale and went on to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez by one shot. ... The winner gets a spot in the 2023 British Open. ... The four senior majors so far this season have been won by four players. The last time where were no multiple senior major winners in one season was in 2011.
KORN FERRY TOUR
Event: Price Cutter Charity Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Highland Springs Country Club, Springfield, Mo.
At stake: $750,000 purse ($135,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Dylan Wu.
TV: None.
Area players entered: Chris Baker, Blayne Barber, Chandler Blanchet, A.J. Crouch, Taylor Dickson, Phillip Knowles, Carl Yuan.
Notable: Wu defeated Taylor Moore by two shots at 27-under par.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Amelia Lewis getting her game back to form on Epson Tour
