Lewis triumphs, donates earnings to hometown Harvey relief effort

Stacy Lewis with the winner's check on the 18th green after her victory during the final round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club on Sunday in Portland, Oregon. (AFP)

PORTLAND, Oregon: Stacy Lewis picked the right time to break out of a slump and the end of her winless drought will bring a windfall to the flood victims in her hometown of Houston.
The American golfing star had promised earlier in the week to donate her prize money to the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.
Lewis earned her first LPGA Tour title in three years on Sunday at the Portland Classic, firing a closing round of 69 to defeat In-Gee Chun by one stroke.
Lewis did it by playing steady golf down the stretch. She posted four birdies, two pars and a bogey over her first seven holes but then parred the final 11 holes to finish with a total of 20-under 268.
“That’s unbelievable,” said Lewis, of her $195,000 winner’s check. “When I said that I had the goal of winning the tournament, you have got to get a lot of things right, to go your way.
“We’re going to be able to help rebuild houses and get their homes back. That’s more important than anything.”
Hurricane Harvey has killed at least 50 people and unleashed massive flooding that damaged up to 50,000 homes in Houston.
For Chun it marked another runner-up finish in 2017. She shot a six-under 66 while Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn (72) and American Brittany Altomare (69) finished in a tie for third, six shots adrift of the lead.
Lewis moved to Houston at a young age and her husband is the golf coach at the University of Houston.
She completed the final round with 11 pars, scrambling for saves on the final two holes. She had just one bogey on the last day as she wrapped up her 12th career victory on the US Tour.
“I knew it was going to be hard,” Lewis said. “I was hitting a lot good shots, a lot of good putts, and they just weren’t going in. “To make that up and down on 17 and then to hit the shot out of the bunker on 18, it’s something you dream about.”
Chun can’t shake the bridesmaid label as she finished second for the fifth time in 2017.
“I made another bogey-free round. I think it was great round today,” Chun said. “Stacy’s play was good, too. I really enjoy playing with Stacy. I know Stacy had a little hard time before, so I want to give to her big congratulations.”