Ko, Lewis pay tribute to LPGA legend Louise Suggs

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Two of the best women golfers on the planet today took time on Wednesday to pay tribute to one of the greats who came before them.

On pro-am day at the Cambia Portland Classic, which starts its 72-hole run on Thursday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, the Nos. 2- and 3-ranked players in the world — Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis — expressed their appreciation for Louise Suggs.

Suggs, was one of 13 LPGA founders, died Aug. 7 at age 91.

She won 61 tour events — still fourth all-time — with her last win coming at the 1962 St. Petersburg Open, right before her retirement from competition.

She served as LPGA president three times.

In 1951, she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame along with Betty Jameson, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias.

In 1962, the LPGA began presenting the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award. New Zealand’s Ko won it last year.

“It’s pretty amazing,” the 18-year-old Ko said Wednesday. “Just to be rookie of the year was an accomplishment, but to get an award named after somebody like Louise Suggs, it was a huge honor.”

Ko said she unfortunately never got to meet Suggs, but feels her influence.

“Not only what she’s done for the LPGA but for the women’s game is huge,” Ko said. “We are so fortunate that we had those founders to make the LPGA what it is.

“The women’s game is getting more and more popular, so we are all going in the right direction. It’s very sad that we lost a founder, but for what she’s done for us she’ll always be in our memories.”

Lewis, 30, wore a large button to honor Suggs’ memory.

“You look at our event, the Founders Cup, and I think that is honestly what will be Louise’s legacy,” Lewis said.

Another part of Suggs’ legacy, Lewis said, will be how much she helped the next generation of golfers, making sure the sport continued to grow.

“Just the way she impacted players after her and the generations after her,” Lewis said. “To hear [Beth Daniel] and [Karrie Webb] talk about her is pretty incredible. The two of them continue to do that with me and with other players, so the way that players give back to the next generation is Louise, and that’s what she’s done.

“While it’s a sad day for the LPGA, it’s pretty cool to see the way people are celebrating her life and her career.”

This season, Ko has 10 top-10 finishes and two victories. She has a scoring average of 69.64, second on the LPGA Tour.

Lewis is ranked third at 69.75 and has nine top-10 finishes this year.