Stacy Lewis withdraws from Solheim Cup with back injury, replaced by Ally McDonald

Stacy Lewis had to make a decision on the Solheim Cup today, and the 12-time LPGA winner ultimately decided it was a no-go.

Lewis withdrew from the American roster on Tuesday due to a back injury and has been replaced by Solheim Cup rookie Ally McDonald. Lewis will stay with the team as an assistant for the rest of the week.

Lewis said her back pain started two weeks ago at the Cambia Portland Classic. She treated it at home in Houston and it improved, but the pain was too much on Monday at Gleneagles.

“She went out and hit a couple shots yesterday, and it didn’t go well,” said U.S. captain Juli Inkster on Tuesday. “And I think we both kind of knew that it wasn’t going to go well. And it’s just a hard decision because I picked Stacy [as a captain’s pick] because she’s one of our leaders. And I really wanted her to play. But I feel like I really have the best of both worlds right now; I’ve got a healthy player and I have Stacy helping us out.”

Inkster was aware of Lewis’ backs issues and made sure McDonald, the team’s first alternate, arrived with the team on Sunday instead of coming on Wednesday as originally planned. Inkster and Lewis decided Lewis needed to make a call if she was going to play or not by Tuesday, since alternates aren’t allowed to play practice rounds.

Lewis said this WD ranks “pretty high” in terms of career disappointments. “I’ve had time to process it and the team’s been super supportive,” Lewis said. “The girls have been great. They’ve helped me a lot through it. It’s just really, really disappointing because this is my favorite tournament we have. And that first tee, there’s nothing like it. So I’m just disappointed I don’t get to hit that shot. But I’ll be watching.”

With McDonald on board, the Americans now have six rookies on their 12-player roster. The opening day of the Solheim Cup is Friday at Gleneagles in Scotland.