Philadelphia, PA – While most of the attention this season has justifiably been heaped upon Inbee Park and her quest for history, Stacy Lewis has quietly been putting together an impressive season of her own.
Park has captured the headlines with her six victories this season, including the first three majors of the year until Lewis stopped that streak with her victory at the Women's British Open last week.
That victory was Lewis' third of 2013 and her sixth top-5 finish. Overall, Lewis leads the LPGA in top-10 finishes this season with 10.
Lewis also leads the circuit in rounds under par (48) and birdies (302), and is tied with Park for the top spot in scoring average (69.79).
And who is sitting in second behind Lewis in the first two categories? Park, of course.
In fact, the duo is placed in the top two positions in five statistics overall, with Park holding the edge in points for player of the year and putting average.
In the categories led by Lewis, Park has seven less rounds under par than Lewis and has compiled 57 less birdies than Lewis.
Take Park out of the equation and Lewis would have 15 more rounds under par and 65 more birdies than her nearest competitor.
Lewis would also still have her No. 1 world ranking, which she surrendered to Park in April after holding the top spot for just four weeks.
"When I got there in March, I was overwhelmed and busy and never really got to enjoy it," Lewis said about holding the No. 1 ranking. "So I want to get back there just so I can enjoy it a little more."
She will have to make up a fair amount of ground to retake that position, however, as Park is conspicuously around and currently sits 3.17 average points ahead of Lewis for the top spot in the rankings.
And Park shows no sign of going away despite her disappointing finish at the Women's British Open that saw her play her final three rounds at a total of 9- over par en route to a tie for 42nd place.
That performance halted her quest to become the first golfer -- woman or man -- to win four professional majors in a season.
"It's something that I've never experienced before, and I just had a great experience. I might not have won this week, but I've learned," Park said about playing with the pressure.
Park will still have a chance to accomplish the feat at the Evian Championship in September, which the LPGA added as its fifth major this year.
But whether or not she is able to complete the grand slam, the LPGA has to be excited for the future battles between the two golfers, both of whom are under 30 years of age.
The oldest of the two is Lewis at 28, while Park is just 25, meaning the two are set to face off against each other for supremacy of the LPGA for the foreseeable future.
One that shows nothing but promise for the two women currently dominating the LPGA.
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