Alabama’s Kristen Gillman, Cheyenne Knight and Lauren Stephenson Invited to Curtis Cup Practice Session
11/17/2017 10:08:00 AM | Women's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama women's golfers Kristen Gillman, Cheyenne Knight and Lauren Stephenson are among 12 amateur golfers invited to participate in a two-day practice session for 2018 Curtis Cup, the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced Friday.
The practice session will take place Dec. 17-18 at the Shoal Creek Country Club in Shoal Creek, Ala., and will be used to evaluate potential members of the U.S. Curtis Cup squad, which will square off against Great Britain and Ireland in the 40th Curtis Cup Match June 8-10, 2018 at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
Stephenson, Knight and Gillman are currently ranked No. 6, No. 8 and No. 11, respectively, in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
"We are pleased and honored that 25 percent of the 2018 Curtis Cup practice squad is composed of Crimson Tide players," Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. "Lauren, Kristen and Cheyenne are three of the top amateur players in the world, and are all fully capable of leading the US team to victory. Stephanie Meadow closed out the 2012 matches for the Great Britain and Ireland team in Scotland, while Emma Talley clinched the winning point for the United States in 2014. Should they have the opportunity, we look forward Lauren, Kristen or Cheyenne doing the same, and assuring that the Curtis Cup returns to the U.S. next June."
First held in 1932, the Curtis Cup Match is a biennial women's amateur competition pitting a team from the United States against a team from Great Britain and Ireland. The USGA's International Team Selection Committee selects the U.S. squad. Participation the practice session does not guarantee selection to the final U.S. team that will compete in the Curtis Cup.
Joining the Alabama trio for the practice session will be college golfers Mariel Galdiano (UCLA), Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest), Andrea Lee (Stanford), Haley Moore (Arizona), Robynn Ree (USC), Sophia Schubert (Texas) and Lilia Vu (UCLA). High schoolers Rachel Heck (Memphis, Tenn.) and Luciy Li (Redwood City, Calif.) will also participate. Alabama Sports Hall of Fame member Virginia Derby Grimes is the captain of the 2018 U.S. team.
Stephenson posted a 67.91 scoring average and finished the Tide's fall campaign at 42-under par. The Lexington, S.C., native recorded four top-three finishes in four outings during the fall. The junior won the season-opening Mason Rudolph Championship with a UA record 16-under par 200 performance.
Gillman finished the fall at 32-under par with a 68.82 scoring average and equaled Stephenson's school-record 200 in her victory at the Schooner Fall Classic in September. Gillman was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2016-17 when she set a school record with 22 rounds of par or better.
Knight ended the fall at 11-under par with a 70.73 scoring average and three top-20 finishes in four outings. A two-time first-team All-American, Knight was the SEC Player of the Year in 2016-17 and leads all current Tide golfers in career rounds in the 60s with 20.
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Players Mentioned
