Alabama Women’s Golfers Lauren Stephenson and Kristen Gillman Remain in Top Five of Latest Arnold Palmer Cup Rankings
2/22/2018 11:15:00 AM | Women's Golf
The Crimson Tide golfers are in contention for selection to U.S. Palmer Cup squad
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama junior Lauren Stephenson is ranked No. 3 and Crimson Tide sophomore Kristen Gillman is No. 5 in the latest Arnold Palmer Cup Rankings of the season, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Thursday.
The duo remains in contention for spots on the United States team that will participate in the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup, July 6-8, at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. The top six women's collegiate golfers in the final spring Arnold Palmer Cup Rankings will join the top six-ranked men's collegiate golfers as part of the 24-player United States squad that will compete against a team of international college golfers. Alabama assistant women's golf coach Susan Rosenstiel will serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. team.
Alabama men's golfer Davis Riley is No. 3 in the men's rankings which were also released Thursday.
Through five tournaments this season, Stephenson has a team-leading scoring average of 68.93 with five top-10 finishes, including four in the top-three and one tournament victory. Gillman is second on the squad with a 69.57 average, five top-10 finishes and one victory.
Using Golfstat's NCAA Player Ranking as a base, the Arnold Palmer Cup Ranking awards bonus points for wins and high finishes and a penalty for poor finishes. The ranking also contains a strength of schedule component.
The remaining 12 spots for the United States (six men, six women) will consist of five committee selections including at least one non-Division I golfer, and a coaches pick. The balance of the International team will include the men's and women's winners of the R&A Scholars Tournament, four committee selections and a coaches pick.
The final rating of the spring will be released on March 8 with the squad being announced March 15 during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is a Ryder Cup-style tournament co-founded by Arnold Palmer and The Golf Coaches Association of America in 1997. From 1997-2017, the tournament featured teams of men's collegiate golfers representing the United States and Europe. The 2018 edition of the Arnold Palmer Cup will be the first to using the expanded format of United States men's and women's collegiate golfers facing their counterparts from around the world.
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