Alabama’s Lauren Stephenson and Kristen Gillman Help USA to a 4-2 Lead after Day 1 of 2018 Curtis Cup
6/8/2018 7:13:00 PM | Women's Golf
Crimson Tide golf All-Americans responsible for 2.5 of the United States’ four points Friday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama junior Lauren Stephenson and sophomore Kristen Gillman helped the United States move out to a 4-2 lead over the Great Britain & Ireland team with a pair of wins and a halved match on Day 1of the 2018 Curtis Cup at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
In the morning Four-Ball competition, Gillman and USA teammate Lilia Vu of UCLA defeated GB&I's Alice Hewson and Lily May Humphreys, 4-and-3 while Stephenson and Texas' Sophia Schubert halved their match with Paula Grant and Shannon McWilliams to pick up a half-point. Wake Forest's Jennifer Kupcho and high schooler Lucy Li also halved their morning match to give the United States a 2-1 lead heading into the afternoon Foursome matchups.
USA Captain Virginia Derby Grimes paired Stephenson and Gillman together for a foursome meeting with GB&I's Grant and Humphreys in the afternoon and the Tide teammates responded with a decisive 4-and-2 victory that, coupled with Kupcho and Vu's 2-up win over GB&I's Hewson and India Clyburn, pushed the United States out to a 4-2 lead heading into Saturday's play.
The Day 2 schedule will repeat the opening day with the teams playing Four-Ball matchups Saturday morning and Foursomes in the afternoon. The 2018 Curtis Cup match will conclude with singles matches on Sunday.
First held in 1932, the Curtis Cup is a biennial women's amateur golf competition pitting a team from the United States against a team from Great Britain and Ireland. Teams are awarded one point for each victory and a half-point for a halved match.
As the defending champion, Great Britain & Ireland needs 10 points over the three days to retain the Curtis Cup. The United States must score 10.5 points to reclaim it.
FS1 will air coverage of Saturday morning's four-ball matches at 10:30 a.m. CT and coverage of the foursome portion of the day starting at 4 p.m. CT.
2018 Curtis Cup
Day 1 Results
Quaker Ridge Golf Club
Scarsdale, N.Y.
Team Score- Day 1
USA – 4
Great Britain & Ireland – 2
Friday Foursomes
Lauren Stephenson/Kristen Gillman, USA d. Paula Grant/Lily May Humphreys, GB&I, 4&2
Jennifer Kupcho/Lilia Vu, USA d. Alice Hewson/India Clyburn, GB&I, 2-up
Oliva Mehaffey/Sophie Lamb, GB&I d. Mariel Galdiano/Andrea Lee, USA vs. 3&2
Friday Four-Ball- USA wins, 2-1
Jennifer Kupcho/Lucy Li, USA vs. Olivia Mehaffey/Sophie Lamb, GB&I, Halved
Kristen Gillman/Lilia Vu, USA D. Alice Hewson/Lily May Humphreys, GB&I, 4&3
Lauren Stephenson/Sophia Schubert, USA vs. Paula Grant/Shannon McWilliams, GB&I, Halved
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaWGolf, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
