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The USGA International Team Selection Committee has picked a dozen of the best American female amateurs to attend a practice session Jan. 29-30 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, in advance of August’s Curtis Cup matches.
Of 12 players invited, eight will play for U.S. captain Sarah Ingram. They are: Rose Zhang of Irvine, California; Emilia Migliaccio of Wake Forest University; Kaitlyn Papp of the University of Texas; Allisen Corpuz of the University of Southern California; Lauren Hartlage of the University of Louisville; Auston Kim of Vanderbilt University; Gina Kim of Duke University; Aneka Seumanutafa of Ohio State University; Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest University; Brooke Matthews of the University of Arkansas; Megan Schofill of Auburn University; and Kennedy Swann of the University of Mississippi.
The Curtis Cup originally was scheduled for last June at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales. After postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it now will be staged there Aug. 26-28.
Zhang, the 17-year-old wunderkind who recently won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the McCormack Medal, is the top-ranked female in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and figures to be a leader of the American squad. The three highest-ranking Americans will be awarded automatic spots at a to-be-determined date later this year. If the cutoff occurred today, Zhang, No. 8 Migliaccio and No. 10 Papp would receive the exemptions.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and the McCormack Medal winner, should they be American, also would receive exemptions.
"The level of talent in women’s amateur golf in this country right now is really impressive, and these players are all very accomplished, both inside and outside the game."
U.S. Captain Sarah Ingram
Among the other nine players who will be at the practice session in Orlando, five competitors had been invited to a December 2019 gathering: Corpuz, Hartlage, Auston Kim, Gina Kim and Seumanutafa.
Kuehn, Matthews, Schofill and Swann are new additions to the group after each enjoyed strong performances in 2020. Schofill won three times to advance to No. 24 in the world, making her the fifth highest-ranked American at the moment.
World No. 67 Alexa Pano, No. 85 Megha Ganne and No. 86 Sadie Englemann are the highest-ranked players not invited to the practice squad.
While players not invited to the practice session will be considered as the year progresses, the showcase is a key moment for Ingram and potential teammates to bond.
“It was incredibly disappointing to postpone (last) year’s match, so to get back together as a group and restart the team selection process is exciting,” Ingram said. “The level of talent in women’s amateur golf in this country right now is really impressive, and these players are all very accomplished, both inside and outside the game. I look forward to having the chance to get to know these young women better.”
The United States team defeated Great Britain & Ireland by a record-setting 17-3 margin the last time the Curtis Cup was contested in 2018. The Americans lead the overall series, 29-8-3, but the past four matches have been split. Before that, the U.S. had won seven consecutive contests.
Sean Fairholm