Six women golfers from California are among 12 players who accepted invitations from the United States Golf Association to participate in a practice session next month in advance of the 2018 Curtis Cup.
The session for prospective players will take place Dec. 17-18 at Shoal Creek Golf Course in Shoal Creek, Ala., host site of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.
Lilia Vu of Fountain Valley and UCLA; Andrea Lee (pictured) of Hermosa Beach and Stanford; Robynn Ree of Redondo Beach and USC; Haley Moore of Escondido and the University of Arizona; Mariel Galdiano of Pearl City, Hawaii, and UCLA, and 15-year-old Lucy Li of Redwood City are the players invited from the Golden State.
The others are Kristen Gillman of Austin, Texas, and the University of Alabama; Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, Colo., and Wake Forest; Cheyenne Knight of Aledo, Texas, and the University of Alabama; Sophie Schubert of Oakridge, Tenn., and the University of Texas; Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, Ky., and the University of Alabama, and 16-year-old Rachel Heck of Memphis, Tenn.
“There are so many incredibly talented female golfers in the United States, and I’m very excited to bring 12 of the top amateurs together for this practice session, which will focus on the four-ball and foursomes formats used in the Curtis Cup Match,” said Virginia Derby Grimes, captain of the United States team.
“We are grateful to Shoal Creek for the opportunity to use their world-class facilities, and we look forward to conducting this session at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open host site.”
The 40th Curtis Cup will be contested June 8-10, 2018, at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. Great Britain & Ireland defeated the U.S., 11½-8½, in the 2016 match at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Enniskerry, Ireland.
Invitation to the Curtis Cup practice session does not guarantee selection to the U.S. team that will compete in June. Players not invited will also be considered the eight positions on the team for the biennial event.
The U.S. team, which leads the series, 28-8-3, won in 2014 at St. Louis Country Club. The 1986 match at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchison, Kan., is the only time the GB&I team has won in the United States.
