TUSCALOOSA — A pair of victories by Alabama junior Lauren Stephenson and sophomore Kristen Gillman were part of an 8-0 United States sweep of Sunday’s Singles matches that clinched a 17-3 win over Great Britain & Ireland on the final day of the 2018 Curtis Cup at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
The United States entered play on Sunday with a 9-3 lead after the first two days of competition and needed only one win and halved match to retake the Cup. But the Americans swept the eight matches in the largest margin of victory in the history of the series, which began in 1932.
Gillman recorded a 5-and-4 win over GB&I’s Annabell Fuller while Stephenson took a 2-and-1 decision against Shannon McWilliam. The wins capped off a three-day run that saw the Alabama All-Americans have a hand in securing six-and-a-half of the 17 points scored by the United States in the match.
With the victory, the United States is now 29-8-3 against Great Britain & Ireland in the biennial series that dates back to 1932. Stephenson and Gillman join past Tide stars Emma Talley (2014) and Jenny Suh (2006) as members of U.S. squads that have won Curtis Cup. Former Alabama All-American Stephanie Meadow was a member of the GB&I squad that defeated at United States team that included Meadow’s UA teammate Brooke Pancake in 2012. Alabama was also represented in the Curtis Cup by Martha Jones Lang in 1992. Lang would go to serve as the U.S. captain in 1996.
The Curtis Cup was the first of two national team appearances for Gillman and Stephenson this summer. They will also be members of the U.S. team that will compete in the 2018 Palmer Cup, July 6-8 in Evain-les Bains, France.
The Palmer Cup squad is a combined men’s and women’s collegiate team and will also include UA men’s golfer Davis Riley. Alabama women’s assistant coach Susan Rosenstiel is serving as a member of the Palmer Cup coaching staff. The United States Palmer Cup team will face a combined men’s and women’s world team that includes 2018 Tide women’s signee Jiwon Jeon on its roster.
