EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – The University of Alabama’s Kristen Gillman, Davis Riley and Lauren Stephenson recorded three wins and a halved match as the United States moved out to a 20.5-15.5 lead on Day 12 of the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France on Saturday.
The United States needs 10 points in Sunday’s 24 singles matches to retain the Palmer Cup while the International team needs 15 singles points to secure the Cup.
Saturday opened with Mixed Foursomes and saw the Internationals cut the U.S. lead to one point at 12.5-11.5. UA women’s golf signee Jiwon Jeon (South Korea/Daytona State) and her partner, Lorenzo Scalise (Italy/Tennessee) halved their match with Stephenson and Braden Thornberry (Ole Miss) while Gillman and Davis fell to Luis Gagne (Costa Rica/LSU) and Ainhoa Olarra (Spain/South Carolina), 2-up.
In the traditional Four-Ball round, the Americans won eight of the 12 matches to extend their lead to five points heading into Sunday. With the match tied at 14.5, Stephenson and Sophia Schubert (Texas) defeated Albine Valenzuela (Switzerland/Stanford) and Dewi Weber (Netherlands/Miami (Fla.), 3-and-2, to vault the U.S. into the lead. Gillman and Texas’ Kaitlyn Papp took down Maria Fassi (Mexico/Arkansas) and Olarra, 5&4, and Riley and Oklahoma’s Brad Dalke defeated Viktor Hovland (Norway/Oklahoma State) and Fredrik Nilehn (Sweden/Texas Tech), 1-up.
