TAMARAC, Fla. – As Alexa Pano correctly noted, half the battle of making a Curtis Cup team is securing an invitation to the traditional practice session that takes place roughly six months before the actual team is selected. Pano has checked that box.
“It’s always been in the back of my mind, like, ‘Hey that’s something I’d really like to do,’” Pano said of potentially representing the U.S. in the 2020 Curtis Cup. “It felt really nice to get that call that I was going to be in the practice session because that’s halfway there.”
The USGA’s International Team Selection Committee issued invitations to a total of 12 women last month, ranging in age from 15 to 29, to attend the three-day practice session at Loblolly in Hobe Sound, Florida, from Dec. 15-17.
Pano and Lauren Greenlief, who happen to represent the polar ends of that age bracket, ducked out half a day early to tee it up in the Dixie Women’s Amateur roughly 75 miles south at the Woodlands Country Club. Pano is the defending champion while Greenlief is looking for tournament reps and one more shot at lifting her position in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Dixie Women’s Amateur: Leaderboard
Curtis Cup practice session: Full squad | Photos
It was a concentrated group at Loblolly, with only the highest-ranked Americans scoring an invitation. Wake Forest junior Emilia Migliaccio carried the highest ranking at No. 8, followed by No. 12 Kaitlyn Papp, a Texas junior, and No. 13 Rose Zhang, who is committed to play for Stanford.
“I feel like it was really good prep coming here being able to play with the best amateurs in the world and experiencing that with them,” Pano said. “Alternate shot and Curtis Cup formats and going overseas to represent the USA is always super fun so I’m looking forward to hopefully being there.”
Greenlief, the only mid-amateur among the group, has been working toward this her whole year, having taken a leave from her job at Boston Consulting Group to play a full summer of amateur golf.
“One of my favorite weekends of my golf career probably, just the caliber of players and all coming together to play alternate shot and fourballs and different formats with all top-50 players was really amazing,” Greenlief said of the practice session.
Sarah Ingram, a three-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion who appeared in three Curtis Cups as a player, will captain the team and was on site at Loblolly. A big part of the practice session is about relationships, player to player and captain to player.
“It was really a fun weekend to get to know each other’s games, get to know each other as people and bond a little bit,” Greenlief said. “I think all those things were accomplished.”
Kelly Tilghman, a former Golf Channel and NBC Sports broadcaster, spoke to the players at Lobolly about both golf (she played college golf for Duke) and her career in sports journalism.
It was so enjoyable visiting & speaking to the 2020 Curtis Cup winter practice squad at Loblolly Pines.
Everyone was so impressive. @DukeWGOLF had the triple threat of Gina Kim, Capt. Sarah Ingram & me mixing it up with this talented group!
Thank you @sarahlebruni & @USGA pic.twitter.com/qHLhPmrUb0— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) December 16, 2019
Invitation to the Curtis Cup practice session does not guarantee selection to the eight-player U.S. team that will compete in June at Conwy Golf Club in Wales. Players not invited can also still be considered for inclusion on the team.
The USGA will automatically select the top three American players in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking on April 8, 2020. The remainder of the team will be selected the following week.
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