NEWS

Annie Park, second-ranked amateur, leads eight onto U.S. Curtis Cup team

By PGA.com news services
Published on
FAR HILLS, N.J. – Annie Park, the world's second-ranked female amateur, was named as one the eight college players who will represent the United States in the 2014 Curtis Cup Match, the U.S. Golf Association announced Thursday. The Curtis Cup is set for June 6-8 at St. Louis (Mo.) Country Club.
 
The eight players are: 
Kyung Kim, 19, of Chandler, Ariz. (University of Southern California)
Alison Lee, 19, of Valencia, Calif. (University of California, Los Angeles)
Erynne Lee, 21, of Silverdale, Wash. (University of California, Los Angeles)
Ally McDonald, 21, of Fulton, Miss. (Mississippi State University)
Annie Park, 18, of Levittown, N.Y. (University of Southern California)
Ashlan Ramsey, 18, of Milledgeville, Ga. (Clemson University)
Mariah Stackhouse, 19, of Riverdale, Ga. (Stanford University) 
Emma Talley, 19, of Princeton, Ky. (University of Alabama)
 
"We are very proud of these eight women who have been selected to represent the United States at the Curtis Cup Match," said Daniel B. Burton, USGA vice president and chairman of the International Team Selection Committee. "While their playing records are exemplary, they also personify the ideals of sportsmanship, competitiveness and affability that are among the defining characteristics of this competition. We trust that they will represent their country in fine fashion come June."
 
The Curtis Cup Match is a biennial international women's amateur golf competition between eight-player teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland. Six-time USGA champion and two-time USA Curtis Cup Team member Ellen Port will serve as U.S. captain this year.
 
"I am so proud of these players and excited for what is ahead for this team," said Port, a St. Louis native. "Representing your country in the Curtis Cup Match is one of the highest honors a female amateur player can receive, and I know these women are more than up to the task. We are all looking forward to June and the opportunities that are ahead of us."
 
Park, a sophomore at USC, in 2013 became the seventh freshman to claim the NCAA individual title and only the second woman in NCAA history to sweep the conference, regional and national titles. Park reached the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur and has competed in two U.S. Women's Opens.
 
Kyung Kim, a sophomore at USC, won the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship and has competed in the past three U.S. Women's Opens. She has three collegiate victories.
 
Alison Lee, a freshman at UCLA, was the runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, reached the semifinals of the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and has competed in three U.S. Women's Opens. She captured two collegiate victories during her first semester at UCLA.
 
Erynne Lee, a junior at UCLA, has competed in two U.S. Women's Opens and has three collegiate victories. Lee, who has reached at least the quarterfinals at four U.S. Women's Amateurs, represented the USA at the 2012 Women's World Amateur Team Championship and the 2013 Copa de las Americas.
 
McDonald, a junior at Mississippi State, won the 2013 North & South Women's Amateur Championship. She has three collegiate victories, including the 2013 NCAA Central Regional, and has finished outside the top 25 only twice in her collegiate career.
 
Ramsey, a freshman at Clemson, was the runner-up to Kim at the 2012 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship and won three important events in summer 2013, including the Women's Eastern and Women's Western championships. She earned two victories during her first fall season at Clemson.
 
Stackhouse, a sophomore at Stanford, has four collegiate wins, including the 2014 UC Irvine Invitational, which earned her a spot in the LPGA tour's 2014 Kia Classic field. Stackhouse, who has competed in two U.S. Women's Opens, was a member of Georgia's winning team at the 2009 USGA Women's State Team Championship. She is also the first African-American player to be named to the USA Curtis Cup Team.
 
Talley, a sophomore at Alabama, won the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and has competed in two U.S. Women's Opens. She won the 2013 Ping-ASU Invitational and was named 2013 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.
 
All eight players are among the top 25 of the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, with Park (No. 2), Alison Lee (No. 3), Ramsey (No. 7), McDonald (No. 9) and Kim (No. 10) in the top 10.
 
The alternates for the USA Team are, in order of ranking: Doris Chen of Bradenton, Fla., and Lauren Diaz-Yi of Thousand Oaks, Calif.
 
The Curtis Cup consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition. GB&I won in 2012 at The Nairn Golf Club in Nairn, Scotland, while the USA leads the overall series, 27-7-3.
 
The GB&I team is expected to be announced on May 6.