Awesome Alice heading for the big time after Curtis Cup pick

Berkhamsted Golf Club hot-shot Alice Hewson has been selected for the Great Britain & Ireland team to play in the Curtis Cup matches against the USA at the Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Ireland.
Alice Hewson will be attempting to help Great Britain & Ireland to victory over the USAAlice Hewson will be attempting to help Great Britain & Ireland to victory over the USA
Alice Hewson will be attempting to help Great Britain & Ireland to victory over the USA

Alice, a freshman student at Clemson University in South Carolina, is one of eight players on the team that will face the US in the biennial transatlantic women’s amateur competition.

Alice, 18, is the second youngest player on the GB&I team and has played in all nine tournaments for Clemson University this year, achieving three top-10 finishes.

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That includes victories in each of her first two events, the Cougar Classic in Charleston and the Furman Invitational in Greenville. She is the only golfer in Clemson history, male or female, to win her first two tournaments.

She shot a 65 in the second round of her career at the Cougar Classic at Yeamans Hall – the lowest score in Clemson’s history by two shots. The second best round is a 67 shot by Alice during her victory at the Furman Invitational.

From an amateur ranking standpoint, Hewson is currently 34th in the world and qualified for the team automatically due to her world amateur ranking. She has also played for England in the Vagliano Trophy competition.

Speaking about her selection for the Curtis Cup, Alice said: ‘I am delighted to have made the team. It will be an honour to follow so many great players and represent GB&I in the Curtis Cup.

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“Securing selection was a key goal for my season, now I can’t wait to get to Ireland and help the team win.

“Golf is a tough sport, you can have a good run of form and then suddenly be struggling in an event or two.

“However I know that with hard work, good coaching and great facilities I can always get back to my best. So I’d like to shout out to my coach Rob (Watts), the England team, plus my college coaches JT and Janine for all their support, belief and encouragement.

“Last but not least to my sports psychiatrist Dan – I’m going to squash those automatic negative thoughts!”

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Alice’s father Dominic spoke for the whole family when he said: “We are immensely proud of Alice’s selection, which is reward for her dedication, her drive and her determination.

“It’s not easy being 4,000 miles from home, living with a new group of people, studying for a degree and still performing at an elite level, but Alice has an amazing ability to take it all in her stride.

“Michelle my wife, Abi her sister, a bunch of our family and myself will be walking the course in Ireland in June cheering Alice and her team-mates on. We could not be happier for her. “

Clemson head coach JT Horton added: “What an amazing accomplishment for Alice. This was a big goal of hers and she deserves this opportunity.”

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He continued: “She will be a tremendous representative of the GB&I team. We in the Clemson Family are very proud of Alice!”

The complete GB&I team includes Alice (Clemson), Maria Dunne, Bronte Law (UCLA), Meghan MacLaren (Florida International), Leona Maguire (Duke), Olivia Mehaffey (Arizona State in 16-17), Rochelle Morris and Charlotte Thomas.

Alice will next be in action at the NCAA Women’s Regional Championship at Shoal Creek, where she will be a part of the Clemson team. Clemson is one of 18 teams in the field for the regional. The top six teams in that regional will advance to the NCAA National Tournament in Oregon May 20-25.