Alabama’s Lauren Stephenson Finishes 41st at U.S. Women’s Open
Alabama’s Lauren Stephenson shot a 3-over par 75 in Sunday’s final round to tie for 41st at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
“Just to make the U.S. Open is the treat of a lifetime and then to play on the weekend, that’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl,” Stephenson said following her round. “I felt great about my game this week. I gained a lot of confidence on the greens that I will take with me into the season. It was a great experience to test my game against the best players in the world. I am really excited that I still have two years of college left to continue to progress and learn.”
Stephenson (72-72-73-75/292) finished fourth among all amateurs at this year's Open at 4-over par and was the No. 2 collegiate finisher. South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (69-69-70-71/279) finished 2nd and was the low amateur. South Korea’s Sung-Hyun Park won the tournament with and 11-under par 277 (73-70-67-67). Wake Forest’s Jennifer Kupcho (74-72-71/288) tied for 21st at even par and was the low collegian.
“This has been a great week for Lauren and should benefit her in terms of confidence and momentum going forward,” Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. “Lauren is a great ball striker and this performance is a glimpse of what she is capable of accomplishing if she putts well. Most people don’t realize how difficult it is just to qualify for the U.S. Open, and then to make the cut and compete against the best in the world is quite an accomplishment.”
The Alabama women’s golf team will open the 2017-18 season Sept. 15-17 at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn.