The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Schubert wins 2017 U.S. Women's Amateur
08.13.2017 | Women's Golf
UT senior becomes the third Longhorn golfer to capture the event in program history.
Sophia Schubert Post-Round Quotes
CHULA VISTA, Calif. – University of Texas senior Sophia Schubert on Sunday became the third golfer in program history and first since 1996 to win the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Schubert accomplished the feat with a 6 and 5 victory in the 36-hole finale against Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland, who entered the event as the No. 3-ranked golfer in the current Women's World Amateur Rankings, at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.
Schubert, an Oak Ridge, Tenn., native, is the first Texas golfer to win the event since Kelli Kuehne captured both the 1995 and 1996 events. Schubert, by virtue of advancing to Sunday's final, earned a guaranteed spot in the 2018 U.S. Women's Open.
"I've just worked so hard for this and, to finally be able to win something like this, it's incredible," Schubert said. "It means so much. So many people from Austin have contacted me and said they're rooting for me, so it means the world to me to have done this for them and with my coach [Ryan Murphy] on the bag."
Schubert led wire-to-wire through the 36-hole finale, including a 4-up advantage following the first 18 holes. After a two-hour break between rounds, Schubert was able to maintain and build on her lead throughout the final 18 holes to claim the national amateur championship.
"Being ahead is really good, but it can change so quickly," Schubert said. "I just couldn't get too happy because I knew that Albane is a great player and it could change so fast. I was 4 up after 18, but there were still 18 holes, so I wasn't sure what was going to happen."
Sophia Schubert, the 117th #USWomensAm champion! https://t.co/uNyMjzGjUj
— USGA (@USGA) August 13, 2017
"Hopefully it's all positive for her career, and I don't think how it couldn't be with all of the exemptions that you get," Texas head coach Ryan Murphy said. "The biggest thing is right here (pointing to his head). She doesn't have to wonder anymore. She is past that."
Schubert also joined an exclusive club of champions who never trailed in the final. Since 2002, that list includes San Diego County native Becky Lucidi (2002), Morgan Pressel (2005) and former world No. 1 Lydia Ko (2012), the latter two being major champions.
Schubert is the second Texas golfer on the 2017-18 team to have won a USGA Championship. Incoming freshman Kaitlyn Papp was a member of the victorious 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship duo.
Kuehne, who sent words of encouragement to Schubert at the event via text message, was a two-year member of the UT women's golf team (1994-96), earning All-America honors and Southwest Conference Golfer of the Year accolades as a sophomore in the 1995-96 season. She was the 1996 Southwest Conference individual champion and tied for 10th at the NCAA Championship that season. Kuehne was recently selected for induction into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
Hattori, at age 16 in 1985, became the third-youngest and only Japanese born, champion of the U.S. Women's Amateur, and in 1986 became the first golfer to win medalist honors at the U.S. Women's Amateur and U.S. Girls' Junior in the same year. Her storied collegiate career at the University of Texas included 10 individual titles. Hattori was named the PING WGCA Player of the Year in 1989. She was the 1990 recipient of the Honda-Broderick Award for Golf. Among her achievements included finishing in the top-10 in 38 of 40 events in which she competed during her four years at Texas.
SOPHIA SCHUBERT RESULTS AT THE 2017 U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR
Stroke Play – T38th – 4-over-par 148 [74-74]
Round of 64 – def. Naomi Ko, N.C. State [4 and 3]
Round of 32 – def. Krystal Quihuis, Arizona [3 and 2]
Round of 16 – def. Zoe Campos, Valencia, Calif. [7 and 6]
Quarterfinals – def. Isabella Fierro, Mexico [3 and 1]
Semifinals – def. Chia Yen Wu, Chinese Taipei [2 up]
Championship – def. Albane Valenzuela, Switzerland [6 and 5]
TEXAS WOMEN'S GOLFERS WHO HAVE WON THE U.S. WOMEN'S AMATEUR
Michiko Hattori, 1985
Kelli Kuehne, 1995
Kelli Kuehne, 1996
Sophia Schubert, 2017
Players Mentioned
