A reminder that the United States' Curtis Cup team for St Andrews in late May will contain the best players on the American female college circuit - in particular Amanda Blumenherst, pictured above, and Stacy Lewis, comes in the following article from GolfWeek.com:

UNITED STATES' CURTIS CUP ACES
BLUMENHERST, LEWIS GO HEAD
TO HEAD FOR COLLEGE TITLES

It's rare that women's college golf experiences a good old-fashioned individual player rivalry. It's why the next month could be turn out to be the most exciting period we've seen in the game in a number of years.
With Duke (University) junior Amanda Blumenherst, two-time defending national player of the year, and Arkansas senior Stacy Lewis, defending NCAA champion, having separated themselves from the rest of the college golf world with their performances thus far in the 2007-08 season, we all will be treated to seeing the two talents compete in the same tournaments three times in the next four weeks.
How they do over this stretch will go a long way in determining which golfer earns national player-of-the-year honours.
The Blumenherst v Lewis duel starts in earnest this coming week outside Orlando when the opening round of the UCF Challenge begins at Red Tail GC.
The Blue Devil stand-out (Blumenherst) tees off at 10.06 am while the Lady Razorback All-American (Stacy Lewis) tees off about 40min earlier.
It still amazes me that these two have yet to play in the same pairing during their college careers.
The two schools also are both playing in the Liz Murphey Collegiate March 21-23 and the Bryan National Collegiate March 28-30.
"It will be great for them to be on the same golf course and playing in the same conditions," Arkansas coach Shauna Estes-Taylor told me last week. "To have that sort of competition in our sport shows you how far it’s come and the direction I think it’s heading in the future."
It's no surprise Estes-Taylor would say something like this, but other coaches from around the country are thinking the same thing.
Purdue's Devon Brouse watched Stacy Lewis play at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic two weeks ago and said that he came away extremely impressed with Lewis' course-management skills. "What she and Amanda might do this spring is something I think we're all anxious to see," Brouse said. "It's good for women's college golf."
The interesting thing to me is how differently the two are approaching the pending race. "Winning the award would be great, but ultimately I'm just trying to see how low I can go," says Blumenherst. "I'm out there practising for Duke and not the individual award."
Conversely, Lewis frequently searches the Internet to see what has happening at tournaments where Blumenherst is playing. "She likes to know where she stands," Estes-Taylor says. "She knows we're going to see them in the next couple of tournaments. So she's really excited and motivated."
Indeed, when I asked Lewis if she knew Arkansas and Duke were competing in three tournaments together in the coming weeks she was rather blunt: "Oh yeah I'm aware. Very aware."
Below is a listing of how the two of them have fared so far this season. Call it a primer for the upcoming events. Lewis has a 1-0 lead over Blumenherst in head-to-head match-ups so far, having won the Stanford Invitational in the fall while Blumenherst tied for fifth place.
Says Estes-Taylor: "It will be great when we go to Florida and the next couple of events for them to be on the same golf course and playing in the same conditions. I think you'll see somebody emerge."
I agree, but I honestly can't say who I think it will be. All I know is I can't wait to see it all unfold.
AMANDA BLUMENHERST
(Duke University)
Starts: 5.
Wins: 3.
Stroke average: 69.87.
Rounds/Sub-par: 15/10.
Percentage of rounds counting for team: 100%
Competitions:
Mason Rudolph: 66-68-69 Win.
NCAA Preview: 73-68-67 2nd.
Lady Tar Heel: 71-68-70 Win.
Stanford: 66-73-76 Tied 5th.
Arizona Wildcat: 68-72-73 Win .

STACY LEWIS
(University of Arkansas)
Starts: 5.
Wins: 3.
Stroke average: 70.6.
Rounds/Sub-par: 15/10.
Percentage of rounds counting for team: 100%.
Kentucky Wildcat: 69-76-71 Tied 3rd.
Mercedes-Benz: 69-71-71 3rd.
Stanford: 69-72-70 Win.
UA/Ann Rhodes: 68-76-69 Win.
Puerto Rico: 68-70-70 Win.

SCOTS BOY GOLFERS HAVE TITLE

CHANCE IN FRANCE
Scotland boosted their chances of winning the boys' quadrangular international boys' golf title at Saint Cyprien Golf Club in southern France by beating Italy 5 1/2-3 1/2 today. This followed the Scots' 6 1/2-2 1/2 win over France on Friday.
David Law (Hazlehead) and Paul Shields (Kirkhill) were double winners in the foursomes and singles against the Italians. Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) was the Scots' other winner in the singles.
Scotland took the foursomes 2-1 and the singles 3 1/2-2 1/2.
Sunday's Scotland v. Sweden match will be the title decider.
Saturday's results
SCOTLAND 5 1/2, ITALY 3 1/2
Foursomes: S McLaren (King James VI), M Stewart (Troon Welbeck) halved with L Gobbi, V Dall'arche; M Bookless (Sandyhills), A McLachlan (Bonnyton) halved with C Terragni, C Vigano; D Law (Hazlehead), P Shields (Kirkhill) bt A Bolognesi, F Vianelli 2 and 1 (2-1).
Singles: McLaren halved with Terragni, Stewart bt Dall'arche 4 and 3, McLachlan lost to Vigano 3 and 2, Bookless lost to Gobbi 2 and 1, Shields bt Vianelli 2 and 1, Law bt Bolognesi 2 and 1 (3 1/2-2 1/2).
Other result:
France 5, Sweden 4.
How they stand: 1 Scotland 2pt, 2 France and Sweden 1pt each, 4 Italy 0pt.

ends

BREGMAN WINS PAM

GOLDING LADIES

INTERNATIONAL BY

FOUR STROKES

South African Stacy Bregman, pictured right, took the title at the Pam Golding Ladies International played at the Nelspruit Golf Club today with a final round of 71 for a seven-under-par total of 209 for the 54-hole tournament.
Bregman led the field from start to finish and showed she was in the mood to stay there when she birdied the first four holes of her final round before dropping shots at the sixth and ninth with drives into the rough.

She got back in the birdie grove at the 10th where she had a big drive and a superb approach shot to "gimme" distance.

She three-putted the tough par-3 13th but birdied the 15th.

The 16th hole was her only real blemish of the day. She pulled her approach shot into a bunker from where she needed to shots to get on to the green ... a missed putt ... and a double bogey went on her card.

Bregman then parred safely home to take the title four shots clear of her nearest rival.
“I’ve had a really great tour, and with today’s win, I’m very excited about next week’s Telkom Women’s Classic at Zwartkop Country Club” said a very pleased Bregman.
Tied for second place were South Africa’s Morgana Robbertze and Danish player Lisa Holm Sorensen. They both signed off with 71s to finish at three-under-par 213.

The best round of the day came from Italian Margherita Rigon with a 70.
Remaining ahead of her fellow amateur players was Gauteng’s Tandi Cuningham who closed on eight-over-par 224 for the tournament to take the leading amateur title.
Starting on Wednesday next week, the Ladies African Tour moves to Centurion’s, Zwartkop Country Club, for the final event of the tour, the Telkom Women’s Classic. Entrance is free.

PAM GOLDING LADIES INTERNATIONAL

FINAL TOTALS

Par 216 (3 x 72)
209 Stacy Bregman 68 70 71 (45,000 Rand).

213 Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den) 71 71 71, Morgana Robbertze 70 72 71 (28,500 Rand each).

217 Johanna Westerberg 71 72 74, Maria Boden 71 70 76 (16,200 Rand each).

219 Julie Tvede (Den) 73 75 71, Anna Temple (US) 71 75 73, Emma Lyons (Eng) 73 73 73, Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 74 72 73 (9,750 Rand each).

220 Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 73 75 72, Julie Berton 74 73 73 (6,450 Rand).

221 Mandy Adamson 77 71 73 (5,700 Rand).

222 Emma Zackrisson 74 74 72, Lill Kristin Saether 76 72 74, Lee-Anne Pace 74 73 75 (5,170 Rand each).

223 Margherita Rigon 79 74 70, Florence Luscher 76 73 74 (4,725 Rand), Tandi Cunningham (am) 73 74 76.

224 Kaisa Ruutila (Fin) 75 75 74, Jo Clingan (Eng) 73 73 78, Caroline Afonso 77 76 71 (4,350 Rand each), Gina Switala (am) 77 72 75.

225 Anna Becker-Frankel 76 72 77 (4,050 Rand).

226 Anne-Lise Caudal 75 76 75 (3,900 Rand).

227 Cecilie Lundgreen 78 74 75 (3,750 Rand).

228 Hanna-Leena Salonen 75 75 78, Kelly Hutcherson (Eng) 75 78 75, Maria Beautell (Spa) 75 79 74 (3,450 Rand each).

229 Laurette Maritz 79 74 76 (3,150 Rand).

230 Zuzana Kamasova 76 78 76 (3,000 Rand), Sandra Winter (am) 75 77 78.

231 Lise Botha 79 78 74, Karin Borjeskog 79 77 75 (2,775 Rand each), Mercia Pretorius (am) 80 74 77, Ashleigh Holmes (am) 75 81 75.

232 Sandra Carlborg 78 81 73 (2,610 Rand), Kim Williams (am) 79 79 74.

233 Antonella Cvitan 78 75 80 (2,520 Rand).

234 Carmen Alonso (Spa) 81 77 76 (2,430 Rand).

235 Stephanie Ruiz 84 79 72, Monja Richards 82 78 75, Ana Larraneta 79 78 80 (2,280 Rand each).

236 Frederique Seeholzer 80 81 75 Rose Naliaka 76 78 82 (2,055 Rand each).

237 Crizelda van Niekerk 76 81 80, Caryn Louw 80 82 75 (1,875 Rand each).

239 Michelle de Vries 84 75 80, Nora Angehrn 83 79 77 (1,695 Rand each).

240 Stenna Westerlund 83 74 83, Kirsty Fisher (Eng) 82 79 79 (1,515 Rand each).

242 Nora Kagonyera 78 81 83 (1,410 Rand), Bonita Bredenham (am) 76 82 84.

245 Jillian Wyne 81 83 81 (1,350 Rand).

249 Esther Strous 82 86 81 (1,290 Rand).

251 Alana van Greuning (am) 85 84 82.

254 Sune Du Plooy (am) 79 85 90.

BECKY AND FERN JOINT FIFTH IN
TREASURE COAST CLASSIC

English students Becky Dowell and Fern Grimshaw, both attending Bethune-Cookman College at Daytona Beach, Florida, finished joint fifth in a field of 34 players for the Treasure Coast Women's Classic at Indian Hills Golf Club, Fort Pierce in Florida over a 5,800yd, par-71 course.
Becky and Fern had identical rounds of 77 and 71 for 148.
Runaway winner of the individual title was Praewnapa Phol-Uayporn from Bangkok, Thailand. A student at Florida Atlantic University, she won by 11 shots - no mean achievement in a 36-hole tournament - with rounds of 66 and 71.
Florida Atlantic (581) won the team event from Evansville (604) with Bethune-Cookman third of six team on 608.