Virginia Golfer Nov / Dec 2017 | Page 27

V S The Golfers Of The Year G A VSGA WOMEN’S GOLFER OF THE YEAR Lauren Greenlief HOME CLUB: International Country Club IT WAS ODD TO EVEN CONTEMPLATE. Lauren Green- lief, the 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Champion and a three-time winner of the VSGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship, was somehow stumped by the VSGA Wom- en’s Amateur. Three trips to the final match. Three defeats. “To go to the finals three times and come out of it without the trophy three times, it kind of beats up on you a little bit,” she said. In July, during one of the hottest weeks of the summer, Greenlief did a little beating up of her own. And given a fourth opportunity to add her name to the Kohler Trophy, she didn’t disappoint. Greenlief jumped to an early lead in the champi- onship match against teenage wunderkind Caroline Curtis and held on for a 3-and-2 victory. Overall, 2017 was a strong year for Greenlief, who rallied after a 2016 season that featured surprising first-round match play losses in both the VSGA Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. She found her superb form again in 2017, and the result was her third VSGA Women’s Golfer of the Year honor since 2010. 2017 Highlights » Won the 92nd VSGA Women’s Amateur Championship, her first win in four appearances in the championship match. » Participated in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (with Alexandra Austin), the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship. Was also on the Virginia squad for the U.S. State Team Championship. » Finished No. 1 in the VSGA Women’s Player Rankings. “To go to the finals three times and come out of it without the trophy three times, it kind of beats up on you a little bit.” —Greenlief, after her breakthrough win at this year’s VSGA Women’s Amateur vsga.org » Teamed with Austin, won the 2nd VSGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship. » Qualified for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (with Katie Miller). Greenlief and Miller were two of three stroke- play co-medalists at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, and Greenlief reached the round of 16 at that event. N OV E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 17 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 25