Kristen Gillman is named SGA August Amateur of Month
Kristen Gillman
BIRMINGHAM, ALA (Sept. 3, 2014) – Kristen Gillman, 16, has been selected winner of the Southern Golf Association’s National Amateur of the Month Award for August after the Austin, Tex, teen won two national titles during the month.
The youthful Gillman won the USGA Women’s Amateur a week after also winning the Junior Girls PGA Championship. The dual victories inspired the selection panel to honor her in a close vote over USGA Amateur champ Gunn Yang of South Korea. Gillman won both titles by outduelling heralded opponents in each event. She becomes just the third female to win the award in its 12-year history.
At Glen Cove, NY, Gillman won the 36-hole final of the Women’s Amateur 2-up over Brooke Mackenzie Henderson, who at the time was Golfweek’s top ranked amateur. She had to gamely battle from behind in several of her matches, including the final. The prior week at the Miramount CC in Bryan, Tex, she posted a 16-under-par total of 268 for a stunning 11-shot victory.
ABOUT THE SGA NATIONAL AM OF THE MONTH AWARDPrevious winners of the March-October National Am of the Month award this year were Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers, Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans, NCAA championship medalist Cameron Wilson, Northeast Am winner Stewart Jolly and Southern Am champ M.J. Maguire. The national selection panel consists of notable golf journalists, officials and coaches. The coveted award, now in its 12th year, is one of many ways the SGA promotes and advances amateur golf.