Picking the Curtis Cup team

In her diary entry today, Tiffany Joh mentioned that the selection of the U.S. Curtis Cup team is just a couple weeks off.

Waggle Roomers are all members of the T-Joh Fan Club, and would love to see her on that team. And northernfan asked in a comment to Tiffany's post about her chances for making the team.

So I thought I'd take a crack at handicapping the selection process.

Here goes:

• 
  
• Metaphysical locks: Amanda Blumenherst and Stacy Lewis
  
• Near lock: Kimberly Kim
  
• Next strongest candidate: Alison Walshe
  
• The junior candidates: Mina Harigae (although not really a junior anymore, she'll be on the Duke team in the spring); Jane Rah, Kristen Park
  
• The older candidate: Virginia Grimes
  
• The past Curtis Cupper candidate: Jennie Lee
  
• Another strong candidate: Taylore Karle
  
• A few wildcards: Mallory Blackwelder, Meghan Bolger, Anna Schultz
  

Duke's Jennie Lee has tons of experience in big tournaments, and I would have considered her a lock about six months ago. But Jennie had a Fall season that was, by her standards, disappointing, and I don't think she's going to make this team. Although it wouldn't be a surprise if a veteran captain like Carol Semple Thompson picked a veteran U.S. representative such as Lee.

I also would have considered Harigae a lock six months ago, but she had a pretty quiet last six months, too, excluding her participation on the Junior Solheim Cup team. But I'm betting that she gets picked.

If Thompson wants a veteran presence on the team, she can choose Grimes, a member of the 2006 team and now 44 years. U.S. Senior Women's Amateur champ Anna Schultz is a dark-horse.

Vicky Hurst would have been a lock for this team, but she'll be on the Futures Tour while the Curtis Cup is being played. Ditto for Taylor Leon (although Leon, with non-exempt status, might be sneaking into an LPGA tournament rather than Futures).

Karle is in her freshman year at Pepperdine, coming off a strong junior career, and starting off very strong in college. She finished second at the Harder Hall last week, and she has also Monday qualified for an LPGA tournament.

Blackwelder and Bolger are highly ranked in Golfweek's women's amateur rankings, tied for third (behind Blu and Lewis). Bolger, age 29, is the women's golf coach at the University of Mississippi and the two-time defending USGA Mid-Amateur champion.

But while Blackwelder is third in the amateur rankings, she's well back in the Golfweek collegiate rankings. Tiffany is No. 4 in the Golfweek college rankings (and the third ranked American), while Blackwelder is No. 45. (Obviously, the collegiate rankings consider only college tournaments; the amateur rankings consider only top non-collegiate amateur events such as USGA tournaments, Women's Western Open, Harder Hall, etc.)

So where does Tiffany fit among the players listed above? Being as objective as I can be, I consider her, at worst, on par with Walshe. In my mind, Tiffany is an easy pick for the team: She's a USGA champion (and beat Kim Kim to win that title); she's a collegiate champion, and ranked ahead of Walshe in the college rankings (albeit by only 1/100th of a point); she has played previously for a U.S. team (Spirit International); and she has performed very, very well in the few professional tournaments she's played (e.g., tie for third in ANZ Ladies Masters, Top 25 on the LPGA).

There are a couple intangibles working in Tiff's favor, too: She's partnered Blumenherst in junior and amateur team tournaments, and that partnership may be one very appealing to Captain Thompson. Plus, everyone loves Tiffany, and she's the funniest woman in show business.

So here's how I think the team will shape up: Blumenherst, Lewis, Kim, Walshe, Joh, Harigae, Karle, Bolger.