AJGA alumnae Austin Ernst, Erynne Lee and Lisa McCloskey will represent the United States at the 2012 Womens World Amateur Team Championship at Gloria Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey, Sept. 27-30.
Conducted by the International Golf Federation, the biennial competition has been played since 1964 and will feature 56 teams. In 2010, Korea captured the title in the four-day stroke play competition. While the U.S. has captured the title a record 13 times, a U.S. team has not won since 1998.
During her AJGA career, Ernst recorded two victories, five top-five finishes and received honorable mention Rolex Junior All-America honors in 2007 and 2009. She continued her golf career at LSU, where she captured the individual title at the 2011 NCAA Division I Womens Golf Championships as a freshman. Ernst won the 2012 North & South Womens Amateur and represented the U.S. at the 2012 Curtis Cup Match. She will compete in LPGA Tour Qualifying School in the fall.
A rising sophomore at UCLA, Lee achieved 12 top-five AJGA finishes, including victories at the 2010 Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions and the 2008 AJGA Junior at Wenatchee. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American also captured back-to-back wins at the Kathy Whitworth Invitational (2008 and 2009). Lee received Pac-12 Conference and Division 1 Freshman of the Year honors after a freshman season that included four top-five finishes and the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate title.
As an AJGA player, McCloskey posted seven top-five performances and three wins. A four-time Rolex Junior All-American, she won the Genesis Shootout presented by the Valero Texas Open in both 2006 and 2008, and finished first at the 2005 Harvey Penick Junior. McCloskey began her collegiate career at Pepperdine, where she won three tournaments and received Freshman of the Year honors in 2009. After transferring to USC, McCloskey helped the Trojans to a 2011 Pac-10 title. The 2012 Curtis Cup U.S. Team member posted eight top-10 finishes during her final collegiate season, highlighted by a win at the 2012 NCAA Central Regional.
Team alternates include (in order of ranking) North Dakota State senior Amy Anderson and Arkansas Emily Tubert.