Courtesy of The Spirit International
Stacy Lewis, a 13-time LPGA Champion and accomplished international competitor, will return as captain of Team USA for The 2021 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit).
Lewis previously served as captain of the 2019 team which featured eventual men’s team champions Andy Ogletree and Cole Hammer along with women’s competitors Kaitlyn Papp and Emilia Migliaccio.
The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship is a premier golf event featuring the world’s best men and women amateur golfers representing their respective countries in team and individual competitions. The biennial event is scheduled for Nov. 1-7, 2021 at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas. The event is hosted by the Spirit Golf Association, which promotes amateur golf through philanthropy and has raised more than $13 million since launching in 1999.
“The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship is such a unique and fun event for so many reasons,” Lewis said. “I look forward to returning this year and building on the success Team USA has experienced in this competition over the years.”
The Spirit features 80 competitors from 20 countries, representing six continents. It is a 54-hole competition with five concurrent competition categories: international team, men’s team and women’s team. New for 2021 will be men’s and women’s individual stroke play competitions. Gold, Silver and Bronze commemorative medals are awarded to the top three golfers in each competition.
“There is so much to be excited about for the 2021 Spirit, including the updates to the Whispering Pines championship course and the addition of the stroke play competition for the men and women,” said Charlie Epps, President of the Spirit Golf Association and the captain of Team USA in the 2001 inaugural Spirit event. “We are also thrilled to have Stacy back as Captain of Team USA as she is a local product and a first-class example for these young players in how to represent your country and the game.”
Stacy Lewis (far left) with 2019 Team USA participants Andy Ogletree, Cole Hammer, Kaitlynn Papp, Emilia Migliaccio and Assistant Captain Alli Jarrett.
Lewis is no stranger to international competition. A five-time member of the United States Solheim Cup team as player (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019), she is also serving as an assistant captain for the 2021 event held Sept. 4-6 at Inverness Club in Toledo. Lewis was the first player ever to go 5-0 in a single Curtis Cup at the 2008 event, and she also represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In her professional career, Lewis won 13 times on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships: the 2011 ANA Inspiration and the 2013 Women’s British Open. She finished in the top 10 a total of 113 times and was the LPGA Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014.
A Houston resident, Lewis won the 2017 Cambria Portland Classic and donated her entire winnings to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Last August, she won the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.
Team USA has been successful at The Spirit. Under Lewis, the four U.S. collegiate amateurs will be vying for Team USA’s sixth overall win in 10 events. Their latest win came in 2015. The 2017 event was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. The 2019 women’s team (Kaitlynn Papp and Emilia Migliaccio) was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, thus eliminating the United States from the overall competition. Hammer tied for second in the men’s individual standings, while Ogletree finished tied for 19th.
About The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship
Eighty competitors from 20 countries compete for gold medals in the 54-hole, four-ball stroke play competition in The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship. Each country is represented by two women and two men amateur golfers. Previous Spirit International competitors who now are professionals on the LPGA and PGA TOUR include Lorena Ochoa, Brooke Henderson, Jordan Spieth, Francesco Molinari, Lexi Thompson, Brandt Snedeker, Paula Creamer, Jason Day, Bronte Law, Martin Kaymer, Maria Fassi, and Viktor Hovland. Spirit alumni have gone on to win more than 650 professional titles, 25 major championships and 17 Olympic appearances, including 16 PGA Tour winners, 25 European Tour winners, 23 LPGA winners and 21 Ladies European Tour winners. The Spirit Golf Association is dedicated to the promotion of amateur golf for the benefit of health-related causes. It organizes and oversees the tournament along with the Texas Golf Association.
ABOUT THE The Spirit International Amateur
The Spirit International Amateur Golf
Championship is world class golf event
played every other year. It features the
world’s best amateur men and amateur
women golfers as they represent their
respective country in team and individual
competitions. The 96 participants enjoy an
Olympic-like experience from the
Opening/Closing Ceremonies, international
village and competing for gold medals.
The World Health & Golf Association and
Texas Golf Association invite 24 countries
from six continents to participate. Established
in 2001, The Spirit is a biennial event that
alternates tournament years with the World
Amateur Team Championships.
Part of the uniqueness of the Spirit International are
the five simultaneous competitions:
Combined International Championship, Men’s Team
Championship, Women’s Team
Championship, Men’s Individual and Women’s
Individual.
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