Alabama’s Kristen Gillman Begins U.S. Women’s Open Thursday at Shoal Creek

Alabama’s Kristen Gillman will open play at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday, May 31, at the Shoal Creek Club in Shoal Creek, Ala.

Gillman is scheduled to tee off at 8:08 a.m. CT in a group that will include former Crimson Tide All-American and 2015 NCAA individual medalist Emma Talley. The duo will also play together in Friday’s second round.

In addition to Gillman and Talley, former Tide All-American Jenny Suh will also compete in this year’s Open. Suh will tee off at 6:40 a.m. CT on Thursday.

Gillman qualified for the Open with a three-shot victory over Arkansas’ Maria Fassi at the U.S. Women’s Open qualifier at the Deerwood Club in Kingwood, Texas on May 14.

The sophomore tied for seventh in stroke play and was 3-0 in match play at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships in Stillwater, Okla., last week to help lead the Tide to a national runner-up finish.

This will be the fourth U.S. Women’s Open in the last five years that has included an active Alabama golfer in the field. Talley and Janie Jackson qualified in 2014 and Lauren Stephenson qualified in 2016 and 2017.

The U.S. Open is one of four major events Gillman will compete in this summer. She will also play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Aug. 6-12, in Kingston Springs, Tenn. and will be a member of the United States teams that will compete in the Curtis Cup, June 8-10, in Scarsdale, N.Y. and the Palmer Cup, July 6-8, in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds will air on FS1 from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. CT. Third and fourth round coverage will air on FOX from 1 p.m.-6 p.m. CT on Saturday and Sunday.